Six companies will take over the maintenance services for Auckland Council replacing the current seventeen suppliers operating across the region, eight of which are owned by foreign interests.
A four-month long procurement process is resulting in the new contracts, which take effect July 1. Auckland Council is expecting added value up to the tune of $30 million through the new supply structure. Suppliers fall into three contract types; full facilities (parks, open spaces and building maintenance); arboriculture services (tree maintenance), and ecological services (restoration, biodiversity, pest control).
These new contracts will cover the whole Auckland region, structured in service areas aligned with local board boundaries.
Auckland Council will continue to manage local suppliers on Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands, due to their unique characteristics, through its community facilities department.
The successful new suppliers are City Care (full facilities contract), Wildlands (ecological services contract), Treescape (arboriculture services and ecological services contract) Urban Maintenance Systems (UBS) (full facilities contract), Ventia (full facilities contract) and City Park Services (full facilities and arboriculture contract).
Rod Sheridan, general manager community facilities, says that with council’s current maintenance contracts all expiring on 30 June this year, the time was right to go out to market and identify suppliers that could provide better value for money and better local services for Aucklanders.
“Suppliers were not evaluated based on prior history as incumbents with Auckland Council, or country of origin, but rather their ability to deliver the desired outcomes,” says Sheridan.
“Throughout the procurement process, we looked at how suppliers could meet our requirements to provide the most cost-effective solutions, reduce duplication, embrace emerging technology and introduce new social and environmental targets for management and maintenance of our assets and spaces. We found that in the six successful suppliers,” he says.
“We estimate that the added value in delivering these improvements under the new contracts is in the vicinity of $30 million per year,” says Sheridan.
He says council staff are working with suppliers to ensure that enhanced services are incorporated into the contract funding, rather than tapping Local Board funding, as much as possible.
“We’re committed to a smooth transition for all involved, and right now we are working hard on the mobilisation process which includes finalising legal contracts, defining health and safety requirements and setting up reporting and auditing processes.”
More information will be available on the Auckland Council website closer to the 1 July contract commencement date.
