REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF BOARD GOVERNED COUNTY SERVICE AREAS
AND RECORD OF ACTION
REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE FOLLOWING:
BIG BEAR VALLEY RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT
BLOOMINGTON RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 5, 2025
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for On-Call Landscape and Grounds Maintenance Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Acting as the governing body of Board Governed County Service Areas and their Zones, approve contracts with the following three contractors to provide on-call landscape and grounds maintenance services for projects that do not exceed $75,000 on an as-needed basis, from August 5, 2025 through June 30, 2030:
a. Landscape West Management Services, Inc., in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,000,000 over the five-year term.
b. Liberty Landscaping, Inc., in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,500,000 over the five-year term.
c. RP Landscape & Irrigation, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,000,000 over the five-year term.
2. Acting as the governing body of the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District, approve contracts with the following four contractors to provide on-call landscape and grounds maintenance services for projects that do not exceed $75,000 on an as-needed basis, from August 5, 2025 through June 30, 2030:
a. Landscape West Management Services, Inc., in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,000,000 over the five-year term.
b. Liberty Landscaping, Inc., in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,500,000 over the five-year term.
c. Nativescapes, Inc., in an aggregate amount not to exceed $500,000 over the five-year term.
d. RP Landscape & Irrigation, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,000,000 over the five-year term.
3. Acting as the governing body of the Bloomington Recreation and Park District, approve contracts with the following three contractors to provide on-call landscape and grounds maintenance services for projects that do not exceed $75,000 on an as-needed basis, from August 5, 2025 through June 30, 2030:
a. Landscape West Management Services, Inc., in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,000,000 over the five-year term.
b. Liberty Landscaping, Inc., in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,500,000 over the five-year term.
c. RP Landscape & Irrigation, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,000,000 over the five-year term.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Costs associated with the recommended contracts will be funded through available revenue sources of the applicable Board Governed County Service Areas and their Zones, the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District, and the Bloomington Recreation and Park District (collectively, Districts). Adequate appropriation for the costs of these services is included in the Districts’ 2025-26 budgets and will be included in future recommended budgets through the end of each contract.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Public Works - Special Districts (Department) oversees the administration and operations of various Districts that require ongoing landscape and grounds maintenance services. To meet this need, the Department has historically contracted with private service providers. Currently, Contract Nos. 22-656 with Liberty Landscaping, Inc., and 22-657 with RP Landscape & Irrigation, approved by the Board of Supervisors/Board of Directors (Board) on June 28, 2022 (Item No. 113), are in place to provide these services and are set to expire on June 30, 2027. These existing contracts will remain active until they expire or are fully utilized. They are intended to continue providing landscape and grounds maintenance services once the current agreements are exhausted or expired.
From a business perspective, Contract No. 22-656 is set to spend the remaining contract amount in 2025. Therefore, the funds in the contract will be depleted well before June 30, 2027, expiration date, allowing the new contract to begin. The new contract also expands the scope of services and the locations where the services can be used. The existing contract rates for Contract No. 22-657 are more favorable to current Department needs. However, the new contract has expanded the scope of services, covering additional locations and updated rates.
Having both contracts will allow the Department to use the lower rates from the existing contract as needed, while still enabling the contractor to start servicing new locations and services at the updated rates. It also facilitates easier administrative oversight, as both agreements have the same term. These new contracts will provide on-call availability of these services through June 30, 2030.
Additionally, this item includes approval of a new agreement with Landscape West Management Services, Inc., and a separate contract between the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District(BBVRPD) and Nativescapes, Inc. Nativescapes, Inc. submitted a bid on the BBVRPD scope and no other areas. As a result, they are only being awarded a contract with BBVRPD. Approval of these contracts will expand the pool of on-call contractors available to perform landscape and grounds maintenance services as needed and ensure continuity and long-term coverage by both new and existing providers.
Board approval of this item will allow for the use of on-call landscape and grounds maintenance services on an as-needed basis for the Districts. The recommended contracts will provide readily available on-call landscape and grounds maintenance services from pre-approved companies to enhance work efficiency. Workloads and assignments to the on-call contractors will be based on availability, responsiveness, and expertise in areas of particular need on an as-needed and project-by-project basis for projects that do not exceed $75,000 from August 5, 2025, through June 30, 2030.
PROCUREMENT
The Department approved and authorized the release of Request for Proposals (RFP) No. SPD125-SPDAD-5759 with the Purchasing Department (Purchasing) on January 31, 2025, to solicit proposals from interested and qualified agencies to provide landscape and grounds maintenance services for a period of five years. The RFP was posted to the County’s Electronic Procurement Network (ePro).
Four proposals were received by the established deadline in response to the RFP. Proposals from the four agencies listed below met the minimum requirements and continued through the evaluation process.
|
Proposer Name |
Location |
|
Landscape West Management Services, Inc. |
Anaheim, CA |
|
Liberty Landscaping, Inc. |
Riverside, CA |
|
Nativescapes Inc. |
Big Bear City, CA |
|
RP Landscape & Irrigation |
San Bernardino, CA |
The evaluation panel, with representation from the Department, reviewed and evaluated the proposals based on the criteria listed in the RFP. The criteria included: qualifications and experience, technical review, cost and assignment preferences, and references.
Based on evaluation criteria, the evaluation panel found Landscape West Management Services, Inc., Liberty Landscaping, Inc., Nativescapes Inc., and RP Landscape & Irrigation best met the needs of the Districts. Award letters were sent May 27, 2025 to all responsible and responsive proposers. No protests were received.
Purchasing supports this competitive procurement based on the formal solicitation described above.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Aaron Gest, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 2, 2025; Purchasing (Joni Yang, Buyer, 387-2065) on June 2, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Amanda Trussell, Principal Administrative Analyst, 387-4773) on July 21, 2025.