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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6. MANAGERS REPORT 7/5/05 MOUNT PROSPECT POLICE DEPARTMENT I FORMAL MEMORANDUM CHF 05-143 CONTROL NUMBER TO: MICHAEL JANONIS, VILLAGE MANAGER FROM: POLICE CHIEF SUBJECT: POLICE TOWING & STORAGECONTRACf DATE: JUNE 8, 2005 Introduction Approximately every three years the police department rebids the police towing and storage contract. The purpose of the contract is to select a single company to tow and store disabled, abandoned, impounded and crashed vehicles. The contract is regulatory only. It is intended solely to ensure vehicles are towed quickly and effectively by a professional towing service according to a fixed fee schedule. The police department gains no monetary consideration by contracting this service. Hence, timely and professional service is paramount for both the police department and the citizens it serves. On April 24, 2005 a legal notice was published inviting sealed bids for a new three-year contract scheduled to be in effect until June 30, 2008. On May 10, 2005 the Deputy Village Clerk opened and read the five bids received from the following companies: 1. Fries Automotive Services, Inc., Wheeling, Illinois 2. Tri-R Services, Inc., Des Plaines, Illinois 3. Golf & Busse Service, Inc., Mount Prospect, Illinois 4. Hillside Auto Body, Towing Services, Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois 5. Northwest Recovery, Inc., Rolling Meadows, Illinois Review of Bids Police staff evaluated these companies according to their abilities to meet the contract requirements. The bid document specifies several qualifications, including a license to do business in the Village, satisfactory evidence of professional experience, and satisfactory evidence of its ability to meet the performance requirements of the Towing Contract. Award of the contract is subject to the Village's consideration of price "and such other factors as would be in the best interest of the Village and the operational efficiency of the Police Department," with "proximity of storage facility/business headquarters being a critical factor in evaluating bid proposals that are otherwise similar in charges and services." Bidders were required, among other things, to provide the following information: the number, type, capacity and availability of the bidder's tow trucks, the size and security of the bidder's storage facility, the bidder's professional and Page 1 of7 J MOUNT PROSPECT POLICE DEPARTMENT FORMAL MEMORANDUM CHF 05-143 CONTROL NUMBER " police towing experience, the bidder's ability to meet the response times specified in the contract, the bidder's office hours and general availability, and the bidder's types of communications equipment (radios, cellular phones, pagers, etc.). An inspection of each bidder's business location was conducted in an effort to ensure. the facility met with contract specifications. These included general storage area, secured storage area, communication and dispatch systems, tow equipment, facility operating hours, security and surveillance systems, lot lighting and bidder's system to adequately store and retrieve vehicles. Additionally, when a bidder listed experience as tow agent for another police agency, we contacted most, if not all of those agencies, to obtain their experience on the bidder's quality of service. The Police Department's records, and those of the Illinois Commerce Commission and Office of the Illinois Attorney General were reviewed to determine the bidder's quality of past services. Police staff also reviewed and considered the bidder's vehicle towing and storage fee schedules. The company's fee structure was reviewed for fairness and equity to those requiring tow services. The attachment to this memorandum shows the fee schedules submitted by the five bidders on the contract. Fries Automotive Services, Inc. Fries Automotive Services, Inc is located at 81 Old Palatine Road in Prospect Heights. The facility is located on a four (4) acres parcel across the street from Palwaukee Airport. The exterior lot housing the business's equipment and fueling facility is paved and in excellent condition. The business currently does not store towed vehicles for any public agencies so there are no specific locations set aside to house vehicles. However, the business owner indicated he would hc;lve a fe 11 ce e [fa cted 9(1 th13 r)orthl3ast portion of the lot to house towed vehicles segregating these vehides'fromihe'fueling ".. portion of the business. He anticipates a storage capacity of 154 spaces. The interior facility, including the customer service area, is clean and well organized. The entire facility is surrounded by a chain link fence. A digital surveillance system for the interior and exterior of the facility is used. At night the facility is well illuminated by ample lighting. Personnel are dispatched via Nextel telephone system. Staff are available on- site 24/7 with additional tow operators on call. Fries currently operates five (5) tow units. The tow equipment on-site was clean, appeared well equipped and clearly marked with business information pursuant to state law. A check was made through the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Office of the Attorney General regarding any complaints made against the company. Both agencies indicated they had no complaints on file for the tow c:pmpany. A check through department records indicated no complaints or disputes were lodged against the company for incidents occurring in Mount Prospect in 2003, 2004 and 2005. It was concluded that Fries Automotive