South Coast Air Quality Management District

Adopt Recommendation of Finance and Administrative Committees Regarding Diamond Bar Headquarters Childcare Center

SYNOPSIS: 

The current lease for management and operation of a childcare center at the Diamond Bar headquarters facility expires August 31, 2002. No proposals were received in response to an RFP issued in October 2001 to select a firm to enter into a successor lease, and only one proposal was received in response to the re-release of the RFP in March 2002. The Board’s Finance and Administrative Committees have discussed the childcare center lease and both committees agreed to recommend the Board not accept the proposal and otherwise use the facility.

COMMITTEE: 

Finance and Administrative, June 14, 2002, Reviewed

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Adopt the recommendations of both the Finance and the Administrative Committees not to accept the proposal to lease and operate the childcare facility

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

AQMD entered into a lease agreement with National Pediatric Support Services (NPSS) to operate a childcare center at the Diamond Bar headquarters facility for the period September 1, 2000, through August 31, 2002. On October 19, 2001, the Board released an RFP to solicit proposals from firms interested in leasing the facility for up to a three-year period, beginning September 1, 2002. No proposals were received and the current lease holder notified the District in writing that the firm would not be submitting a proposal. Out of concern that other potentially interested parties may have failed to bid based on an assumption that the current lease arrangement would be extended, the Board re-released the RFP (#2002-15) on March 1, 2002, informing potential bidders that NPSS had indicated the firm would not submit a proposal.

Outreach

In accordance with the AQMD’s consulting and contracting policies, a public notice advertising the RFP and inviting bids was placed in the following publications:
 

1. Antelope Valley Press	11. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin	21. Press Enterprise        (Riverside County)
2. Black Voice News	12. Korea Central Daily	22. Rafu Shimpo
3. California, State of, Contracts       Register	13. Los Angeles Daily News	23. San Bernardino Sun
4. Chicano, El	14. Los Angeles Sentinel	24. Signal, The       (includes Santa Clarita, Newhall,        and Saugus)
5. Chinese Daily News	15. Los Angeles Times	25. Voz, La, Publications
6. Desert Sun (Coachella Valley)	16. Opinion, La	26. Wave Community Newspapers       (includes Southwest Topics Wave,        Angeles Mesa Wave, & Central        News Wave)
7. Eastern Group Publications	17. Orange County Register
8. Excelsior, The	18. Philippine News
9. Informador, El	19. Precinct Reporter
10. Inland Empire Hispanic News	20. Prensa Hispana, La

Additionally, potential bidders were notified utilizing the Los Angeles County MTA Directory of Certified Firms, the Inland Area Opportunity Pages Ethnic/Women Business & Professional Directory; and AQMD’s own electronic listing of certified minority vendors. Notice of the RFP was mailed to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations; and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s Web site [http://www.aqmd.gov, "Business and Job Opportunities" or http://www.aqmd.gov/busjob/] and AQMD’s bidder’s 24-hour telephone message line (909) 396-2724.

Proposal Evaluation

Seventeen copies of the RFP were mailed out, in response to which six firms attended the mandatory bidders conference on March 29, 2002. Only a single proposal--from the current lease holder, NPSS--was received by the deadline of 1 p.m., Friday, April 12, 2002.

Both the Board’s Finance Committee and the Administrative Committee met on June 14, 2002, to discuss the childcare center facility. During their discussions, committee members reviewed childcare center enrollment statistics over the past nine years. While enrollment in the mid 1990s was around ninety percent of capacity, with children of AQMD employees making up around one-half of the total enrollment, the most recent information from the current provider indicates enrollment is currently at only about thirty-five percent of capacity, with only three children of AQMD employees using the facility. The two committees also reviewed NPSS’s record with respect to compliance with the terms of the lease agreement, as well as measures AQMD staff has taken to improve compliance. Based on this review, both committees agreed to recommend to the Board that the proposal from NPSS to lease the facility not be accepted and that the facility be used for other purposes.

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