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TABLE 11: Advantages of Contractors and Staff
CONTRACTORS
STAFF
• Provide and maintain own equipment • May have advanced training and experience • No long-term commitment • Self-insured • Handle their own human resources issues • Work is paid for only if performed correctly
• Less expensive on a per-hour or per-job basis • Available to respond immediately to work requests, storms, and emergencies • More flexible in work assignments • Can be held accountable individually for work performed, even months or years later • Necessary skills and experience can be selected for during hiring process, and additional skills and training can be developed as needed • Develop increasing knowledge of local streets and trees, and build relationships with other staff, volunteers, and residents • Can be called upon to lead volunteers, further increasing program effectiveness • Less administrative time spent on contracts and financial management
location near schools with excellent programs in forestry and horticulture, it should not be difficult to find candidates that have the necessary skills to perform this work effectively. These interns could also assist with tree planting and maintenance activities if needed.
Street Tree Maintenance Services Recommended to be Performed by Town Staff by 2017
TREE INVENTORY : ($38-$117/hour if contracted, $11-$15/hour with summer interns) Potential savings of staff versus contractors: 61%-91% The tree inventory is a critical tool in guiding the Urban Forestry Program. For the data collected in the 2012 Tree Inventory, Bartlett Tree Experts quoted a cost of $7.80 per tree. Davey Resource Group recently charged Raleigh $2.50 per tree. The town’s Urban Forester was able to achieve a data collection rate of 15 trees per hour. Assuming a similar data collec- tion rate for a qualified contractor, this means an average cost of $38 to $117 per hour. Required equipment : One data collector with ArcPad per intern.
PLANTING : ($50-$100/hour if contracted, $18-$33/hour with staff) Potential savings of staff versus contractors: 34%-82%
Hundreds of street trees require replacement annually, and there are thousands of locations where additional street trees can be planted. To replace 14 trees in the fall of 2011, the win- ning contractor charged the town $100 per tree in addition to the estimated wholesale cost of the tree. Similar work would take a staff member or volunteer approximately 1-2 hours per tree, depending on the size of the tree and the number of total trees being planted at one time.
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