Services, Inc. does not meet the requirements of the bid process in that it did not currently have a defined section to maintain towed vehicles and it lack~d experience in housing vehicles on-site for a police agency and providing services related to abandoned autos. Northwest Recovery. Inc. Page 2 of7 MOUNT PROSPECT POLICE DEPARTMENT FORMAL MEMORANDUM ... CHF 05-143 CONTROL NUMBER Northwest Recovery, Inc. is located at 4000 Industrial Drive in Rolling Meadows. The facility is located on an approximately one (1) acre site in the western section of Rolling Meadows. The fenced in lot can hold up to 250 vehicles at this location with additional storage at a secondary site located nearby in Rolling Meadows. Drivers are on duty 24/7 as part of their normal duties and are dispatched by personnel at their office via a two-way radio system. The facility operates a digital surveillance system to record video both inside and outside the facility. The exterior holding facility is predominantly gravel and is well lit by exterior high intensity lighting. At night the area is patrolled by three trained guard dogs. The facility constructed in 2004, is well maintained and meets the needs of the business. Personnel are on-duty at all times to provide service to walk- in customers. The business operates thirteen tow vehicles. Those on site were adequately maintained and clearly marked as tow vehicles per state law. The business anticipates two (2) new tow trucks in 2005. The business currently tows for the Hoffman Estates Police Department in addition to its standard business as a tow relocation company. Sergeant Mike Brady of Hoffman Estates was contacted regarding their tow agreement with Northwest Recovery. Sergeant Brady expressed positive information regarding Northwest Recovery's service. A check was made through the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Office of the Attorney General regarding any complaints made against the company. The ICC indicated 37 complaints in the last year with all but two resolved. The Office of the Attorney General indicated six complaints on file. In addition, a check through department records indicated that during the years 2003, 2004 and 2005, complaints and disputes were lodged against the company for incidents occurring in Mount Prospect. During this period three incidents were noted. As documented in report 05- 9141, the complainant had parked her vehicle at the Los Compadres restaurant while she and her family dined inside. When she returned to the vehicle after dinner, she found her vehicle to be missing. The complainant contacted the police department to report a stolen vehicle. While the reporting officer was on scene, a tow truck driver for Northwest Recovery returned to the parking lot and advised the officer he had just towed the vehicle from the lot, because a "For Sale" sign was displayed in the vehicle's window. However, there were no signs prohibiting parking for that reason, and there was no apparent reason for the tow. Northwest Recovery is the contracted tow agent for the business and regularly patrols the lots for private parking lot violations. The officer attempted to resolve the issue by advising the tow operator that the complainant was a customer of the restaurant and had a paid receipt. The tow operator indicated the complainant would need to pay Northwest Recovery a tow fee for her vehicle prior to it being released. The tow operator advised the officer that the complainant could file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission. It should be noted that Northwest Recovery had not contacted the department to report the relocated vehicle prior to the officer's arrival at the scene. In another incident documented in report 04-1992, a damage to vehicle complaint was lodged against Northwest Recovery after the complainant's vehicle was towed from the apartment complex where he lives. The investigating officer observed evidence in the parking lot indicating a vehicle had been forcibly pulled from a parking stall. The pavement marks were consistent with the complainant's vehicle wheelbase. The reporting officer attempted to mediate the Page 3 of7 MOUNT PROSPECT POLICE DEPARTMENT FORMAL MEMORANDUM CHF 05-143 CONTROL NUMBER dispute with Northwest Recovery and was advised by a Northwest Recovery agent that the tow company utilizes special equipment so as not to damage vehicles and that unless the complainant had videotape showing his car being forcibly pulled, Northwest Recovery would not consider a claim. The agent instructed the officer to have the complainant file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission. Finally, in an incident documented in report 04-18395, Northwest Recovery towed the complainant's vehicle from the apartment complex where he lived because it did not have the appropriate parking sticker. When the vehicle was picked up from Northwest Recovery there was several hundred dollars of damage. It was concluded Northwest Recovery, Inc. does meet the bid requirements, except that its complaint history, and the Police Department's own experiences with Northwest Recovery, Inc., demonstrates a deficiency in its quality of services. Golf & Busse Towinq The primary business location for Golf & Busse Towing is 927 S. Busse Rd. in Mount Prospect. Their primary storage site is located in Carol Stream. The business owner indicated that should he be award13d the Mount Prospect tow contract, towed vehicles would be stored at 1200 Higgins in Elk Grove, the location of Cosmetic Collision Center. The business owner advised he is part-owner of this Elk Grove