Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
MARCH 20, 2025
Subject
SUBJECT: PEST AND BIRD CONTROL SERVICES
Action
ACTION: AWARD CONTRACT
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to award a firm fixed unit rate Contract No. OP48505(2)0008370 to CDS Services, Inc. DBA Legion Pest Management, for pest and bird control services throughout Metro’s bus and rail facilities, rail cars, and non-revenue vehicles, in the Not-To-Exceed (NTE) amount of $2,887,332 for the three-year base period and $1,925,728 for the two-year option, for a combined NTE amount of $4,813,060, effective May 5, 2025; subject to the resolution of any properly submitted protest(s), if any.
Issue
ISSUE
The existing contract for pest and bird control services throughout Metro’s bus and rail facilities, rail cars, and non-revenue vehicles, excluding buses, expires on May 4, 2025. A new contract award is required to avoid a lapse in service and continue performing pest and bird control services, effective May 5, 2025.
Background
BACKGROUND
On October 26, 2017, the approved the award of Contract No. OP852420003367 to Pestmaster Services Inc. for the combined amount of $6,634,069.20 to provide regularly scheduled and as-needed pest and bird control services throughout Metro’s bus and rail facilities, rail cars, and non-revenue vehicles, excluding buses.
During the term of the existing contract, pest and bird control services were expanded to include Union Station West Portal, the K-Line (C/LAX), and the Regional Connector expansion projects, reflecting sufficient existing contract authority through October 31, 2023.
On May 5, 2023, a new pest and bird control services solicitation was issued, and on June 12, 2023, three bids were received. On September 21, 2023, the Board awarded Contract No. OP485050008370 to CDS Services, Inc. DBA Legion Pest Management to provide regularly scheduled and as-needed pest and bird control services systemwide, pending the resolution of any property submitted protest. Concurrently, Metro received a timely protest on the same day as the contract award.
In September of 2023, it became necessary to execute short-term agreements to extend the services provided by the incumbent contractor to avoid a lapse in service and continue providing pest and bird control services systemwide while allowing sufficient time for protest resolution and re-solicitation.
On May 21, 2024, Metro canceled IFB No. OP48505 due to bidders not meeting small business program requirements. All bidders were notified of the cancellation and that the services would be re-solicited.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Under the new contract recommended for the award, the contractor is required to provide regularly scheduled and as-needed pest and bird control services throughout Metro’s bus and rail facilities, rail cars, and non-revenue vehicles, excluding buses serviced under a separate service maintenance contract. Metro bus and rail facilities consist of 254 locations and 451 rail cars. Services include treatment of pest infestations, pest and bird waste clean-up, installation of pest and bird deterrent applications, animal trapping, and dead animal removal.
During the new contract term, the scope of services will increase to include the addition of the Rail to Rail, Airport Metro Connector (AMC), D line (Purple) Westside Extensions, and A Line (Blue) Foothill Extension Phase 2B system expansion projects as they become operational.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The approval of this item will ensure that Metro’s maintenance standards are met and the necessary regularly scheduled and as-needed pest and bird control services are provided with prompt response time to deliver safe, quality, on-time, and reliable services.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The current funding for this action is $378,464, which is included within the FY25 budget 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 of Shared Mobility will be accountable for budgeting costs in future years.
Impact to Budget
The funding source for this action includes bus and rail operating-eligible funds, which include Propositions A and C, Measure R and M sales taxes, State Transit Assistance (STA), and Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds. Use of these funding sources maximizes the intent of project usage given approved guidelines and provisions,
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Scheduled and as-needed pest and bird control services improve bus and rail station cleanliness and provide a safe environment for Metro’s patrons. This will ensure safe working conditions for employees and provide reliable service to all patrons. This is especially critical in Equity Focus Communities, where individuals often depend on public transportation as their primary means of travel.
Metro patrons, employees, and Transit Ambassadors can report cleanliness and maintenance issues through the Customer Relations phone numbers posted throughout the rail and bus system. Customers can communicate with Metro in nine different languages using our translation service. Metro also ensures that translated signage is posted for those reporting cleanliness and maintenance issues on the Metro system. For the 12 months ending on December 19, 2024, 131 incidents were reported through the Transit Watch App, indicating that 29% of the 453 incidents related to pest and bird control services were reported through Metro’s M3 Incident Reporting System.
As part of this solicitation, a Systemwide Metro Connect Industry Forum Outreach event was conducted on March 27, 2023. During this outreach event, staff provided detailed information regarding SBE Programs to encourage small business participation.
DEOD established a 10% SBE and 3% DVBE goal for this solicitation. CDS Services, Inc. DBA Legion Pest Management made a 60% SBE and 40% DVBE commitment.
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.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through these maintenance activities that will improve bus and rail station cleanliness and further encourage transit ridership. 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 2: Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system within the Metro organization. Performing ongoing, regularly scheduled, and as-needed pest and bird control services will prolong the lifespan of bus and rail facilities, rail cars, and non-revenue vehicles by keeping Metro’s assets free of intrusions from birds and pests. These services will ensure safe and clean conditions while enhancing Metro’s customer experience and providing reliable operations systemwide.
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 system safety, cleanliness, and customer experience.
With the completion of a financial-based insourcing/outsourcing study based on a quantitative and qualitative assessment, staff has analyzed insourcing/outsourcing options for pest and bird control services, among other services. Based on initial findings, pest and bird control services were not recommended for insourcing as they would require Metro to obtain specialty licenses to purchase pesticides, hire and train licensed personnel to apply pesticides, and purchase additional equipment, vehicles, and supplies to support bird and pest control service delivery.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will execute Contract No. OP48505(2)0008370 with CDS Services, Inc. DBA Legion Pest Management effective May 5, 2025, to provide necessary regularly scheduled and as-needed pest and bird control services throughout Metro’s bus and rail facilities, rail cars, and non-revenue vehicles.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - DEOD Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Lena Babayan, Executive Officer, Operations Administration,
(213) 922-6765
Ruben Cardenas, Senior Manager, Facilities Contracted Maintenance Services, (213) 922-5932
Shahrzad Amiri, Deputy Chief Operations Officer, Shared Mobility,
(213) 922-3061
Debra Avila, Deputy Chief Vendor/Contract Management Officer,
(213) 418-3051
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, Transit Operations,
(213) 418-3034
