Posting Language
Title
Authorize negotiation and execution of a contract for community spay and neuter services with Greater Good Charities, for up to five years for a total contract amount not to exceed $4,600,000.
[Note: Professional service contracts are exempt from the City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program); therefore, no subcontracting goals were established].
Body
Lead Department
Financial Services Department.
Client Department(s)
Animal Services Office.
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $350,000 is available from the Travis County Interlocal Agreement for the Community Spay and Neuter Program.
Funding in the amount of $172,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Operating Budget of Animal Services Office.
Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets.
Purchasing Language:
Professional Service.
For More Information:
Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to the Financial Services Department - Central Procurement at: FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500.
Additional Backup Information:
The contract will provide high-volume and high-quality Mobile Animal Sterilization Hospital (MASH) clinics for spay-neuter services for pet owners in the community. The clinics are a type of mobile spay-neuter program in which clinic staff transport surgical equipment to a venue and set up a temporary surgical space in that location. MASH clinics are valuable for local shelters that wish to provide in-house high-quality high-volume spay-neuter services, but either cannot afford to build and equip their own surgical suites or have surgical areas but lack veterinary staff. The contractor will operate the clinics every two to four months in the city and Travis County area, and provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, and resources required. The contractor will also provide other animal-related services including vaccinations and microchipping.
The contractor’s services will help prevent animal homelessness and promote humane, compassionate treatment of animals and responsible pet ownership, which are more important than ever due to the rapid population growth in the community and are a major component of the City’s No-Kill plan success. Spay and neuter surgeries are critical services provided to the community to stabilize, and ultimately reduce shelter intake of unplanned litters of kittens and puppies. The recommended contractor is a global nonprofit organization that specializes in MASH style spay-neuter clinics. The organization has a licensed veterinarian and experienced staff to provide these professional services.
This will be a new contract. Authorization amounts were determined based on estimated spend and the contractor’s estimated price.
If this contract is not approved, the City will be at risk of losing the County’s funding, which could impact the success of the City’s No-Kill plan, increasing the number of animal intakes and putting further pressure on the Animal Center's ability to house stray animals.