Title
MOTION TO AWARD SECONDARY AND ASSIGNEE CONTRACTORS FOR IFB# PSPW-25-09 “CITYWIDE LITTER CONTROL AND LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE SERVICES”:
A. “CITYWIDE LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE SERVICES” TO TROPICAL TOUCH GARDEN CENTER AS THE SECONDARY CONTRACTOR IN AN INITIAL ESTIMATED ANNUAL AMOUNT OF $1,721,120 PLUS A 10% OWNER’S CONTINGENCY AND APPLICABLE BOND COSTS, SUBJECT TO CPI ADJUSTMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS, ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS, TO JUNIPER LANDSCAPING OF FLORIDA, LLC AS THE FIRST ASSIGNEE CONTRACTOR, AND SFM LANDSCAPE SERVICES, LLC AS THE SECOND ASSIGNEE CONTRACTOR.
B. “CITYWIDE LITTER CONTROL AND CANAL CLEANING SERVICES” TO JUNIPER LANDSCAPING OF FLORIDA, LLC AS THE SECONDARY CONTRACTOR IN AN INITIAL ESTIMATED ANNUAL AMOUNT OF $356,800 PLUS A 10% OWNER’S CONTINGENCY AND APPLICABLE BOND COSTS, SUBJECT TO CPI ADJUSTMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS, ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS, TO SFM LANDSCAPE SERVICES, LLC AS THE FIRST ASSIGNEE CONTRACTOR, AND TROPICAL TOUCH GARDEN CENTER AS THE SECOND ASSIGNEE CONTRACTOR.
Summary Explanation and Background
PROCUREMENT PROCESS TAKEN:
- Chapter 35 of the City’s Code of Ordinances is titled “PROCUREMENT PROCEDURES, PUBLIC FUNDS.”
- Section 35.15 defines an Invitation for Bid as “A written solicitation for competitive sealed bids with the title, date and hour of the public bid opening designated therein and specifically defining the commodities or services for which bids are sought. The invitation for bid shall be used when the city is capable of specifically defining the scope of work for which a service is required or when the city is capable of establishing precise specifications defining the actual commodities required. The invitation for bid shall include instructions to bidders, plans, drawings and specifications, if any, bid form and other required forms and documents to be submitted with the bid.”
- Section 35.18 of the City's Code of Ordinances is titled "COMPETITIVE BIDDING OR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS REQUIRED; EXCEPTIONS."
- 35.18(A) states, "A purchase of or contracts for commodities or services that is estimated by the Chief Procurement Officer to cost more than $100,000 shall be based on sealed competitive solicitations as determined by the Chief Procurement Officer, except as specifically provided herein."
- Section 35.19 of the City's Code of Ordinances is titled "SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCEDURE."
- Section 35.19(A) states "All sealed competitive solicitations as defined in § 35.18 shall be presented to the City Commission for their consideration prior to advertisement."
- Section 35.21 of the City's Code of Ordinances is titled "AWARD OF CONTRACT."
- Section 35.21(A) of the City's Code of Ordinances is titled "City Commission approval."
- Section 35.21(A)(1) states, "An initial purchase of, or contract for, commodities or services, in excess of $100,000, shall require the approval of the City Commission, regardless of whether the competitive bidding or competitive proposal procedures were followed."
SUMMARY EXPLANATION AND BACKGROUND:
1. On June 18, 2025, the City Commission authorized the advertisement of IFB # PSPW-25-09 “Citywide Litter Control and Landscape Maintenance Services”, which was advertised on July 17, 2025.
2. The purpose of the solicitation is to hire qualified firms to perform landscape, maintenance and litter control services on various City-owned properties and public Rights of Way (ROW).
These services are intended to maintain a clean, safe, and visually appealing environment throughout the City by providing both landscape maintenance and litter control services. These services are essential for preserving the aesthetic value of City-owned properties and public Rights of Ways (ROW), enhancing public spaces for residents and visitors, and promoting community pride.
