TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Transit Shelter Maintenance Contract
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consideration of the following actions regarding Transit Shelters:
- Authorize the General Manager to take the necessary steps to acquire ownership of 276 existing transit shelters from Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO).
- Approve contract award to Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. for a two-year base period with three one-year options for transit shelter maintenance services in the amount of $844,560 per year.
- Authorize the General Manager to include an option in the new contract with Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. to add maintenance of 46 Tempo Platforms in the amount of $443,350 per year after the current contract expires in August 2023.
Staff Contact:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
All transit rides begin and end at the bus stop. Whether someone is walking by a bus stop or waiting at one, bus stop furniture - such as shelters and benches - plays a critical role in the quality of the customer experience. Award of this maintenance contract will help ensure a positive customer experience at bus shelter locations throughout the District.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed award to Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. will be a maintenance contract with a base period of two (2) years, with three (3), one (1)-year options to extend for a total of up to five years. The contract has an estimated value of $844,560 per year based on the existing 276 transit shelters and kiosks in the field. This award will also allow the District to include maintenance of Tempo Platforms when the current contract expires at a cost of $443,350 per year.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
Under the existing Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) contract which is set to expire on March 31, 2023, CCO does all the capital and maintenance work and offsets those costs using advertising revenue in shelters. Today, advertising revenue in transit shelters has gone down and moved online and costs to maintaining infrastructure has gone up. Thus, this contract separates out advertising, maintenance, and capital work allowing the District to look for companies whose focus are on infrastructure maintenance. This contract does not cover the Cities of Alameda, Emeryville, Oakland, or Piedmont which have their own transit shelter programs independent of the District’s transit shelter program.
On August 10, 2022, the Board of Directors approved the solicitation of three Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for transit shelter maintenance, capital work, and advertising. The current transit shelter contract with Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) will expire on March 31, 2023.
On December 27, 2022, the District issued a Request for Proposals for Transit Shelter Maintenance Services with a 10% Small Business Enterprise (SBE) utilization goal. The RFP solicited proposals from 328 vendors, 180 of which were Small and Small Local Business Enterprises (SBEs, SLBEs), including Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs). This procurement was advertised in the East Bay Times family of newspapers, the AC Transit website, Gov Delivery, the Unity Counsel, and direct emails to registered vendors.
A total of one responsive and responsible bid proposal was received from this solicitation. This proposal was from Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc., the current provider of Tempo Platform maintenance services. During the evaluation of this solicitation, the panel found that Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. demonstrated a superior ability to provide the best value over the life of the contract and staff recommends that it be awarded the contract.
The new contract includes:
• Power washing once per month and cleaning (i.e. trash pick up and graffiti removal) up to three times a week depending on the location.
• Responding to call out maintenance requests within twenty-four (24) hours when cleaning or minor repairs are needed on an on-call basis.
• Weekly lighting inspections, and replacement of public information (i.e. holiday information, fare information, and other information) four times per year.
• An on demand electronic reporting system accessible to District staff 24/7, including before and after photos, documentation of the work done, and a map of staff locations and cleaning routes.
• An option to include power washing and graffiti abatement for the 46 Tempo Platforms following the expiration of the current maintenance contract in August 2023.
These terms are all consistent with the Board-approved Bus Stop Street Furniture Design Guidelines. Staff recommends that the District (1) assume transit shelter ownership from Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO); and (2) award the transit shelter maintenance contract to Graffiti Protective Coatings, Inc. for a base two (2) year period with three (3), 1-year options at a cost of $844,560 per year for bus shelters and $443,350 per year for Tempo Platforms (after the current Tempo contract expiration in August 2023).
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
In addition to the advantages shared above, awarding the contract ensures continued seamless maintenance services for transit shelters in District’s service area. This contract also separates out advertising, maintenance, and capital work allowing the District to look for companies whose focus are on infrastructure maintenance.
Outside of cost, staff has not identified any disadvantages associated with awarding this contract.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
The District could reject the proposal and re-do the Request for Proposals. This is not recommended as there would be no mechanism for maintaining transit shelters in the field since the existing contract with CCO expires on March 31, 2023.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
SR18-211i - Transit Shelter Contract Update
SR18-211h - Transit Shelter Contract Update
SR18-211g - Transit Shelter Contract Update
SR18-211f - Transit Shelter Contract Update
SR18-211e - Transit Shelter Contract Update
SR18-211d - Transit Shelter Contract Update
SR18-211c - Transit Shelter Contract Update - 2021 Bridge Contract
SR18-211b - Transit Shelter Contract Update
SR18-211a - 2020 Transit Shelter Advertising Contract
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Prepared by:
Carissa Lee, Acting Senior Transportation Planner
In Collaboration with:
Paul Ortiz, Project Manager II, Capital Projects
Chris Durant, Assistant Director of Maintenance
Approved/Reviewed by:
Cecil Blandon, Director of Maintenance
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development and Planning
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering