Albany Commission selects low bid for garbage collection on trial basis

ALBANY — An Albany company’s entry into residential garbage collection will be assisted with an established vendor on board and a contingency plan in case there is a delay in starting operations.

The Albany City Commission on Thursday awarded a contract for garbage pickup service to about 11,500 households west of Slappey Boulevard to Concrete Enterprises, an Albany-based company that tendered the low bid.

The contract, approved unanimously, calls for a trial period at the city’s current cost of $3.27 million for the first year of the contract. During that year, there will be no increase to Albany residential garbage customers.

During that initial year, commissioners will get monthly reports on the company’s performance, Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan said.

“We will have electronic data,” she said. “We will have video footage. We will have GPS data to verify and codify the quality of the work being done and confirm any complaints we receive.

“At the end of 12 months, it’s not based on a gut feeling or the last three complaints. You (will) have received 12 months of quantifiable data and compiled information that can be verified.”

Company owner Jason Wiggins told commissioners during a virtual meeting to discuss the contract that the company plans to retain A-1 Brantley Waste Management as a subcontractor.

A-1 Brantley has been a subcontractor with Transwaste, which has provided garbage pickup for the service area since 2014, and is a minority-owned company. It provides residential service to about 3,900 of the customers.

One concern raised by commissioners is that the current contract expires on Sept. 30 and Concrete Enterprises is still in the process of purchasing equipment needed to provide pickup service.

“All I need is a signed contract today,” Wiggins said. “I’m very confident that if we can get this resolved today, there will be no interruption from Oct. 1.”

The company has a contract to purchase 12,000 garbage containers, with delivery set to begin on Sept. 10 and be completed at all households by Oct. 1, he said.

If the company’s work meets the city’s expectations, Concrete Enterprises will receive a $369,800 balloon payment at the end of the first year.

After the initial year, the contract is renewable for up to four additional years at the company’s original bid offering of $3.64 million per year. At that time, the cost per household for all Albany customers would increase by $2.69 to $26.48 per month.

The second-lowest bid, from Alabama-based Amwaste, came in at $4.33 million per year, and would have resulted in a $7.70 per-month increase per household, according to bid information released by the city.

If for some reason Concrete Enterprises is unable to start collection on the route by Oct. 1, the city has a plan in place, Subadan said.

“In our existing contract, it actually requires our existing vendor to extend for three months (if requested),” she said. “We have put them on notice. If we need it, we have it.”

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