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A contracted pest management professional (PMP) can be a valuable addition to your school district's IPM team. Effective IPM partnerships require a clear understanding of roles. IPM cannot be "contracted out." Any service provider will need the full cooperation of maintenance, custodial, food service and instructional staff to eliminate "pest-friendly" conditions. To make your program thrive, it also helps to have a few prerequisites in place as well. Here are a few simple steps to think about when considering a new or renewal contract.
Step 1: Draft an IPM policy and plan
These key documents can help ensure that all parties are on the same page about the overall pest management vision. An IPM policy is the cornerstone for your program, clearly stating your commitment to IPM as the way pest problems will be prevented, and resolved when they do occur. A thorough policy that is formally adopted can be a great tool to facilitate staff cooperation with clutter control, keeping food in sealed containers and promptly reporting pest problems. The School IPM 2015 website includes an excellent sample policy .
A comprehensive IPM plan is your Bible, specifying how you go about implementing your program, including preventive tactics and responses to pest complaints from pests likely to be encountered. Ideally, this document is detailed enough to hand to a new IPM coordinator in the event of staff transition, or to a new service provider, to ensure your program continues to move forward without a hitch. The School IPM 2015 website includes an excellent sample plan, which is based on plans developed by US EPA, Illinois Department of Public Health, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Washington Toxics Coalition and Texas AgriLife Extension. North Carolina State University also has a sample plan on their Integrated Pest Management for Schools and Child Care Facilities page. For more information on starting up, see the California Department of Pesticide Regulation's "Adopting an IPM Program" in their Model Program School IPM Guidebook, 3rd Edition.
Step 2: Designate an internal IPM coordinator
Before soliciting bids for a PMP service, designate and train an internal IPM coordinator, usually a facility manager, director of operations or head custodian. The IPM coordinator manages the IPM program as a whole, including day-to-day interpretation of the IPM policy, maintaining the IPM plan and overseeing the work done by a PMP to ensure that all pest management being performed is in line with the contract.
The primary role of a PMP is to diagnose pest problems and educate about the best solutions. The IPM coordinator should set staff roles related to pest management, rather than delegating all responsibility to the PMP. Because internal staff members are often the best defense against pests, food service, custodial and maintenance staff should be trained to recognize and report common pests and conducive conditions. In this way, the PMP and the school district can work together effectively to manage pest issues.
Step 3: Publish a request for proposals
Initially, you may send out a request for proposals (RFP) to prospective PMPs in order to collect bids for IPM service. The specifications set out in the RFP may then be used as the basis of the contractual agreement between the district and the PMP. The purpose of the RFP is to outline your district's needs and expectations, as well as to solicit bids from qualified local PMPs. Dr. Albert Greene, national IPM coordinator for the General Services Administration, published this RFP document, which can be modified to be used for any school district. Bob Stoddard, president of Envirosafe, Inc., a PMP company that provides pest and turf management to schools throughout Michigan, provided this sample RFP . The Texas AgriLife Extension also hosts a sample bid document on its IPM Program Documentation page. According to Mr. Stoddard, "The bottom line is that the program is only as good as the RFP that specifies it and the follow-up to ensure that the RFP is being complied with."
PMPs should be required to conduct an initial site evaluation during the bidding process, in order to ensure that they have a firm grasp on the scope of work. During the site evaluation, the PMP will inspect all areas of the schools to check for potential problems and discuss the specific reasons the school is hiring a PMP service. The inspection should include kitchens and cafeterias, locker rooms, classrooms and teacher's lounges, to identify issues like cracks in the buildings, gaps under doors, open garbage containers and dirty floor drains.
A post-bid interview is also a vital aspect of the bidding process. As indicated by Mr. Stoddard, "The post-bid interview is important because it gives a district the opportunity to ask very specific and telling questions." Some questions to ask the PMP are: What is the law that governs pesticide application in our state? What are the parent notification requirements for our state? What is your definition of IPM? What products do you use? Mr. Stoddard commented, "It is easy for the PMP to write this in their proposal, but to have to answer these questions on the spot sometimes really shows their level of expertise and understanding."
Step 4: Choose a qualified PMP
A good way to gather information about the PMP and their IPM knowledge is to request references of companies or individuals whom the PMP has provided pest management services to in the past, which can supply valuable insight into the professionalism of the PMP, their knowledge and implementation of IPM practices and the overall satisfaction with the PMP's services.
There are a number of third-party certifications that PMPs can earn, such as Green Shield Certified, which are a good indication of the qualifications of the company. Green Shield Certified is an award-winning, independent non-profit certification program that promotes practitioners of effective, prevention-based pest control while minimizing the use of pesticides.
Step 5: Write and execute a contract
One important aspect of a contract with a PMP is a detailed definition of IPM and the explanation of how it fits in with your overall pest management vision. Your IPM plan should be included as an appendix to the contract. The PMP contract should clearly lay out the IPM principles that the PMP is expected to adhere to, including elements such as structural and procedural modifications to reduce pest access to food, moisture and harborage; recommendations for sanitary changes; application of chemical pesticides only when reasonable non-chemical measures fail to provide adequate control; and a focus on monitoring and pest biology to determine when pest removal actions are necessary. All contracts should also plainly state which pests and areas are under the purview of the PMP. Several model contracts are available to serve as guides for the type of language to be used in a PMP contract, including this sample created by the IPM Institute of North America from a model authored by Dr. Albert Greene and this sample published by the University of Florida.
Step 6: Post-contract oversight
Your IPM coordinator's responsibilities don't stop once a PMP has been chosen and the contract has been signed. It is particularly important for the IPM coordinator to review the PMP's performance on an ongoing basis. The PMP's records should be thoroughly evaluated for completeness and accuracy. The PMP should be providing written and verbal recommendations to resolve pest-friendly conditions. The IPM coordinator should also assess the PMP's methods, including frequency and type of pesticide applications, to ensure that they are in line with the contract and the district's IPM plan. If the PMP isn't performing up to the district's standards, the contract should provide for an early exit and rebidding.
Remember that documents referenced here are samples and some elements may not be appropriate for all schools or districts. RFPs and contracts should undergo legal review to ensure compliance with state regulations.
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