Processing and Marketing of Curbside and Commercially Collected Recyclables

The City of Tucson's (City) Environmental Services Department (ES) is soliciting proposals from qualified entities for processing and marketing of Recyclable Materials collected through the City’s Single Stream Recycling Program, Neighborhood Recycling Centers, and the City commercial provided recycling programs. The City is evaluating two potential ownership, operating, and siting scenarios for a Material Recovery Facility (MRF):

• Scenario 1: A MRF sited at the City’s Los Reales Landfill, located at 5300 E Los Reales Rd, Tucson, AZ 85756, which may be City-owned or operated under a public-private partnership.
• Scenario 2: A Contractor-owned and operated MRF, in which the Contractor is responsible for siting, constructing, owning, and operating the MRF.

The City will select the proposal that is determined to be most advantageous based on established evaluation criteria. The City’s current agreement for processing and marketing of Recyclable Materials is set to expire on June 30, 2027; however, the City has the right to negotiate an extension of the current agreement.

Note that definitions for certain terms used in this RFP are provided in the Scope of Work and Instructions to Offerors Sections.

At the completion of the evaluation process, the City may enter negotiations with the top ranked Offeror regarding any portion of the Contract, as deemed necessary by the City. If the City is unable to negotiate successfully with the top ranked Offeror, the City may cease negotiations with that Offeror and either begin negotiations with the next ranked Offeror or choose to cancel the solicitation in its entirety. If the City is unable to negotiate successfully with the next ranked Offeror, the City may cease negotiations with that Offeror and either begin negotiations with the third ranked Offeror or choose to cancel the solicitation in its entirety.

Offerors are encouraged to suggest Contract revisions that would more efficiently allocate risk, improve the parties’ understanding of risk allocation, or improve clarity of any contract terms where ambiguities or uncertainties may arise. The City is not obligated to accept any of the suggested revisions by Offeror(s) when negotiating and finalizing the Contract. The City may request additional revisions during negotiations and before finalizing the Contract.