The gist
City officials said the decision to go with Texas Towing was due to the robustness of their service. Prior to choosing Texas Towing, the Hollywood Park Police Department advertised that the city was accepting requests for proposals, or RFPs, in the media, the town hall bulletin and online. The town received RFPs from Cresswell’s Wrecker Service, Johnny’s Wrecker Service and Texas Towing.
Texas Towing services has:
- Over 40 trucks
- 60 licensed operators
- A vehicle storage facility in San Antonio
- A minimum of 12 trucks deployed in the area during the day and eight at night, with on-call operators in case of an emergency
According to city officials, the new contract will increase the city’s revenue share and provide no-cost towing for city vehicles up to a certain limit. Texas Towing also has a proven track record with other cities of comparable size, such as Alamo Heights and Shavano Park.
Sorting out details
During the review process, three city officials compared the companies and graded them on a scoring matrix.
Prior to recommending Texas Towing, city officials:
- Reviewed required licenses and insurance coverages
- Reviewed records of driver training and drug screenings
- Reviewed phone or in-person interviews with each tow provider
- Reviewed service capabilities and capacities
- Reviewed fee schedules and fee revenue sharing proposals
- Checked the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for complaints and enforcement actions on each provider
- Checked provided references
Proposal review and scoring:
- Towing services (25%)
- Vehicle storage facilities (25%)
- Work history (15%)
- Reporting service (10%)
- Security services (10%)
- Fee schedule/revenue share (10%)
- Fee collection services (5%)
Final scores:
- Cresswell’s Wrecker Service: 75
- Johnny’s Wrecker Service: 91.25
- Texas Towing: 92.25
The background
The decision to find a new towing service came after the City’s contract with Richard’s Towing expired after the initial three-year term and two one-year renewals. Since the contract expired, the city has been contracting towing services on a month-to-month basis. One major issue that city officials highlighted is that the towing fees have remained the same, while the city’s revenue share has remained the same.
Stay tuned
If Mayor Drash and city officials are unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with Texas Towing, City Council authorized them to seek a contract with Johnny’s Wrecker Service.
