Committee advances three citywide janitorial contracts; presenters emphasize worker-retention and MWBE requirements

The Finance & Business Committee on April 28 advanced three citywide janitorial agreements that cover 88 municipal buildings and are structured into seven portfolios, General Services staff told the committee. The chair moved the package to the full City Council after a Q&A period; Councilman Darren Watson made the motion and Council President Sandoval seconded it.

General Services officials said the solicitation drew 15 proposals, 12 of which were deemed responsive, and that awards went to three firms: American Facility Services Group (AFSG), CCS Facility Services (CCS) with Alpha Green Cleaning LLC as a subcontractor, and Roth Property Maintenance (RPM). "There are 88 different buildings, and those are put into 7 different portfolios," said Kima Jolie, director of administration at General Services, describing the scope of the contracts.

Presenters emphasized compliance measures built into the RFP and contracts: prevailing wage and fringe-benefit requirements, minimum-wage and wage-theft ordinance language, and the city's worker-retention ordinance. Jolie described the worker-retention step as a 90-day transition period after which the incoming contractor must conduct written performance reviews for retained workers and offer continued employment if performance is satisfactory.

The presentation included three-year contract terms with two one-year renewal options and reported contract maximums as presented: AFSG’s three-year maximum was shown in the presentation as 3,750,000; CCS’s three-year maximum was reported in the slides in the form presented to council (described verbally during the briefing); and Roth’s three-year maximum was shown as 500,000. General Services said the awards were allocated by portfolio based on combined scoring of written proposals and interviews, and flagged training plans, timekeeping, prior performance and compliance with the worker-retention ordinance as evaluation criteria.

Committee members pressed staff on practical implementation: who conducts the 90-day employee reviews (the contractor, per the ordinance), how subcontractors and primes meet MWBE goals, and how the City will validate compliance. Adrina Gibson, executive director of General Services, explained that compliance project managers (CPMs) now embedded in General Services will oversee the contracts and validate payments via the City's B2G payment system; CPMs will also review proof that subcontractor payments have been made and that MWBE commitments are met.

Alejandra Aguilera, director for property services at SEIU Local 105, said the union has participated in transition meetings and town halls and that union outreach with the workforce has been active. "We are anticipating 100% membership," Aguilera said about SEIU engagement with affected janitorial staff. General Services said it posted worker notices in English and Spanish on April 17, held bilingual town halls with Spanish and Korean interpretation, and will facilitate weekly transition and onboarding meetings with contractors and unions.

Council members asked for and were promised follow-up materials that map specific facilities to the awarded portfolios, clarify whether the hours modeled reflect pre- or post-budget reductions, and outline who will review the 90-day evaluations to ensure fairness. The committee advanced the item to the full Council for final consideration.

What happens next: The committee forwarded the contracts to the full City Council; staff said they expect executed agreements within a few weeks if Council approval occurs. Council members and staff requested written follow-ups on detailed hours modeling, the contractor evaluation of retained employees and the exact contract financials as shown in the appendix.