CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Approve the award of Bid 26-045, Landscape Maintenance, Mowing, and Herbicide Services, to Yellowstone Landscape, Groundworks Land Design and Ramiro Guzman Landscaping, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $1,808,240
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DEPARTMENT: Department of Public Works
SUBMITTED BY: Dan Randolph, P.E., Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for landscape maintenance, including mowing and herbicide application, at 175 City-owned sites totaling more than 500 acres. In addition to maintaining City-owned properties, the City has intergovernmental agreements with DuPage County and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to provide mowing services along certain state and county rights-of-way. Under the agreement with DuPage County, the City performs mowing services on county-owned properties and receives reimbursement from the county. Agreements with the State of Illinois do not include reimbursement for these services.
In February 2026, DPW issued Bid 26-045, Landscape Maintenance, Mowing, and Herbicide Services. Contractors are required to provide basic mowing and herbicide services required for medians, rights-ways and parking lots to higher level landscaping necessary for City buildings such as the Municipal Center. The contract was divided into several campuses and quadrants with a mowing schedule of up to 30 times per year, weather permitting.
City Campuses
This service area includes individual or grouped City-owned buildings, campuses, and operational sites, including but not limited to:
• Campus 1 - Central Business District (CBD), including the Municipal Center, 4th Avenue Commuter Station, and the Central Elevated Tank at 414 E. 5th Ave. These sites are located in the central portion of the City
• Campus 2 - Police Department / Lake walk / Electric Service Center (ESC) Campus, including the ESC Training Center
• Campus 3 - Springbrook Campus, including the Reclamation Plant, Elevated Tank, Substation, and Department of Public Works (DPW) compost storage area
City Quadrants
This service area consists of geographic regions encompassing public parcels, medians, rights-of-way, Fire Stations, Substations, Lift Stations, and other City owned facilities.
• City Quadrant I (Northwest)
• City Quadrant II (Northeast)
• City Quadrant III (Southwest)
• City Quadrant IV (Southeast)
DISCUSSION:
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Advertisement Date: |
02/11/2026 |
Notices Sent: |
667 |
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Opening Date: |
03/05/2026 |
Planholders: |
54 |
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Proposals Received: |
10 |
Bids were received from the following vendors:
|
Vendor Name |
Campus 1 |
Campus 2 |
Campus 3 |
Quad 1 |
Quad 2 |
Quad 3 |
Quad 4 |
|
Yellowstone Landscape |
$29,654.00 |
$44,560.00 |
$75,621.00 |
$133,245.00 |
$97,738.00 |
$157,597.00 |
$165,781.00 |
|
Groundworks Land Design |
$32,840.00 |
$64,180.00 |
$96,015.00 |
$118,707.00 |
$78,780.00 |
$134,982.00 |
$121,056.00 |
|
Porcaro Services |
$40,360.00 |
No Bid |
No Bid |
No Bid |
No Bid |
No Bid |
No Bid |
|
Ramiro Guzman Landscaping |
$41,312.00 |
$62,850.00 |
$125,505.00 |
$147,106.00 |
$91,983.00 |
$116,910.00 |
$112,055.00 |
|
Beary Landscaping |
$44,592.00 |
$89,150.00 |
$158,160.00 |
$231,862.62 |
$167,177.00 |
$264,160.28 |
$197,688.00 |
|
Local Lawn Care |
$67,252.00 |
$139,043.00 |
$170,710.00 |
$261,244.46 |
$227,479.80 |
$500,027.76 |
No Bid |
|
Langton Group |
$73,214.00 |
$98,847.00 |
$213,450.00 |
No Bid |
No Bid |
No Bid |
No Bid |
|
Class 1 Landscaping |
$137,681.70 |
$315,820.11 |
$1,455,450.93 |
$765,488.78 |
$737,877.77 |
$1,204,614.77 |
$1,045,206.73 |
|
Diaz Group |
$305,426.00 |
$305,426.00 |
$546,338.00 |
$393,312.00 |
$226,965.00 |
$333,724.00 |
$305,426.00 |
|
Renovation Landscaping |
No Bid |
$221,834.00 |
$600,831.32 |
No Bid |
No Bid |
No Bid |
No Bid |
Awarding to multiple vendors allows the City to maintain adequate resources to effectively manage the landscape maintenance needs throughout the mowing season. The bid was structured to allow for multiple awards based on the lowest total base bid for each geographical area. The bid specification outlined that if a bidder is the low bidder in more than one geographical area, the City will evaluate the contractor’s capacity to perform the work in multiple areas. If it is determined that the contractor does not have sufficient capacity, the City may award one of the areas to the second-lowest responsive bidder.
Staff recommends awarding the contracts as follows:
• Campus 1, Campus 2, and Campus 3: Yellowstone Landscape
• Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2: Groundworks Land Design
• Quadrant 3 and Quadrant 4: Ramiro Guzman Landscaping Inc.
These vendors submitted the lowest responsive and responsible bids for their respective areas and demonstrated the capability to perform the required services.
In addition to the base bid, the City requested pricing for additional optional services that may be required during the contract period. These services may include maintenance for new sites, mulch installation, vegetation control, and other additional work as needed. The total cost for these optional services was $405,046. Based on pricing received by the vendors and to stay within the budgeted amount for this service, DPW requests an annual allowance of $327,833 to cover the optional services. The allowances will only be used if additional work is required.
The bid prices were based on work for one year. The table below provides a total cost breakdown for the City:
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|
Cost Summary |
|
Annual Base Cost |
$576,287 |
|
Extra Work Allowance |
$327,833 |
|
Annual Award Amount |
$904,120 |
|
Two Year Contract Total |
$1,808,240 |
The term of this contract is 20 months from April 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027, with three one-year options to extend.
FISCAL IMPACT:
CIP#: N/A
Landscape maintenance, mowing and herbicide are expensed to the Operational Service accounts below. A total of $904,120 is budgeted for landscape, mowing and herbicide services in 2026. The requested award of $904,120 annually is within the budgeted amount for this expense. Staff will ensure there is sufficient funding included in the 2027 budget to support the second year of this award.
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Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget Amount |
|
31101100-531308 |
General Fund |
$1,455,000 |
|
31101200-531308 |
Commuter Parking Fund |
$70,000 |
|
31101300-531308 |
Electric Utility Fund |
$70,000 |
|
31101500-531308 |
Water Utilities Fund |
$255,000 |
|
31104100-531308 |
Test Track Fund |
$19,120 |
|
31104300-531308 |
Downtown Maint, Fund |
$261,500 |