AAATA Increases Security Contract

The new Blake Transit Center, still under construction in downtown Ann Arbor by the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, will get additional unarmed security from Advance Security as a result of AAATA board action at its Nov. 21, 2013 meeting. The board approved an increase from the $205,000 annual contract amount authorized by the board at its April 19, 2012 meeting to bring the annual value of the contract to $242,000.

The increase will allow for around-the-clock security service coverage at the Blake Transit Center construction site. According to the staff memo accompanying the board resolution, “This additional security service is required until the installation of doors, windows and locks has been completed on the new building to help prevent trespassing, vandalism, loitering, etc.”

That increase in the contract amounts to 18%. Under the AAATA procurement policy, increases of contracts over 10% require board approval. That’s why it was before the board on Nov. 21, 2013. When the board approved the $205,000 in April 2012, that was for the fourth year of a contract first authorized by the board on March 19, 2009 for one year. That contract increase came before the board because it increased the amount of the contract from the previous year by more than 10% – from $150,000 to $205,000, or 36.7%. That new contract was based on hourly wages between $14.33 and $19.67 per hour for a regular shift, and between $21.50 and $29.51 for extra hours and holidays.

The April 2012 increase in the Advance Security contract was based on the need to make the hourly wages in the contract meet the city of Ann Arbor living wage standard, which was adopted by the AATA board at its June 16, 2011 meeting.

This brief was filed from the downtown location of the Ann Arbor District Library, where the AAATA board holds its meetings. A more detailed report will follow: [link]