Vaughan's trendsetting winter road maintenance contract is the first of its kind in Ontario

Performance-based contract promises improved service delivery and enhanced citizen experience

Newswire.ca
Nov. 15, 2016

Salt, plow, windrow - repeat. The City of Vaughan strives to provide some of the highest levels of snow-removal services in the GTA to ensure residents and visitors can travel safely despite the weather. With snow on the horizon, the City is ready to take on the harshest of winter weather with a trendsetting road maintenance contract and a brand new fleet of more than 100 vehicles.

INDUSTRY-LEADING PERFORMANCE-BASED ROAD MAINTENANCE CONTRACT

The new performance-based contract is the first of its kind among municipalities in Ontario, and is supported by quality assurance measures that encourage the contractors to deliver on contractual requirements 100 per cent of the time. What this means is that prior to the winter season, contractors were responsible for developing a quality control plan outlining how they would successfully achieve the service-level obligations of the agreement. Then, after every snow event, the contractors' work will be evaluated through a point system that either awards incentives for outstanding work or results in disincentives for lower inspection scores. This method of performance management means a more efficient winter service delivery that will get residents where they need to go.

MORE SERVICE AT A LOWER COST

The new contract is also a more financially sustainable approach to winter service delivery. It ensures fixed costs year-over-year (for six to up to 10 years) and will manage and reduce overall operating costs. The City set a maximum allowable standby rate in order to control costs. This approach results in a more manageable and effective cost structure. This is another example of how the City is delivering on Council's priority to provide an enhanced citizen experience and overall improved service delivery, while maintaining financial sustainability.

QUOTE

"At the City of Vaughan, we are committed to the safety of the entire community and work hard to provide snow and windrow removal that stands up to the demanding winter months. This is the first time a city has structured a winter maintenance contract in this way. When it comes to snow removal, we are a leader in the GTA. This new contract elevates our level of service to beyond industry standards while increasing value for our taxpayers. Our new fleet of vehicles and dedicated customer service representatives will ensure our citizens are receiving the best service possible."

- Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua

QUICK FACTS

• The City of Vaughan has entered into a six-year contract with Ashland Paving Limited and Maple-Crete Incorporated, with an option to extend the contract for two additional two-year terms.
• The annual winter road maintenance services operating budget is $7 million. However, costs for the first winter season of the new contract are expected to be $6.7 million.
• This year, the winter road maintenance contract includes 16 dedicated customer service representatives focused entirely on winter service delivery.
• The new fleet includes 50 combination salter/snowplow units, 45 windrow machines, 16 pickup trucks equipped with plows and salters, eight cul-de-sac-clearing machines and four anti-icing units.
• This is the first time cul-de-sac-clearing machines have been introduced to the fleet. These vehicles have plows that pivot left and right, allowing them to turn more sharply around cul-de-sacs, get better snow pickup and clear snow more effectively.
• Residents can get snow-removal information and updates on operations by:
• Following @VaughanSNOW on Twitter
• Bookmarking vaughan.ca/snow
• Calling our snow hotline at 905-879-SNOW (7669)
• Emailing our snow account at snow@vaughan.ca
  

LEARN MORE

• City of Vaughan snow removal webpage
• City of Vaughan Service Excellence webpage
  

ABOUT VAUGHAN: The City of Vaughan is one of Canada's fastest growing cities with a population of more than 325,000. Incorporated in 1991, Vaughan is marking its 25th anniversary as a city this year. Vaughan includes the communities of Concord, Kleinburg, Maple, Thornhill and Woodbridge. This culturally diverse municipality is located in the heart of York Region and the Greater Toronto Area.