Item 3 - Brush Clearing Contract — original pdf

Backup

..Body Item 3 Water & Wastewater Commission: March 12, 2025 Council: March 27, 2025 Posting Language ..Title Recommend approval to authorize a contract for brush clearing on water quality protection lands managed by Austin Water for Austin Water with Summitt Forests, Inc., for an initial term of three years with up to two one-year extension options, for a total contract amount not to exceed $1,750,000. Funding: $175,000 is available in Austin Water’s Operating Budget. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. Lead Department Financial Services Department. Client Department(s) Austin Water. Purchasing Language: The Financial Services Department issued an Invitation for Bids solicitation IFB 2200 SAR1006 for these services. The solicitation was issued on September 23, 2024, and closed on October 15, 2024. Of the six offers received, the recommended contractor submitted the lowest responsive offer. A complete solicitation package, including a tabulation of the bids received, is available for viewing on the City’s website. This information can currently be found at https://financeonline.austintexas.gov/afo/account_services/solicitation/solicitation_details.cfm?sid=140797 . MBE/WBE: This solicitation was reviewed for subcontracting opportunities in accordance with City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program). For the services required for this solicitation, there were no subcontracting opportunities; therefore, no subcontracting goals were established. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: March 12, 2025 - To be reviewed by the Water and Wastewater Commission. Additional Backup Information: The contract will provide juniper cutting services, brush cutting for fire line installation, and piling and removal of woody debris at Austin’s Water Quality Protection Lands (WQPL) that are required to meet the goals of restoring these selected lands to grassland and savanna ecosystems. This service will help to yield optimal water quantity and quality to recharge the Edwards Aquifer and provide sustained flow to Barton Springs, which are the primary goals of the WQPL program. This program was initiated in 1998, when Austinites voted to purchase land and conservation easements to protect the water quality and quantity in the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer. The current land management plan that directs these practices and goals was approved by Council on January 26, 2023, Resolution 20230126-004. This contract is replacing a contract that expired May 23, 2024. The recommended contractor was the previous provider for these services. If the contract is not secured, the City will not be able to meet the goals of the WQPL program of restoring selected lands to grassland and savanna ecosystems. City of Austin Council Meeting Backup: March 27, 2025 Contract Details: File ID: 25-0319 Contract Term Initial Term Optional Extension 1 Optional Extension 2 Total Length of Term 3 years 1 year 1 year 5 years Contract Authorization $1,050,000 $350,000 $350,000 $1,750,000 Note: Contract Authorization amounts are based on the City’s estimated annual usage. Page 1 of 1