Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: UNIFORM RENTAL SERVICES
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to execute Modification No. 2 to Contract No. OP44851-20008370 with Prudential Overall Supply for uniform rental services, to exercise the one, three-year option in the Not-To-Exceed (NTE) amount of $3,575,446, increasing the total contract NTE amount from $3,256,271 to $6,831,717, and extending the period of performance from December 1, 2026 to November 30, 2029.
Issue
ISSUE
The existing three-year base contract term expires on November 30, 2026. To avoid uniform rental services interruption, a contract modification is required to exercise the one, three-year option term, increasing the total contract NTE amount and extending the period of performance effective December 1, 2026.
Background
BACKGROUND
At its October 2023 meeting, the Board awarded a firm fixed unit rate Contract No. OP44851-20008370 to Prudential Overall Supply to provide uniform rental and laundry services, vehicle seat covers and laundry services for hand towels and floor mats.
Timely uniform rental, delivery, and laundry services are necessary to ensure compliance with the collective bargaining agreements between Metro and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) labor unit, satisfy garment safety requirements for employees in safety-sensitive positions, and provide clear identification of Metro-represented labor employees across their respective trades. ATU represents the agencies mechanics, maintenance workers, and custodians. Pursuant to the applicable ATU collective bargaining agreements, Metro is required to provide each eligible employee with a standard issuance of 11 uniform sets, additional garments as necessary to meet safety requirements, and ongoing laundry services. Uniforms are issued based on job classification and/or safety requirements and include, but are not limited to, short and long sleeve shirts, coveralls, and flame-resistant garments.
Under the existing contract, the contractor has been providing satisfactory uniform rental services.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
During the base term of the contract, uniform rental services were expanded to support an additional 417 employees hired to maintain the K Line (C/LAX), Regional Connector, Rail to Rail, LAX/MTC, and A Line (Blue) Extension to Pomona projects. As a result, the total number of employees receiving uniform rental services increased from 2,546 to 2,963, reflecting the growth of Metro’s transit system and the associated workforce.
Staff continues to work closely with the ATU representatives and employees to ensure delivery of timely and quality services. Under this contract, continued enhancements include but are not limited to, replacing damaged lockers, posting signs throughout Metro facilities to improve employee awareness of the scheduled uniform pick-up dates, along with ongoing oversight of the contractor’s performance and service delivery, and maintaining effective communications among all parties to ensure quality and timely service delivery.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The approval of this item will ensure the supply of uniforms that clearly identify Metro represented labor employees and continued delivery of safe, quality, on-time and reliable services system-wide.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding of $747,950 for uniform rental services for the remainder of FY27 is allocated under cost center 8370 - Facilities Contracted Maintenance Services, account 50308, Service Contract Maintenance, under various projects.
Since this is a multi-year contract, the cost center manager and Deputy Chief Operations Officer, Shared Mobility, will be accountable for budgeting the cost in FY27 and future years.
Impact to Budget
The current sources of funds for this action are local funds, which are eligible for rail and bus operations and capital projects.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Contracted uniform rental and laundry services will continue to be applied across all Metro divisions, facilities, and locations, ensuring that all represented labor employees are issued uniforms based on their job classification and the type of work they perform.
The contract provides all eligible employees with access to clean, properly fitted, and job-compliant uniforms that support their health, safety, and professional appearance, particularly for those working in safety-sensitive positions. By maintaining a diverse inventory that includes flame-resistant garments, female-cut uniforms, and pregnancy stretch pants, the contract ensures that Metro’s diverse workforce is provided with the specialized, high-quality protective apparel required for each employee’s job classifications. This approach promotes equitable access to required uniforms while maintaining consistent safety standards and compliance with applicable collective bargaining agreements.
At the time of award of this contract, Prudential Overall Supply did not make a Small Business Enterprise /Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise commitment due to the lack of certified firms that perform the required services. It is expected that Prudential Overall Supply will continue to perform the services with its own workforce.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled _Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
While this item does not directly encourage taking transit, sharing a ride, or using active transportation, it is a vital part of Metro operations, as it provides reliable uniform rental and laundry services for employees performing operational and maintenance functions supporting workforce readiness, safety, and the continued delivery of reliable bus and rail services. Maintaining a safe and dependable transit system encourages continued transit use and supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
This Board action supports Strategic Goal 5: Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization. By providing uniforms to represented employees, Metro is in compliance with the Collective Bargaining Unit agreements.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may elect not to approve this recommendation. This option is not recommended as it would result in a gap in service, impacting Metro’s agreements with collective bargaining units, employee safety, cleanliness, operations, and customer experience.
With the completion of financial based insourcing/outsourcing study based on quantitative and qualitative assessment, staff has analyzed insourcing/outsourcing options for uniform rental services, and considered purchasing uniforms, hand towels, mats, and vehicle seat covers, along with providing in-house laundry services. Based on the findings uniform rental services were not recommended for insourcing as it would require Metro to renegotiate the existing agreements between Metro and the collective bargaining units, remove the requirement for uniform rental services, along with the purchase of a large quantity of garments, additional equipment, vehicles, and supplies to provide uniforms.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will execute Modification No. 2 to Contract No. OP44851-20008370 to exercise the one, three-year option for uniform rental and laundry services.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - Contract Modification/Change Order Log
Attachment C - DEOD Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Lena Babayan, Executive Officer, Operations Administration,
(213) 922-6765
Lew Wood, Senior Director, Facilities Contracted Maintenance Services, (213) 922-5261
Steven Gota, Deputy Chief Operations Officer (Interim), Shared Mobility, (213) 922-3043
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3034
Mat Antonelli, Chief Vendor/Contract Management Officer, (213)922-893-7114
