Discuss, consider, and act upon authorizing the Town Manager to negotiate and enter into an agreement with Allied Fence Company of Dallas in an amount not to exceed $46,990 and to allocate an additional $9,398 in contingency funding to be held by the Town for the construction of ornamental security fencing at Vineyard Park utilizing unrestricted fund balance from the 4B Fund.
Staff recommends approval.
On September 14, 2026, Town Staff presented a discussion item to the Town Council regarding public concerns associated with the open use of the new artificial turf field at Vineyard Park. The concerns discussed included:
- Increased demand for athletic fields from both Sunnyvale organizations and outside groups.
- The current reservation process provides limited control over who is using the fields and when.
- Limited ability to monitor and address unauthorized field use.
- Increased instances of litter and trash being left by field users.
- Reports of inappropriate or foul language in areas where children and families are present.
- Organized teams not consistently adhering to field-use expectations, including balls being kicked into adjacent practice areas.
- Potential conflicts between organized practices and general public use.
During the discussion, Town Staff presented several potential options for addressing these concerns. Of the options presented, Town Council indicated a preference for an eight-foot perimeter fence with three pedestrian access gates and a solar-powered electronic access system. The estimated cost presented to Council was approximately $75,000.
Staff obtained five proposals for the installation of the recommended fencing and electronic access improvements at Vinyard Park. The most competitive proposal was provided by Allied Fence Company of Dallas at a cost of $46,990. The proposed improvements will provide greater control over access to the artificial turf field, assist staff in managing scheduled and authorized use, and help address concerns related to unauthorized use, field conflicts, and user behavior.
Staff originally presented this item based on a unit price quote available through a cooperative purchasing agreement with TIPS of $76,673 from Titan Fence. It is common practice for municipalities to utilize cooperative purchasing agreements to eliminate the cost of competitive sealed bids and to minimize risk and design costs associated with developing and enforcing specifications and contract provisions related to undertaking competitive bidding. In this case, the Town elected to seek quotes to validate the quality of the cooperative purchasing price based on concern that the price was higher than expected.
The Town received prices from four other vendors, one of which was also a cooperative purchasing price through BuyBoard from Llano River Fence Company for $70,650. The highest quoted price was Superior Fence and Rail, Inc., at $127,450. The Town received an additional quote from JN Fence Company was $67,000 that showed some modification to the requested specifications. The lowest quote was $46,990 and was significantly below the other quotes.
Upon evaluation of the quoted price and contract terms, staff is recommending that Town Council authorize the Town Manager to negotiate and enter into an agreement with Allied Fence Company of Dallas, understanding that doing so represents a strategic decision to forgo some of the risk management and administrative benefits of cooperative purchasing. This is based on the difference between the TIPS and BuyBoard prices and the quote provided as well as the overall cost and risk associated with the project. Staff is also requesting a contingency of $9,398, equal to 20% of the project cost, to be allocated to the project to mitigate and avoid project delays related to unforeseen expenses.
The total project cost of $46,990 will be funded from the unrestricted fund balance in the 4B Fund. The requested contingency of $9,398 will be returned to fund balance at project closeout assuming it is unused. Following installation, the electronic access system will require an annual cellular subscription at an estimated cost of $600 per year. The annual subscription will be funded through the 4B Fund's annual parks maintenance allocation.