Attachment 3Tree Care Professionals Serving Communities Who Care About Trees
May 18,2018
Mr. Steve Regan
Department of Parks & Public Works
Town of los Gatos
41 Miles Avenue
los Gatos, CA 95030
Re: Letter of Protest
RFP -Tree Trimming & Tree Maintenance Services
Dear Mr. Regan:
www.WCAINC.com
Thank you for the opportunity to submit a proposal for the abovementioned project. It is our
understanding the award of contract is scheduled for June 5, 2018. In connection with this
Request for Proposal, West Coast Arborists 1 Inc. (WCA) hereby requests that the Town reject the
bid submitted by Brightview Tree Care (Brightview) as non-responsive and disqualify Brightview
as non-responsible/ based on the following:
• The RFP (p . 9 of 38) specifies that the Contractor is to "provide a complete Town-wide
update of the Town's tree inventory. The tree inventory data shall conform to the Town's
existing tree inventory database and include/ but not be limited t0 1 the following data
fields ... ~~ To our knowledge, Brightview has never completed a GPS tree inventory for a
California municipality.
• The RFP (p. 10 of 38) specifies that the Contractor is to "provide the Town with a Five-
Year Tree Maintenance Plan (TMP). This plan will include the proposed annual grid
trimming schedule outlining the plan for trimming each ofthe Town's trees over a fifteen-
year cycle, with exception for trees designated for more frequent trimmings.~~ To our
knowledge/ Brightview has never completed a TMP for a California municipality.
• Under Required Qualifications (p. 25 of 38L the Town prefers "that the Contractor is
accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA.t WCA is accredited by TCIA for
all of its regional branches, including our Santa Clara office.
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West Coast Arborists, Inc.
2200E.ViaBurtonStreet • Anaheim,CA 92806 • 714.991.1900 • 800.521.3714 • Fax714.956.3745
Tree Care Professionals Serving Communities Who Care About Trees www.WCAINC.com
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RFP-Tree Maintenance Services
• The RFP specifies that "the Contractor should have at least three (3) similar and separate
California governments or municipal multi-year tree maintenance contracts which have
been successfully completed within the last ten {10) years. Each project shall be of
comparable size and scope of this project (descriptions of these projects and contact
persons must be provided with bid submission). These projects must also include work in
tree inventories. The bid shall include a detailed description of their proposed inventory
program along with sample reports." To our knowledge, references listed by Brightview
are private commercial accounts and 1) do not represent the required experience in
municipal contracting, 2) nor do they appear to be of similar size and scope, and 3) do not
include work in tree inventories.
Failure to provide accurate information renders the bid non-responsive. The lack of reliable
information about the bidder precludes a determination that Brightview is a responsible
contractor. The bidder has not demonstrated that it has performed municipal contracts of similar
size and scope. The Town is at risk that Brightview lacks the experience and capacity to perform
the contract and cannot be held legally responsible for its performance. We submit that
Brightview is neither responsive nor responsible and its bid must be rejected.
We appreciate your consideration in this matter . If you have any questions or require additional
information, please contact me at (714) 991-1900 or at p mahone y@ wcainc.com . Re l))
Patrick Mah '::::l President Jney j
cc: Honorable May Rob Rennie
Honorable Vice Mayor Steven Leonardis
Councilmember Marcia Jensen
Councilmember Marico Sayoc
Councilmember Barbara Spector
Clerk Administrator Shelley Neis
Town Arborist Robert Moulden
West Coast Arborists, Inc.
2200E.ViaBurtonStreet • Anaheim,CA 92806 • 714.991.1900 • 800.521.3714 • Fax714.956.3745