location. The facility located in Elk Grove has exterior storage space approximately 150' x 100' with an estimated storage for 154 vehicles. The business owner indicated this estimated storage space includes a portion of unimproved land on the fenced in lot which would be cleared and made useable to s~ore towed vehicles. If awarded the contract, this space would be cleared accordingly. The area to be used for storage is fenced appropriately. Lighting is located on the east side of lot but not on the north side of the lot. The bid documentation indicated an exterior camera system, however none was observed. The business owner was unsure if a system was in place and when he conferred with employees on site he was told there was no exterior camera surveillance system. The customer service area of the business was neat and well organized. The business maintains a call center at another location for incoming tow requests and uses a Nextel phone system to dispatch tow assignments. During non-business hours, employees on call take tow vehicles home with them for possible call out. The tow location is in operation during normal business hours and on Saturdays between 7 AM and 5 PM for customer service. Personnel would be contacted during off hours should a customer need to retrieve their vehicle. The business maintains eight (8) vehicles. The tow vehicles observed were well maintained and clearly marked pursuant to state law. Currently the business tows for the Carol Stream and Winfield police departments. Lieutenant Kevin Orr of the Carol Stream Police department was contacted regarding the service they have received from this tow company. Lieutenant Orr indicated positive experience with the tow company. Ms. Sharon Samuels of the Winfield Police department was contacted regarding the service they have received from this tow company. Ms. Samuels also indicated positive experience with the tow company. A check was made through the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Office of the Page 4 of7 MOUNT PROSPECT POLICE DEPARTMENT FORMAL MEMORANDUM CHF 05-143 CONTROL NUMBER Attorney General regarding any complaints made against the company. Both agencies indicated they had no complaints on file for the tow company. A check through department records indicated no complaints or disputes were lodged against the company for incidents occurring in Mount Prospectin 2003, 2004 and 2005. It was concluded that Golf & Busse Towing did not m.eet the requirements of the bid process because a large portion of its storage area is unimproved and not capable of adequately storing vehicles. Hillside Auto Body, TowinQ & Services. Inc. Hillside Auto is located at 200 E. Palatine Road in Arlington Heights. This location is at the intersection of Arlington Heights Road and Palatine Road. The business is staffed 24/7 with customer assistants and dispatch personnel. The business normally has 20 tow operators on duty at all times with additional personnel available on-call. Personnel are dispatched via a Nextel telephone system. The location can store up to 400 vehicles. The area used for vehicle storage is fenced appropriately. The exterior holding facility is predominantly gravel and is appropriatt3ly lit by exterior lighting. The . customer service section of the facility is well maintained and meets the needs of the business. In addition to this primary site facility, the business operates two additional storage facilities. The second site is located at 120 University in Arlington Heights. This new facility is surrounded by an 8' concrete fence and can store over 600 vehicles in the exterior and interior portions. A third site, recently purchased, is located at 45 E. Palatine Road in Prospect Heights. This site, which is also fully fenced, can hold slightly more than 1,000 vehicles. The business operates 19 tow vehicles. Those on site were well maintained and clearly marked as tow vehicles per state law. Currently the business tows for eight police agencies in the area. Contact was made with the following personnel from this group: Commander Bill Martin of Arlington Heights, Sergeant Mike Millett of Buffalo Grove, Sergeant Carlos Saez of Prospect Heights, Deputy Chief Larry Hammer of Elk Grove, Deputy Chief Brad Grossman of Palatine and CSO Estaban Gomez of Rolling Meadows. All parties indicated positive experience with the tow company. Additionally, Hillside tows for the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Highway Authority. These two agencies were not contacted. A check was made through the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Office of the Attorney General regarding any complaints made against the company. Both agencies indicated they had no complaints on file for the tow company. A check through department records for complaints or disputes lodged against the company for incidents occurring in Mount Prospect in 2003,2004 and 2005 was conducted. During this period one complaint was lodged initially against Hillside Auto Body in report 04~40035: Areview of the report indicated that the complaint actually dealt with the. department's aband(med auto procedure and that Hillside had fully followed and complied with the directions of the department during the process. It was concluded Hillside Auto Body, Towing & Services, Inc. met all aspects of the bid requirements Tri-R Service, Inc. Page 5 of7 MOUNT PROSPECT POLICE DEPARTMENT FORMAL MEMORANDUM CHF 05-143 CONTROL NUMBER Tri-R Service, Inc. is located at 419 E. Golf Road in Des Plaines on a one (1) acre site. The location is on Golf Road west of Wo.lf Road, The site cap store up to 