CARDS awarded contract; 4 companies submit bids
By Kyle Troutman ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
This week, residents of the city of Cassville will see garbage bins with a new name, as the city has selected a new servicer among four bids submitted.
Steve Walensky, Cassville city administrator, said the trash service contract came up for bid this year, and four companies expressed interest, with one submitting a no-bid letter.
Due to a combination of factors, the city awarded the bid to a new servicer, CARDS, doing away with its longtime contractor, Republic Services.
“Our existing provider, frankly I was surprised with the rate increase,” he said. “Everyone knows we’ve had some issues with service ability, and their bid came in $10 more per customer with no added benefit. The company we went with was below what we have now, and they can meet the commitment.”
Bids were submitted by CARDS, Republic Services, Waste Corporation of Missouri LLC, and Lakeshore Recycle Systems-South LLC.
Based in Springdale, Ark., CARDS bid $16.85 per customer to pick up contractor-provided 95-gallon or 65-gallon residential carts once per week and 95-gallon recycling carts twice per month. Additional carts are $7 each. Commercial rates range from $24 per week for a cart to $207.84 per week for an 8-yard bin, with pickup once per week. Rates rise incrementally for pickups two, three, four or five times per week. CARDS also assured any annual price increase will not exceed 5 percent, and it will provide the city with a spring and fall curbside cleanup, as the city has offered in years past.
Based in Springfield, Waste Corporation of Missouri LLC’s residential rate was $17.50 per month and $7 per additional cart, with commercial rates ranging from $25 to $155. Its annual increase would be determined by the Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics Consumer Price Increase for garbage and trash service, capped at 5 percent and with an minimum of 3 percent.
Republic Services of Bella Vista (Ark.) bid $24.98 per month and $7 per additional cart, with commercial rates ranging from $30 to $207. Republic also noted a 5 percent annual increase.
Lakeshore Recycling Systems-South LLC submitted a letter to the city appreciating the opportunity to bid, but was unable to present one.
“Due to the lack of commercial/industrial information until late Wednesday afternoon and the time frame for response and implementation without the proper information we cannot present a responsible and respectful proposal at this time,” the letter said. “We respectfully ask that you please keep LRS-South in mind for future opportunities or consider a brief extension to the [request for proposals] to allow time for proper evaluation, quotes and approval of the commercial and industrial information so that we may present a more accurate and responsible proposal to the City of cassville and community.”
All bids are available for viewing in the November council meeting packet in the city clerk document center at www.cityofcassville.com.
Walensky said when it came to looking at bids, there were two major factors the city considered.
“One, can the company deliver and meet service demands; and two, what will the payment look like,” Walensky said. “There’s nothing to me that says a $10 increase is justifiable. The city asked [Republic] what we get for the cost increase, and there was no real answer. So, service and cost were the main drivers.”
Walensky said the city met with CARDS and Republic about the transition of service, which is taking place this week, in hopes of making it as seamless as possible.
“We want a solid handoff, and e plan to provide the vendors staging areas to get the old trash and bins picked up and moved out, and to get the new bins in place,” he said. “The goal is to make it as smooth as possible and allow for any transition clean-up, like if someone has a cart in their garage.”
Walensky said the plan is for CARDS to trail Republic on its last week of service, placing its new carts at homes as Republic picks up its last round of trash and reclaims its carts.
“We will post information on social media and on our website as soon as we know more,” he said. “We will do all we can to get the word out.”
Walensky also said CARDS will have a customer service representative at city hall during the transition to provide an immediate response to any customer questions.
In July, Republic Services addressed the Cassville City Council regarding service delays, which resulted in the company moving Cassville from its Springfield unit to Bella Vista. Prior to the change, the city had been fielding complaints about trash being missed daily, or not picked up for weeks.
Due to that experience, Walensky said there are performance criteria written into the contract with CARDS.
“If there are performance issues, there will be financial penalties,” Walensky said. “We’ve put some teeth into the contract and have recourse if they fail to deliver on service. They will be incentivized to do a good job.”
Walensky said CARDS has a new pickup schedule, which was submitted to the city and returned with modifications. He hopes to have a finalized schedule available to customers this week.
