Successfully obtaining acceptable terms and rates for the collection of solid waste and recycling materials has become much more complex as the cost of providing those services has increased. Obtaining a contract that provides the most service for the lowest rates is critical since the contract will affect customers for many years.
Using SCS Engineers to assist with contracting is one way to assure that this process receives the necessary attention, while your day-to-day business proceeds as usual.
Hiring SCS Engineers as your consultant on obtaining solid waste and recycling collection services can provide many benefits, including:
SCS Engineers has vast experience with the solid waste industry. Solid waste is our specialty; we work with all aspects of solid waste, every day. More importantly, we are regularly involved with collection service programs, contracts, contract terms, and rate analysis.
SCS Management Services® consultants have the experience and ability to provide the necessary financial analysis. We are one of the few solid waste consulting firms in the nation with project managers who are certified public accountants with backgrounds in governmental accounting and auditing, and experience with solid waste systems. This type of expertise gives us insight into the financial needs of both the government and the collectors.
Contract terms are extremely important. We combine the needs of your customers with the experience gained from preparing and analyzing numerous collection contracts in order to produce a contract that is easy to understand, thus minimizing “misunderstandings.”
A collection contract should be balanced. It should have tight specifications which meet your needs while anticipating possible events and situations. It should also be flexible enough to evolve as circumstances change. Experience with many collection service contracts allows SCS Engineers to help you achieve that balance.
Your employees must split their time between many important tasks – all of which need to be done immediately. SCS consultants have one task – to help you obtain the best contract terms and rate possible.
SCS solid waste collection specialists work with municipal and private collection operations throughout the United States. We understand the unique challenges associated with each and can help these entities maximize their operational efficiencies and reliability with operational efficiency assessments, equipment right-sizing, safety planning and training, scheduling, and route optimization.
SCS Engineers is well-versed in current and proposed solid waste legislation, and we consider how it will affect each client. As a result, your program will be designed and your contract will be drafted to include legislative considerations that will be implemented after the contract is signed.
SCS Engineers employs solid waste collection consultants with vast experience dealing with solid waste collection services. Collection service contracts are not just about contract terms, and they are not just about dollars and cents. We understand the underlying terms of the contract and the components that make up the total rate, and we understand how they interact. This enables us to obtain the best contract terms and rates for our clients.
The solid waste rate is comprised of the collection service rate and the disposal rate. There are major differences in the factors upon which collection and disposal rates are based. SCS understands these differences and will help you design a contract with separate collection and disposal rate factors.
Rate adjustment procedures are an important part of structuring a solid waste services contract. SCS understands that a contract that details the specific procedures for dealing with rate adjustments will eliminate the need for costly, recurring rate negotiations. SCS Engineers in combination with our financial experts in SCS Management Services™ help public and private utilities develop a comprehensive cost of service allocations to each of its functions. This allows a sanitation utility to quantify its collection and disposal functions using the actual cost to serve customers. Our integrated approach enables you to quantify the additional services provided and support outreach for the residents of the community for additional costs for services as markets fluctuate.
SCS Engineers’ collection service consultants consider long-term and short-term aspects of the contract. We understand that the contract terms must meet the needs of the customers over the life of the contract, or the rates are meaningless. Conversely, an inexpensive rate might lose its appeal over time if the services are insufficient.
We understand that the real goal is to obtain the best contract terms and the best rate over the life of the contract.
Successfully contracting for solid waste and recycling collection service terms and rates involves many complex elements. The results are usually long-term – five years or longer. Utilizing the professionals of SCS Engineers for your collection service contracting can help you avoid many headaches over those years.