79 vehicles with room for some additional spaces once vegetation is removed from the rear of the lot. The business maintains a 24/7 dispatch center for tow staff utilizing a Nextel phone system. Tow drivers are on call during non-business hours and take their assigned tow vehicles home with them. The tow location is in operation during normal business hours and on Saturdays between 8 AM and 2 PM forcustomer service. Personnel would be contacted during off hours should a customer need to retri~ye th~ir v~bicl~. . The" business uses a digital video surveillance system to record interior and exterior activity. The area used for vehicle storage is fenced appropriately and is adequately illuminated at night. The customer service seGtionof th"~facility is well maintained and meets the needs of the business; however customer parking is very limited. A second fenced storage area is located in Des PI~ine$ $~ver~1 bJo."G~$ .eCl~t ()f thf? primary location. This site can hold up to 35 vehicles. The busin~ss operates 5 tow vehicles. Those on site were well maintained and clearly marked as tow vehicles pursuant to state law. The business currently tows for Des Plaines police department, being responsible for tows occurring in the western portion of Des Plaines. Mr. Tex BulloGk of Des Plailles police was contacted and he provided positive information regarding the service Tri-R provides. A check was made through the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Office of the Attorney General regarding any complaints made against the company. Both agencies indicated they had no complaints on file for the tow company. A check through department records indicated no complaints or disputes were lodged against the company for incidents occurring in Mount Prospect in 2003, 2004 and 2005. It was concluded Tri-R Services, Inc. met all aspects of the bid requirements Recommendation From reviewing the individual bids and completing the site inspections, it was concluded that Hillside Auto Body, Towing & Services, Inc., and Tri-R Service, Inc. met all contract specifications, while Fries Automotive Services, Inc. and Golf & Busse Towing did not. Northwest Recovery, Inc., met the contract specifications, except that its complaint history and the Police Department's own experiences with Northwest Recovery's services, demonstrate that the quality of its past professional service is unsatisfactory. As indicated in their bid submissions, Hillside Auto Body, Towing & Services, Inc., Tri-R Service, Inc., and Northwest Recovery, Inc., appear very similar and identical in many ways. However, when determining the company, which would best meet the needs of the department and the community, several factors in addition to cost, response, facilities, etc., must be considered. It is of utmost importance that a tow company is able to provide a high level of service to both the police department and the individuals to which it provides tow services, Le., professional service not only in the manner in . which vehicles are towed or relocated but also in service provided to customers retrieving vehicles. With this in mind I it is necessary to look at complaints filed against the companies and the contact this department has had with the companies. As indicated above, Northwest Recovery was the only company to have had complaints filed against it with the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Office of the Attorney Page 60f7 MOUNT PROSPECT POLICE DEPARTMENT CHF 05-143 FORMAL MEMORANDUM CONTROL NUMBER General. Additionally, there were several incidents where vehicles were towed from locations in Mount Prospect, resulting in disputes. In each of these instances, Northwest Recovery showed no flexibility in trying to resolve the issues. On several occasions, agents for Northwest Recovery indicated that a complainant should file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission. Obviously, this is not the type of response we would want to provide tow customers when disputes arise. Such service is not in the best interests of the Village or the operational efficiency of the Police Department. While Northwest Recovery, Inc. was the low bidder among Hillside Auto Body, Towing & Services, Inc., and Tri-R Service, Inc., its complaint history and the Police Department's own experiences with Northwest Recovery's services, demonstrate that its quality of past professional service is unsatisfactory, and, as such, it is not a qualified or responsible bidder. The next lowest responsible bidder is Hillside Towing, which has proven its ability to provide a high level of timely professional service to both the police department and their customers. Compared to all of the bidding companies, Hillside has significantly more storage availability and police towing experience. Additionally, Hillside Towing has been providing towing services to the Village for more than eight (8) years. During this time they have proven reliable, cooperative and responsive. Hillside has demonstrated a keen awareness of the needs of the department when maintaining and releasing vehicles. They have met all the contract specifications and have earned the support of patrol shift supervisors and officers. Hillside Towing is the lowest responsible bidder and appears to offer the best combination of cost, service and experience. Accordingly, Police staff recommends the police towing and storage contract be awarded to Hillside Auto Body, Towing & Services, Inc., as the lowest responsible bidder. ftU Richard Eddington, Chief of olice Attachment c: Deputy Chief Dahlberg Deputy Chief Semkiu T ow File Page 70f7