Northwest : BUENA PARK : City to Seek Bids for Landscaping

For the first time in eight years, the city will open its landscaping contract for bids, rather than automatically renewing the existing agreement.

The City Council, which recently saved $57,000 by seeking new bids for its street-sweeping contract, has decided to do the same for landscaping, on which it now spends $331,000 annually. The landscaper will be responsible for keeping up 100 acres of parkland, miles of medians, tree wells and city signs.

For three years, the city has been scrutinizing each contract to seek potential savings, but the campaign has taken on new urgency in recent months.

Buena Park is facing declining revenue and burgeoning costs that could lead to a $2-million deficit as early as next year, Finance Director Greg Beaubien said.

Council members have begun meeting Saturdays with their finance officials to resolve the issue before budget decisions have to be made for the next fiscal year.

Beaubien said he and other department heads have tried to be “aggressive” in seeking the lowest provider for city services, but “it’s a two-edged sword. You always stand the chance that you will get bids higher than what the existing contractor was willing to renew it for.”

The decision to seek bids instead of renewal was based on the current market, Beaubien said.

“It is our belief, based on our checking and keeping abreast of what the market is, there is a good chance we will be able to reap some savings at this time,” he said of the landscape contract. “The market is competitive for that service at this point.”

Murray’s Landscape of Santa Fe Springs has held the city’s landscaping contract since 1987.