Item - 2019.IE5.5

City Council on June 18 and 19, 2019, adopted the following:

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to negotiate, enter into, and execute an agreement with Carraway Inc., being the highest overall scoring proponent meeting the requirements of Request for Proposal 9148-19-0114 to provide School Crossing Guard Services at multiple locations in the City of Toronto for the South and East Zones for two (2) years from date of award to July 31, 2021 in the amount of $28,326,240.00 net of all taxes and charges ($28,824,781.82 net of HST recoveries) with an option to renew, on the sole discretion of the General Manager, Transportation Services, and subject to budget approval, for two (2) separate one-year periods in the amount of  $14,588,013.60 net of all taxes and charges ($14,844,762.64 net of HST recoveries) in Option Year 1 and in the amount of $15,025,654.01 net of all taxes and charges ($15,290,105.52 net of HST recoveries) in Option Year 2, which includes an estimate of annual cost adjustments per year starting Option Year 1, with the potential total cost of $57,939,907.61 net of all taxes and charges ($58,959,649.98 net of HST recoveries), in accordance with terms and conditions as set out in the Request for Proposal and any other terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services to negotiate, enter into, and execute an agreement with A.S.P. Inc., being the second highest overall scoring proponent meeting the requirements of Request for Proposal 9148-19-0114 to provide School Crossing Guard Services at multiple locations in the City of Toronto for the North and West Zones for two (2) years from date of award to July 31, 2021 in the amount of $19,674,727.20 net of all taxes and charges ($20,021,002.40 net of HST recoveries) with an option to renew, on the sole discretion of the General Manager, Transportation Services, and subject to budget approval, for two (2) separate one-year periods in the amount of $10,132,484.51 net of all taxes and charges ($10,310,816.24 net of HST recoveries) in Option Year 1 and in the amount of $10,436,459.04 net of all taxes and charges ($10,620,140.72 net of HST recoveries) in Option Year 2, which includes an estimate of annual cost adjustments per year starting Option Year 1, with the potential total cost of $40,243,670.75 net of all taxes and charges ($40,951,959.36 net of HST recoveries), in accordance with terms and conditions as set out in the Request for Proposal and any other terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

3. City Council amend the Approved 2019 Operating Budget for Transportation Services by reallocating $1,800,000 gross and net, from Right-of-Way Maintenance ($200,000 gross and net) within the Road and Sidewalk Management Service, and Traffic Signs and Pavement Markings ($1,600,000 gross and net) within the Transportation Safety and Operations Service, to the School Crossing Guard program within the Transportation Safety and Operations Service. 

4. City Council authorize that $1,600,000 of the Traffic Signs and Pavement Markings program be transferred to the Transportation capital program, pending an Approved 2019 Capital Budget reallocation report for Transportation Services later in 2019 to accommodate funding required for the transfer.

5. City Council amend the Approved 2019 Operating Budget for Non-Program Expense by transferring $450,000 gross and net, and $3,393,694 Non-Program Capital and Corporate Financing gross and net budget to the School Crossing Guard program within the Transportation Safety and Operations Service for a total transfer of $3,843,694 gross and net to the Approved 2019 Operating Budget for Transportation Services.

6.  City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to enforce the requirements of Request for Proposal 9148-19-0114 so that the existing school crossing guards, currently employed by Toronto Police Service, are given the first opportunity to be hired by the two new City vendors, provided they meet the qualifications outlined in the Request for Proposal. 

7. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Service, to take all actions possible to ensure Carraway Inc. and A.S.P. Inc. hire the existing school crossing guards and assign them to their current locations, with the following steps to occur after the award of the vendor contracts:

a. the City and Toronto Police Service reach out to the existing guards and connect them with the vendors for the purpose of rehiring them if the guards meet the requirements;

b. each vendor will receive from Toronto Police Services the contact information for the existing guards in the area they will serve for the explicit purpose of contacting them regarding next steps in the hiring process;

c.  Toronto Police Service and the City will send a letter to each guard advising them about the selected vendors and that these vendors will reach out to them directly;

d. the vendors will reach out to the existing guards directly as soon as possible to ensure hiring is complete in time for the start of the 2019-2020 school year; and

e. the vendors will also identify the assigned location of the guards in order to make every effort to retain hired existing guards in their current locations and the June 28 application deadline is eliminated.

8. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to report to the October 2 and 3, 2019 City Council meeting on the status of the transition of the School Crossing Guard program, including the number of existing guards who have been retained by the contractors in their existing locations.

9.  City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on:

a.  the feasibility and cost savings to be realized by removing the lunch hour shift from the School Crossing Guard Program; and

b.  a strategy and road map for the development of a school student drop-off and pick-up safety plan, which would be developed by the local school principals and school boards in consultation with the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Toronto Police Service. 

10. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to ensure that:

a.  crossing guard site-approval criteria not impede the ability of smaller schools, located in residential neighbourhoods, from being approved for a crossing guard; and

b.  school crossing guards are assigned City-approved reflective safety clothing which includes the City of Toronto logo. 

11.  City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, one year after the transfer of the School Crossing Guard Program, with an  assessment of the cost, effectiveness and safety aspects of the program.