MANSFIELD — Richland Newhope Industries, Inc. has been awarded the custodial services contract with the city over AFSCME Local 3088.
As part of the three-year contract, Richland Newhope Industries will provide custodial services at the city municipal building, wastewater treatment plant, water treatment plant and the utility collections building for $71,940 per year ($215,820 total over the three-year term).
This topic has generated several questions, which city engineer Bob Bianchi took time Tuesday to address at city council’s regular meeting.
Although AFSCME Local 3088 submitted a lower bid of $14,747 per year ($44,241 over the three-year contract term), Bianchi said there were issues with this bid.
In researching what it would cost for one Grade 9 employee for services over the three-year contract, it would cost $176,993, according to information provided by the finance department.
So the bid submitted by AFSCME Local 3088 represents just 25 percent of a 40-hour work week (10 hours).
“Essentially, with that number, you could only have a Class 9 employee here for 10 hours per week to clean this building,” Bianchi said.
The recommendation made to the board of control was to reject the low bid for three reasons:
- The proposal provided a significantly low bid compared to historical data. Based on extrapolated analysis, there is not enough man-hours provided to meet the contract specifications.
- The bidder did not include an exception statement in letter form in accordance with Section C of the instruction to bidders, explaining why figures for the wastewater treatment plant, utility collections building and the water treatment plant were excluded.
- The bidder did not include pricing to complete the entire scope of the cleaning services proposal.
Dan Mapes, president of AFSCME Local 3088, said he submitted two bids.
“When I initially put the bid in it was not a valid bid,” he said. “I didn’t get, in my recollection, any type of reasoning, so when the bid went back up, I bid on it again, and the reason I bid on it the way I did is simply because I wanted to show the administration my willingness in negotiating where the custodial services that they’re wanting to hire in the building and the outbuildings, they could do that plus fill one of these vacant positions at the same time.”
The vacant positions he’s referring to are with AFSCME Local 3088. He said when the economy took a hit in 2008 to 2010, the union lost several members, one of whom was a janitor who worked 40 hours a week at the municipal building. He held other job duties in addition to custodial services, including lending a helping hand to the maintenance department, Mapes said. The position has been vacant ever since.
“When the custodial service came up I thought that would be a good opportunity to have one of these positions filled because there are two on the books,” he said.
His intent with the bid was to show AFSCME’s willingness to negotiate with the administration, he said.
“Instead of putting in a bid for all of it and getting the whole pie, we just want a part of it and allow the administration to enter into a contract with the custodial services, as well, the way it was before,” he said.
Fifth Ward Councilman Jason Lawrence said he felt torn on the issue. He was the only council member present to vote no on legislation authorizing the safety-service director to enter into a contract with Richland Newhope.
The legislation passed 5-1, but not as an emergency, so it will take effect 30 days after the vote.
The city has come up with a process to ensure proper management of the contract. Bianchi said Gary Utt, maintenance operations supervisor, will oversee the contract and department heads will also be made aware of what’s stipulated in the contract to make certain that it’s being carried out.
Any concerns would be forwarded to Utt, who would then make them known to Richland Newhope Industries.
