City to pursue competitive bidding process for new solid waste contract
Published 1:19 pm Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Today the City of Auburn provides its solid waste customers weekly garbage and compostables pickup, every-other week-residential-recycling pickup, embedded recycling, special collection events, missed collections recovered the next day and customer service,
But given the need for a new contract to be ready the day after its present contract with Waste Management Northwest and its agreement with Republic Services for collection in the annexed areas both expire on Dec. 31, 2017, the Auburn City Council voted Monday to pursue competitive bids.
A transparent process City officials say could enhance services and provide competitive pricing.
“For a number of years we’ve had two providers, and it’s time for us to open it up again for competitive bids,” said Councilmember Largo Wales.
During the discussion before the vote, Councilman Rich Wagner asked what the downside of negotiating with the two current vendors would be, and then, if that didn’t work out, going out to bid.
“I tend to think you don’t always get the most qualified vendor through a bidding process, and you don’t always get the best prices,” Wagner said.
Shelley Coleman, financial director for the City of Auburn, responded that there may be factors other than rates to weigh in procuring a new contract.
Among options councilmembers got a look at during a study session last week are the following:
• Every-other-week garbage pickup
• Weekly residential recycle pick up
• Embedded compostables
• An expanded list of recyclables
• A voucher program for bulky items
• And a 200 percent business recycle limit.
Additional possibilities are adding a 45-gallon garbage cart, changing the present 10-gallon cart to a 13-gallon cart, and changing garbage carts to grey, recycle carts to blue, and compostable carts to green.
Waste Management Northwest Representative Laura Moser addressed the council before the vote. She said the City could achieve the best services and prices by renegotiating with WMNW. She noted that the City of Auburn is receiving low rates through “a poorly performing contract,” and predicted that a procurement exercise would lead to a rate increase. On the other hand, Moser argued, a renegotiated process with WMNW would allow for phased-in rates, rather than one large increase.
“Reaching counties (landfill) diversion goals of 70 percent,” Moser said, “will take the long-term experience our team has in providing educational programs, whether through increased organics recycling, single-stream recycling at apartments, businesses, or any other additional material collections. The key in achieving these high diversion goals is education, and there is no other company that has more experience than Waste Management.”