3. On August 12, 2025, the City opened proposals from the following seven (7) vendors listed in ascending order:
|
Vendor |
Bid Total |
P&P Bond |
Total |
|
Grow Care Outdoor Solutions |
$1,803,385.25 |
10.00% |
$1,983,723.77 |
|
Elan Lawn and Landscape Services |
$2,398,334.00 |
2.00% |
$2,446,300.68 |
|
Juniper Landscaping of Florida, LLC |
$2,776,795.00 |
1.25% |
$2,811,504.94 |
|
BrightView Landscape Services |
$1,836,556.99 |
100.00% |
$3,673,113.98 |
|
Superior Landscaping & Lawn Service |
$2,087,207.00 |
** N/A |
**N/A |
|
Tropical Touch Garden Center |
$2,140,320.00 |
** N/A |
**N/A |
|
SFM Landscape Services, LLC |
$2,825,790.72 |
** N/A |
**N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
**Bid submission did not include a cost for Payment & Performance Bonds |
4. On January 21, 2026, the City Commission awarded IFB # PSPW-25-09 "Citywide Litter Control and Landscape Maintenance Services" to Grow Care Outdoors Solutions, LLC. in the initial annual amount of $2,164,062.30, which includes the cost to provide payment and performance bonds in the amount of $180,338.53, and a 10% owner’s contingency in the amount of $180,338.53, subject to annual cpi adjustments for the three-year period.
5. Following the delayed commencement of services in April 2026, the City identified recurring performance deficiencies by Grow Care Outdoor Solutions, LLC, including incomplete maintenance cycles, inadequate supervision and quality control, scheduling and reporting deficiencies, and failure to timely address identified maintenance and safety issues. Staff has worked with the contractor for several months to assist in anyway possible and grant an opportunity for corrective measures to be implemented and secure contract compliance; despite efforts to resolve these concerns, the required performance improvements were not achieved.
In August 2026, the City issued Grow Care Outdoor Solutions, LLC a formal Notice of Default and Demand to Cure pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Agreement. Although the contractor submitted a remediation plan and committed to corrective measures, including additional staffing, equipment, supervision, scheduling controls, and performance monitoring, these measures did not result in the required improvements.
Through September 2026, the City withheld $233,698 for services not performed in accordance with the contract. These funds remain available within the applicable contract funding and are proposed to help offset the pricing differential associated with the replacement contracts.
6. Given the contractor’s continued performance deficiencies and failure to implement effective corrective measures, City Administration plans adding supplemental contractors that can complete the necessary services and terminating the existing agreement with Growcare Outdoor Solutions, LLC that was originally awarded in the amount of $2,164,062.30, which includes the cost to provide payment and performance bonds in the amount of $180,338.53 and a 10% owner's contingency in the amount of $180,338.53. As a result, the Public Services and Procurement staff began exploring alternatives for obtaining litter control and landscape maintenance services from another vendor. As part of this effort, the Departments reviewed the bid results for PSPW-25-09, “Citywide Litter Control and Landscape Maintenance Services,” to determine whether any of the other bidders could provide the required services at their originally proposed prices.
7. The Public Services and Procurement Departments evaluated the bidders using the same criteria established in the original solicitation, including pricing, qualifications, references, availability, and prior performance. Based on this evaluation, staff determined that a tiered award structure would best ensure continuity of essential landscape maintenance and litter control services. Under this structure, there would be a new “Secondary” Contractor that would perform the required services, while there would also be two Assignee Contractors that would serve as alternatives if additional resources were needed or the Contractor was unable to perform satisfactorily.
Grow Care Outdoor Solutions, LLC, was originally awarded both Landscape Maintenance Services and Litter Control and Canal Cleaning however staff determined that separate awards by service category may be advantageous in order to obtain the lowest available pricing for each category and to ensure multiple contractors are working and could easily be deployed to supplement services if a need arose.
Under the original evaluation, additional clarification regarding the bidders' payment and performance bond costs was not necessary to establish the recommended award, as Grow Care offered the lowest overall price. However, it remained unclear whether certain bidders had included the cost of payment and performance bonds in their base bids or intended to charge for these bonds separately. Because these costs affect the total evaluated price and the ranking of bidders for each service category, the Public Services and Procurement Departments requested additional clarification from the remaining bidders.
Based on the clarifications received, Tropical Touch and SFM Landscape Services, LLC, explicitly confirmed that their payment and performance bond costs were included in their respective base bids and that there will be no additional charge beyond the base bid for the Contractors to provide the required bonds.
