Four Companies Compete for Long Beach, Calif., Recycling Contract

An outside review of Long Beach staffers’ work to determine which company should be hired to pick up recyclables around the city determined that four competing firms got a fair shake at winning the deal, despite past controversy over an imperfect procurement process.

“Although irregularities in the process did occur, the issues did not unduly hinder the proposal or evaluation process,” reads a line from the report’s conclusion. “Each vendor was provided ample opportunity to clarify the RFP (request for proposals) process and any further questions regarding the individual proposal.”

The report — along with a possible contract award — is scheduled for Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

The PFM Group, a financial advisory firm with offices in Los Angeles, authored the report after reviewing Public Works Department employees’ efforts to select a vendor after the council voted in March to halt the process. Staffers had recommended awarding Waste Management of Long Beach, the city’s current and longtime provider of recyclables collections services, a contract that could have been worth up to $42 million over 10 years, but some elected officials including the City Auditor and council members raised questions over the fairness of the process.