Wellington’s solid waste selection committee of five staff members scored the village’s present hauler, Waste Management, a strong No. 1 in a review of five bids Monday.
All members of the committee — made up of Administrative & Financial Services Director Tanya Quickel, Parks & Recreation Director Bruce Delaney, Village Engineer Bill Riebe, Planning & Development Services Director Tim Stillings and Public Works Director Mitch Fleury — ranked Waste Management as the top applicant, using a score sheet that included qualifications and experience, technological approach and methodology, and the cost of collection services.
The Wellington Village Council decided in a 3-2 vote last September to make a request for proposals rather than just negotiate a new contract with the current provider. Council members said that they were satisfied with Waste Management’s services, but in light of recent challenges to hauler renewals to the Office of Inspector General, and to give a sense of transparency, getting proposals from multiple vendors would be preferable.
At the time, Village Attorney Laurie Cohen said that she thought the council would be safe in renewing the contract, as long as the terms were not changed. The contract was projected to be about $35 million over seven years. The village has had a contract with Waste Management since 2003. Its current contract, signed in 2008, expires this September.
Councilwoman Anne Gerwig and former Councilman Howard Coates voted against putting out an RFP, which carried a consulting fee of about $60,000, saying they thought it could place the village in a position of having to pay more than the current contract.
The selection committee ranked Advanced Disposal second and FCC SA third. SWS and Republic Services were tied for fourth.
Terms of the RFP included the preference that the hauler use compressed natural gas trucks rather than diesel. Waste Management was the only bidder that uses them.
During the discussion in September, council members said that they would prefer that the hauler use new trucks, which was a clause in the current contract, but consultant David Dee said that such a demand would drive the bids up considerably, and the council agreed to the term “moderately used trucks.”
At the time, Vice Mayor John Greene said the question was not necessarily about new trucks, but how well they are maintained, explaining that the council did not want trucks leaking hydraulic fluid on the streets.
Council members also discussed the stipulation in the current contract that the hauler have five years’ experience with a similar-sized municipality. Dee said that the five largest contractors that serve the area will meet those specifications and that there was only one company that did not meet that criteria, explaining that the bidders would have the opportunity to comment during the process.
The council will review the bids later this month.
Thanks to Greene, Willhite and Margolis your garbage bills will now be INcreased!
They could have signed a 7 year contract and Wellington residents would not have incurred a price hike, but good ole Willhite pushed to go out for an RFP!
You will now be paying a higher cost!
I don’t like the recommendation but your statement is not entirely true. Single family homes will pay less, about $2.00 a year than other proposals. Now, apt residents and town homes will pay about $2.00 more a year. Not earth shattering. But the businesses will ALL pay an increase. Average about $250 more a year with larger ones thousands more a year and the biggest over $13,000 a year.
Seems like Waste Management outsmarted the selection committee. More money from our local businesses while giving up a paltry $2 a year to some residents. Two companies had lower prices… And the village didn’t even talk to them. Village got what it wanted Waste Management at a lower price for some… But not the lowest price available.