Announcements

Please review the information below concerning possible outsourcing of Landscape Management services

FAQ's:

1.  Why is CCHOA considering outsourcing?  The Board of Directors and Management are tasked with enhancing and maintaining property values and by extension the common areas, facilities and appearance of the community.  Rising costs and the perception of decreasing service levels prompted this possible change to the current situation.  Large landscape companies can leverage "economies of scale" in many areas not available to CCHOA, such as:

• Controlling constantly rising employee health care costs,
  
• Absorbing the impacts of "wage compression" caused by California Minimum Wage laws (to $15 per hour by 2022),
• Offering career enhancement and in-service training for landscape staff
• Professional standards, practices and "subject matter experts" are provided at a higher level than possible with the limited management staff and training budgets available under the present arrangement.
• CCHOA Landscape staff were cut from 24 plus manager to 19 plus manager in 2008 and those levels were never restored due to budget constraints.
  

2.   Will our gardeners lose their jobs or hours reduced off as a result?  All qualified employees currently working for CCHOA will be retained by the selected company, should the board elect to adopt this change.  The Landscape RFP process emphasized that incumbent employees should be retained to the degree legally possible and at the same pay rates.  Several of the bidders commented that they could save CCHOA significant costs if this provision were not in place; however, the Board and Management firmly believe the morale, work ethic, trustworthiness and a sense of fair play should temper any business decisions based on costs alone.

3.   Why is this important now?  Recent rainfall events in our area have not completely mitigated the effects of a decade long drought in California.  In recent years, water use restrictions and the reduced staffing levels brought about by previous austerity measures at CCHOA have negatively affected the health of the plantings, turf and shrubbery throughout the Cays.  Additionally, "best practices" in the Landscape Maintenance field have not been possible with the staffing reduced levels, water restrictions and the fact that it is likely that we "don't know what we don't know".  A fresh set of professional eyes on our unique community and our specific needs Village by Village can perhaps be best accomplished by an outside firm with an increase capability to provide depth and breadth of knowledge, experience, formal training and resources to our community.

Subject:  Proposed Outsourcing of CCHOA Landscape Management

To all CCHOA Owners and Residents

The CCHOA Board voted over a year ago to direct staff to begin the process to create a Request for Proposal (RFP) in order to compare the costs and benefits of outsourcing Landscape Management services.

A detailed, (67 page) RFP was created and approved by the Board and a lengthy process began in order to indentify qualified bidders. A series of meetings and planning sessions were held to complete this task per the following schedule, which was recently updated to allow more time for additional member comments and Board review before possible approval at the April 27, 2017 Board meeting.

Invitations to Bid: Thursday January 5, 2017, E-mailed

Job Walk: Friday, February 10, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. (at Administration Office)

Bid Submitted By: Wednesday, March 15, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. (at Administration Office)

Award Contract: Thursday, April 27, 2017

Notice to Proceed: Tuesday, May 2, 2017 

Work Commences: Monday, July 3, 2017

Seven (7) bids from notable vendors have been received and will be reviewed closely by management and the Board of Directors prior to the April Open Board meeting, where a decision will be made whether to proceed and to select the lowest qualified bidder.

Please plan on attending the Open Board meeting on Thursday April 27, 2017 if you wish to officially comment at the Board meeting on this proposed agenda item. Members will have three minutes each to express their support or disapproval for this agenda item. If you cannot attend, please submit your comments in writing to the address above or via email to: manager@cchoa.org

Michael Bennett