Contracts, Vendors, and Decisions
By Terry Coon, Information Advisory Committee (IAC) Member
When you see the many workers in our community who manicure the golf course, prune the trees, test and repair sprinklers, resurface tennis and pickleball courts, or maintain our roadways, ever wonder how those folks got their jobs here? How does our HOA Board decide who gets the work? I set out to examine the processes involved, and here’s what I found.
Request for Proposals (RFPs):
An RFP requests proposals from vendors to accomplish specific work and a price quote. RFPs are written and recommended by Board-approved advisory committees, and then reviewed and revised by HOA staff and consulting attorneys. If the Board accepts an RFP, the RFP is then released. The resulting proposals are carefully considered. After a proposal is selected, a recommendation is sent to the Board through a Board Action Form (BAF). After the Board approves a proposal, it then negotiates a contract between the HOA and the selected contractor/vendor. Contracts of this type have a 1-year period of performance, with options to extend (renew) the contract annually at the discretion of the Board.
Fortunately our Board has a great deal of help when services are required to keep our complex looking good and running smoothly, while managing costs. The help comes from the many residents who volunteer on the various advisory committees approved by the Board.
Current Advisory Committees:
| Communications (CAC) | Health & Fitness (H & F) |
| Facilities & Services (F & S) | Information (IAC) |
| Finance (FAC) | Landscape (LAC) |
| Food & Beverage (F & B) | Safety (SAC) |
| Golf (GAC) |
Of the $15.7 million allocated to the Sun City Shadow Hills Operating and Replacement Budget for Fiscal Year 2019, the four largest contracts are with:
| · Desert Resort Management | · 21% of budget |
| · Troon Golf and Food & Beverage | · 12% of budget |
| · Security | · 6.5% of budget |
| · Landscape | · 6.5% of budget |
This current fiscal year our community’s Landscape and Security contracts will expire, so much work has been underway the past several months by the Landscape Advisory and Safety Advisory committees to identify areas of concern from committee members, as well as from residents who have voiced concerns throughout the year.
Recently, the Landscape Advisory Committee completed work to ready the RFP for the landscape contract. The committee comprises six resident members and the chairperson, who each possess many skills and backgrounds in private business, plant science, engineering, biology, previous landscape committee experience, and even aerospace!
The committee was able to hire a landscape/design architect consultant to provide the guidance needed by committee members to establish the best possible Statement of Work for the RFP. The consultant provided guidance and recommendations that addressed the concerns of residents and committee members, such as inconsistent maintenance to the common areas of the complex, as well as to insect and rodent control. Once the contract is awarded, the landscape/design architect consultant along with the landscape maintenance contractor, will be asked to provide insight into which types of plants should be considered for replacement. In addition to the above concerns, the committee also examined the current irrigation system. With the upcoming summer months of high temperatures and calcification of chemicals in the drippers, special attention was also given in the RFP to ensure the irrigation system is checked at specific intervals to prevent lack of water and plant die-off.
As a result of the RFP process, six proposals were submitted. A proposal evaluation team (also referred to as the deselection team) reviewed the proposals. The team included two members from the Finance Advisory Committee, two members from the Landscape Advisory Committee, the General Manager, the Director of Facilities and Maintenance, and the Landscape Advisory Committee Board liaison. The team created a short list from the group of six proposals, choosing three vendors for interviews. The team then interviewed the short-listed vendors and made a selection recommendation to the Board, which will make the final decision very soon.
The Security Advisory Committee has also been busy formulating a recommended RFP for the Board. Committee members comprise five residents, four of whom are retired law enforcement personnel. The committee has focused the RFP with an emphasis on the following:
- Appropriate coverage of safety personnel throughout the community during all shifts;
- Training of all security personnel;
- A quarterly review of the security services provided by the contractor;
- Mandatory supervision of security personnel in connection with performance and procedures;
- Ongoing employee post-order (guardhouse stations) procedures and protocols followed on a consistent basis.
The Security Advisory Committee has received four proposals. The deselection team, comprising HOA management and security personnel and Finance and Security committee members, narrowed the proposals to one vendor and made a recommendation to the Board for final approval of the contract.
Advisory committee volunteers are essential to the RFP and proposal selection process. We thank them for the time and energy they dedicate to the improvement of our community!