Staff also considered the following factors in determining whether the remaining bidders should be recommended for award:
a. Elan Lawn and Landscape Services: Not recommended for award based on information received by the City indicating that the company had ceased business operations and was no longer available to provide the required services.
b. Superior Landscaping & Lawn Service: Not recommended for award due to documented performance concerns from prior work for the City. Additionally, Cooper City reported performance concerns during the City's reference-check process.
c. BrightView Landscape Services: Not recommended for award based on the City's prior experience with the contractor, including documented performance deficiencies associated with landscape maintenance services performed at City Hall.
8. The following tables summarize the bid results for the three highest-ranked responsive and responsible bidders for each service category:
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Landscape Maintenance |
Tropical Touch |
Juniper Landscaping |
SFM Landscape |
|
East |
$866,359.00 |
$1,487,025.00 |
$1,299,074.00 |
|
West |
$854,761.00 |
$932,970.00 |
$1,155,678.00 |
|
Sub-Total |
$1,721,120.00 |
$2,419,995.00 |
$2,454,752.00 |
|
P&P Bonds % |
0.00% |
1.25% |
0.00% |
|
Payment & Performance Bond |
$0.00 |
$30,249.94 |
$0.00 |
|
Sub-Total with Bonds |
$1,721,120.00 |
$2,450,244.94 |
$2,454,752.00 |
|
10% Owner's Contingency |
$172,112.00 |
$241,999.50 |
$245,475.20 |
|
Total with Bonds & Contingency |
$1,893,232.00 |
$2,692,244.44 |
$2,700,227.20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Litter & Canal Control |
Juniper Landscaping |
SFM Landscape |
Tropical Touch |
|
Litter Control |
$347,880.00 |
$358,558.72 |
$395,200.00 |
|
Canal Cleaning |
$8,920.00 |
$12,480.00 |
$24,000.00 |
|
Sub-Total |
$356,800.00 |
$371,038.72 |
$419,200.00 |
|
P&P Bonds % |
1.25% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
|
Payment & Performance Bond |
$4,460.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
|
Sub-Total with Bonds |
$361,260.00 |
$371,038.72 |
$419,200.00 |
|
10% Owner's Contingency |
$35,680.00 |
$37,103.87 |
$41,920.00 |
|
Total with Bonds & Contingency |
$396,940.00 |
$408,142.59 |
$461,120.00 |
9. Based on the bid results and the evaluation described above, staff recommends awarding contracts to the identified vendors for an initial term of three (3) years, with two (2) additional one-year renewal terms. The contract compensation will be subject to assignments and eligible for annual CPI adjustments in accordance with their respective terms and conditions. This tiered award structure provides flexibility to maintain continuity of essential services while allowing the City to use the next-ranked contractor when necessary.
10. Request Commission to award secondary and assignee contractors for IFB# PSPW-25-09 “Citywide Litter Control and Landscape Maintenance Services”.
Financial Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT DETAIL:
a) Initial Cost: An initial estimated annual amount of $2,290,172, utilizing the highest ranked vendors, subject to CPI adjustments and assignments. Assigned work shall be paid at the contracted rates for the contractor that is receiving the assignment.
b) Amount budgeted for this item in Account No: Funds are available in the following accounts:
Citywide Litter Control- Funds are available in account# # 100-541-6002-534990-0000-000-0000 (Other Svc)
Citywide Landscape Maintenance - Funds are budgeted in various accounts throughout the City, under object code # 534990 (Other Svc)
c) Source of funding for difference, if not fully budgeted: Not Applicable.
d) 5 year projection of the operational cost of the project: The agreement is for a three-year period, with annual CPI adjustments, the projection below is assuming a 4% CPI and would be subject to assignments, as needed.
|
|
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
|
Revenues |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
|
Expenditures |
$2,290,172.00 |
$2,381,778.88 |
$2,477,050.04 |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
|
Net Cost |
$2,290,172.00 |
$2,381,778.88 |
$2,477,050.04 |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
e) Detail of additional staff requirements: Not Applicable.
FEASIBILITY REVIEW:
A feasibility review is required for the award, renewal and/or expiration of all function sourcing contracts. This analysis is to determine the financial effectiveness of function sourcing services.
a) Was a Feasibility Review/Cost Analysis of Out-Sourcing vs. In-House Labor Conducted for this service? Not Applicable.
b) If Yes, what is the total cost or total savings of utilizing Out-Sourcing vs. In-House Labor for this service? Not Applicable.