Sandy Springs Approves New Field Services Contracts

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Sandy Springs leaders have approved new contracts for field services, which are expected to provide a roughly 10 percent reduction in costs while increasing the level of service throughout the city.

These contracts encompass traffic signal maintenance, landscape maintenance, community appearance workforce maintenance, stormwater maintenance, inspection and repair and street maintenance and repair.

Assistant City Manager Bryant Poole said staff used the rebidding process to reevaluate the needs of the city and to see where it could enhance services without increasing costs.

Aegis ITS, Inc. was selected to oversee traffic signal maintenance, which includes preventative and repair services for all traffic signals, flashing beacons and electronically-driven traffic control devices. Aegis has worked on similar projects with the Bay Area Toll Authority in California, Charlotte, N.C. and with the California Department of Transportation.

The community appearance workforce maintenance contract was awarded to GCA Services Group. The firm is charged with keeping the roadways and rights-of-way neat and tidy. Services the firm will provide include mowing, street sweeping and weed eradication from the city’s curbs, gutters and sidewalks. GCA’s experience includes projects with Weston, FL., Virginia State University and Florida Southwestern State. A crew of 21 in addition to management will work on behalf of the city.

Landscape maintenance was awarded to Yellowstone Landscape and will be administered under the direction of the city’s Recreation and Parks Department. Yellowstone will service 66 green space areas within the city, fielding six teams during the growing seasons. Services call for mowing, providing lawn treatments, pruning shrubs and trees and maintaining irrigation systems. Yellowstone will also maintain mulch within the playground areas. Yellowstone has performed similar duties for DeKalb County Schools, Exeter Properties and the TPA Group.

Storm water maintenance, inspection and repair was awarded to Optech Monette, LLC, which will provide basic storm water infrastructure maintenance and repair. Included in the scope of work is upkeep of the city’s 11 detention facilities and inspections of catch basins and pipes, with photos provided following every inspection. Optech has provided similar services to the cities of Johns Creek, Peachtree Corner and Holly Springs.

Blount Construction Company was awarded the city's street maintenance and repair contract. Blount will provide basic infrastructure maintenance and repair including pothole patching, repairs from utility cuts, asphalt street cut restoration, curb and gutter repairs and sidewalk repairs. Blount has performed similar services for the city of Fairburn and Forsyth County.

Proposals submitted were evaluated against three core established criteria set forth within each request for proposals for services. Those areas include capabilities and approaches (technical acceptability), performance confidence and cost/price. Additional factors considered included responsiveness, staffing, and property and equipment needed to perform the task areas.

The contracts reflect a total proposed fiscal year 2018 budget of $5.2 million, a nearly 10-percent decrease over the previous year’s budget. Sandy Springs pulled material costs from all contracts with the exception of landscape maintenance, with the estimated $300,000 applied to the 2018 public works supplies and materials budget.

“We want to thank our current contractors for all that they have done on behalf of the city,” added Poole. “The competitive process has produced changes, but that does not diminish the long successful relationship the city has enjoyed with these companies.”

The new contracts begin officially on July 1.

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