GBB Assisting City of Fort Wayne, IN, in Review/Procurement of Collection Programs

(Fairfax, VA – April 1, 2010) – Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. (GBB) announced today that it has been selected by the City of Fort Wayne, IN, to review current garbage and recycling collection programs; provide recommendations/direction for future programs; and oversee the procurement process with vendors.

“Procurements are not without challenge, and they require extensive planning, intense focus, and a tireless effort with the many stakeholders involved,” noted Tim Giardina, GBB Principal Associate and Project Manager for this engagement. “Working together with the City of Fort Wayne, we are confident that we’ll help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the current collection programs, resulting in service improvements and hopefully cost reductions and significant increase in recycling rates.”

“Garbage collection affects every resident and in an effort to solicit public input we put together a Solid Waste Contract Committee made up of three City Council members and four neighborhood association presidents. The committee wanted some additional guidance and decided to hire GBB because of their strong track record,” said Matt Gratz, Program Manager for the City of Fort Wayne’s Solid Waste Department. “Additionally, we’ve set up a new city web page for interested citizens and contractors to track progress of the committee,” added Gratz.

As a first step, GBB will review the City’s current garbage/recycling collection programs and costs; develop a benchmark comparison to other cities equivalent in size and services; and present findings and recommendations to the City’s Solid Waste Contract Committee. Special focus and consideration will be on single stream recycling collection; volume-based collection; and separation of hauling and disposal contracts.

As a second step, GBB will support the procurement process, reviewing and providing draft specifications for the forthcoming bid documents to be issued by the City July 1, 2010; assisting with pre-bid meeting and follow-up to questions; reviewing bids; making recommendations to the Board of Public Works and City Council for approval; and helping with contract negotiations with the selected contractor.

The City of Fort Wayne, with an estimated 2008 population exceeding 250,000, is the county seat of Allen County. The second largest city in Indiana, after Indianapolis, it is located in northeastern Indiana, 20 miles west of the Ohio border and 50 miles south of the Michigan border.

GBB is a national solid waste management consulting firm founded in 1980 that works on solid waste collection, processing, recycling and disposal issues and assists in planning, procuring, and implementing sound, cost-effective facilities and services at the local, state and national levels for both the public and private sectors. For more information on the firm and its products and services, visit www.gbbinc.com or call 1-800-573-5801.

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