Bacchus Marsh & Ballan Footpath Sweeping

Bacchus Marsh & Ballan Footpath Sweeping

Up until 2021 GMA had been looking after the footpaths and streets of Bacchus Marsh and Ballan for three years, without incident. We were told in 2021 by council that as the incumbent, we would be notified when the tender was to be advertised.

• We were not told about the tender, we were never notified.
• Our General Manager emailed the council six times about the tender and never received a response.
• Our price was an 8-year-old contract price with CPI increase applied.
• Once our contract expired, in the public interest, we continued service without complaint.

We received notification 4 months after the close off date that effective immediately we were no longer needed. The contract was awarded to a company based outside of the Moorabool Shire. Since then we have personally cited a number of issues with the services being provided by the new contractors. We have also heard similar complaints from local business owners:

Blowing on footpaths creating airborne Silica Dust.

Other issues include:

• Footpath still not being swept. Leaf and litter being blow into the gutter then picked up with their roadsweeper.
• When the road sweeper was full, the rubbish was tipped off in the carpark behind the RSL building! It classifies as illegal rubbish dumping, reportable to the EPA.
• Level of service being provided is not aligned with the scope, or the street sweeping maintenance management plan.
• It was observed, that not once was the 240l bin emptied during the sweeping, when GMA were undertaking the sweeping at this time of year the 800l hopper on our machine would be emptied of waste 2-3 times.
• Contractor observed working as late as 8.30am. Works being undertaken while trading is commencing in the main Street. A lot of people and plant interaction, dust and noise from leaf blowers.
• Newsagent having to blow down the path and apron at the front of their shop.
• Contractors’ footpath sweeper is now registered as a 2007 Hako sweeper. Equipment being used is 16 years old
• Multiple U turns and driving against the traffic in road sweeper.
• Blowing down the footpaths, creating airborne silica dust and noise pollution. This is a work Worksafe and EPA issue.

We believe that this company should not be allowed to continue their services. We are actively trying to get a response from council and have them re-instate our previous arrangement.  

Letter sent to council – 17 May 2023:

Dear Councilors,

Re; Provision of footpath sweeping services to Bacchus Marsh and Ballan CBD

I am a 3rd generation business owner in Moorabool Shire and the Managing Director of GMA. The outgoing contractor for provision of footpath sweeping services for Bacchus Marsh and Ballan. We have been the custodian of this contract for the last three years, taking over from Urban Service Solutions who started the sweeping in 1998.

We buy local and use local suppliers wherever possible, support Bacchus Marsh and Darley football clubs and employ 15 local residents as part of our team. All this equates to a local spend of more than $2,500,000 per annum on wages, purchases, and sponsorship. We have a strong connection to Moorabool and have no intention to leave the shire as it suits our business and lifestyle.

I am very disappointed in the procurement process and loosing the sweeping tender to a company that is based out of Moorabool, and not undertaking the scope of works as per the specification. I was driving through town on the 17/5/2023 and observed the incumbent with a factory sweeper parked on a trailer, and then manually blowing the footpaths off with a battery powered blower. To add to this, the sweeper was not registered even if it were to be used. No area was swept, just blown to the side or into the gutters for the Shire’s road sweeper to collect.

We went to great lengths to ensure we had trained personnel, the correct equipment, well maintained and GPS tracked for the job. As a result of this I can proudly advertise GMA did not have one service complaint in 3 years. GMA had a good young lad from Pentland Hills getting up at 3am, 3 days a week to do this job. Having a crack, building his confidence and being a solid contributing member to the community and that was stripped from him due to a poor procurement decision.

I can handle losing a contract to another company that is better and cheaper, but in this case the system is floored and requires investigation.

Why would procurement award this tender to a company who does not have the equipment or the credentials to carry out these works?

I have attached some pictures in my email showing the standard being provided.

Yours sincerely
Stephen Marett

Letter sent to council – 12 June 2023:

Dear Councillors,

I am writing to you with ongoing concerns regarding the sweeping contractor who is responsible for cleaning the footpaths in our area. It has come to my attention that the contractor is not sweeping the footpaths on public holidays, even though it is specified in their contract to do so.

I find this situation unacceptable, and I am sure that our community would agree that we deserve better service for our tax dollars. It is concerning that the contractor continues to receive payment for services that they are not fulfilling, even though it is in the specification to do so. This behaviour is a breach of trust and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Why are council staff allowing the contractor to work outside the specification? Not once since the contract was stripped from GMA has it been carried out to the specification!

I urge you councillors as representatives of our community to investigate and take appropriate action.. We cannot allow this behaviour to persist, and we must ensure that the contractors we work with are carrying out their services to the best of their abilities.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely
Stephen Marett

Unswept footpaths on public holiday 12.6.2023

We are trying to get council to act and appreciate any support you can give. I would be more than happy to make myself available for an interview.

You can contact me via my email at: steve@gmaust.com.au