Background:

Janitorial supplies are required on a constant basis in all departments across the corporation. Currently supplies are purchased independently by each department. The need was identified at the New City Hall Executive Committee meeting on March 6, 2018 to study the current usage demands and leverage economies of scale, if possible. Purchasing and facilities departments identified all janitorial supplies requirements and the usage rates to determine that:

•  the City purchases approximately $500,000 annually;
•  the City purchases from a large pool of commonly-ordered items broken down into 4 major categories (disposables , chemicals, paper products and hard products);
•  the needs of departments across the City does not vary drastically; and
•  the volatility in product changes are low.

In order to efficiently meet corporate demand, supplies should be obtained under fixed contracts for the entire corporation with each department able to purchase supplies under the terms and conditions of those contracts. This is referred to as a corporatewide or blanket contract.

As part of the City's effort to purchase environmentally preferable products (EPPs) in accordance with the City's Sustainable Purchasing Guide and to address environmental and health concerns associated with some cleaning products, it is the intent of the RFP to not only leverage economies of scale but to establish a supply contract with firm pricing for environmentally preferable cleaning and sanitary products for commercial applications which, through meeting specific standards, represent a lesser impact to public health, the environment and which perform at or beyond City's desire.

Discussion:

Conduct of the RFP

RFP 192-18 for Janitorial Supplies was conducted in the City's standard two-envelope format. The first envelope was an evaluation of the proponent and the services, whereas the second was an evaluation of price. Because janitorial supply is done from a catalogue, pricing evaluation for RFPs of this sort are generally conducted on a sample or "basket of goods" basis. Reports were generated showing 383 most commonly-ordered items across four major categories and those items then formed the basis of the pricing submission. Pricing lists contained requirements to price generic goods as well as brand-name goods. The RFP included independent contracts for the supply and delivery of a full range of janitorial cleaning supplies per category (chemicals, paper products, disposables categories, and hard products) and ship to multiple locations in Windsor on an "as and when requested" status.