contractors

[apachelady]

Does anyone know who the tree contractors are for the city[?] sorry this is off topic. However I would appreciate input on this question. Thanks in advance.

[TUalum0982]

quote:Originally posted by apachelady

Does anyone know who the tree contractors are for the city[?] sorry this is off topic. However I would appreciate input on this question. Thanks in advance.

They selected a company named Storm Reconstruction INC out of Alabama.

For the complete story go here:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071229_238_A13_hTheA86400

[TUalum0982]

Could they have not hired a local company to do this? I mean lets keep the money here locally versus paying a company in Alabama that will probably do the job half ***. Since they arent familiar with the city very well, I doubt they can have it cleared in 60 days.  

PROPS TO YOU CITY OF TULSA!! YOU CAME THROUGH AGAIN!! [!]

[RecycleMichael]

The City of Tulsa got a good price and the bid process was very thorough and attracted 36 bidders. They hired the second lowest bidder after the low bidder could not meet the specifications.

Did you read the story? The bids went as high as $65 million and the one they hired was $3 million and could get the job done is sixty days.

Would you have preferred they spend twenty times the money or drag out the cleanup till summer?

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

and the one they hired was $3 million

gee, i wonder how many illegals they will be using.

[rwarn17588]

I think the city got off pretty easy. I was figuring $10 million to clear the brush, easy.

Apparently TUalum *wants* to waste tax money instead of opening bids and letting, you know, the free market dictate the process.

[TUalum0982]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

The City of Tulsa got a good price and the bid process was very thorough and attracted 36 bidders. They hired the second lowest bidder after the low bidder could not meet the specifications.

Did you read the story? The bids went as high as $65 million and the one they hired was $3 million and could get the job done is sixty days.

Would you have preferred they spend twenty times the money or drag out the cleanup till summer?

yes I read the whole damn article, hence why I posted it for the person who was asking.  I read every single word of the article.  Simply making a point, I understand the first company from eucha didnt meet the specs, probably in regards to being insured and bonded.  But I am sure there some other "local" companies that were in the bidding process who werent too far off the 3 million offer from alabama.  Would just like to see it kept locally vs going to Alabama.  I sure as hell hope they have people showing them how to navigate our streets.

[RecycleMichael]

I'll use the word sorry (I don't think I am a criminal, so I must be a screw-up in your book). I sounded much more critical in my response than I meant to .

I am all for using locals for as much as possible. I don't know if any of the local bidders were close to the $3 million that the Alabama company gave. Do you have any other information?

What is an appropriate local preference percentage? Is hiring local worth 5% more, 10% more? Does it count if this Alabama firm plans to hire a mostly local work force?

I also have some expertise in dealing with disposal of waste and my parents are both FEMA reservists. My father was one of the lead people for FEMA for the southern Oklahoma ice storm cleanup a few years ago. The FEMA rules are strict for reimbursement limits who you can hire. The Alabama company looks like it has quite of bit of experience handlimg similar storm cleanups.

I was not involved in the bidding process and only have the same facts that you posted in the Tulsa World, but bids are public record if you want to follow up.

[TUalum0982]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

I'll use the word sorry (I don't think I am a criminal, so I must be a screw-up in your book). I sounded much more critical in my response than I meant to .

I am all for using locals for as much as possible. I don't know if any of the local bidders were close to the $3 million that the Alabama company gave. Do you have any other information?

What is an appropriate local preference percentage? Is hiring local worth 5% more, 10% more? Does it count if this Alabama firm plans to hire a mostly local work force?

I also have some expertise in dealing with disposal of waste and my parents are both FEMA reservists. My father was one of the lead people for FEMA for the southern Oklahoma ice storm cleanup a few years ago. The FEMA rules are strict for reimbursement limits who you can hire. The Alabama company looks like it has quite of bit of experience handlimg similar storm cleanups.

I was not involved in the bidding process and only have the same facts that you posted in the Tulsa World, but bids are public record if you want to follow up.

If they hire local guys, thats fine.  I have no problem with that.  Like I stated earlier in probably a hasty and hateful manner, is that I would have liked to see it go to someone locally versus an out of town firm.  I completely understand why they didnt go for the 65 million dollar bid for obvious reasons.  If I had the time I would get the info on the bids, just to see the differences in what they thought it would take to clean this mess up.

Currently, I am working 50 hours a week, packing up my belongings, going to San Diego Jan 3-7, and closing on my house the 30th.

Can I put in a request via email or must it be done in person??

[Wrinkle]

It does seem a bit odd to me that the contract was structured for a single contractor. Seems we would want to get as many trucks and people out there cleaning up as possible.

Think I would've taken the top 5 bids, averaged them and bumped the first two contractors up to the average, then asked the 4th and 5th if they wished to participate at that price. Divide the City into specific zones of 5 and send 'em off.

I recall a State Law which provides a 5% benefit to in-state contractors. Wondered if it applied only to State jobs, or if the City were obligated as well.

Anyway, if a single contractor is indeed able to send enough equipment/manpower to do the complete job in 60 days, I guess it'll do. But, it also appeared to be a volume-based quote, 800,000 tons, I believe. What happens once that's exceeded?

UPDATE: The quote was for 800,000 CUBIC YARDS.
Cubic Yards seems the most odd method of measurement possible. Tree limbs do not pack to cubic yards very well.

[safetyguy]

From what I have gathered, the company has national disaster recovery experience. I'm sure that definitely played into selecting the company along with the low cost.

[cannon_fodder]

FYU fellow TU Alumn, the local companies are PLENTY busy and will be plenty busy to worry about low balling a quote for mass cleanup.  What they want is unskilled labor to pickup limbs along the road and dump them.  Essentially a garbage man for trees.

The local tree care places are staffed with arborists and others experienced with cutting, pruning and sculpting trees in an urban landscape.  It would be a waste of their time at the present to use their skills to haul trash.  At least, it isn't worth cutting their rate from their skill requiring jobs to do grunt work.

AND, I bet 50% of the workforce will be local anyway.  Per Diem on a large crew is expensive.  But at 3.5% unemployment they will probably have to bring in some labor to get the job done in those time cotraints.