2026-2027 Charter Bus Service

Location:	New York
Posted:	Apr 15, 2026
Due:	May 13, 2026
Agency:	South Colonie Central School District
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	V - Transportation, Travel and Relocation Services
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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SOUTH COLONIE CENTRAL SCHOOLS

102 Loralee Drive

Albany, New York 12205

INVITATION FOR QUOTATIONS TO PROVIDE CHARTER BUS SERVICE

FOR 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR

The South Colonie Central School District invites you to submit sealed proposals for Charter Bus Service

as described in the attached specifications. Quotations will be received at the District office, 102 Loralee

Drive, Albany, NY 12205, until 11:00 AM on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

INSTRUCTIONS AND GENERAL CONDITIONS

Two copies of each proposal are to be submitted in a sealed

envelope, plainly marked on the outside, “Charter Bus Service

Proposal”. Proposals submitted by mail may be addressed to

Anjelieeque Martinez, Business Administrator/District Treasurer,

102 Loralee Drive, Albany, NY 12205. Any persons submitting

proposals by mail must assume the risk of any delay in the mail or

in the handling of mail by employees of the school district. All

proposals received after the designated time will be returned

unopened.

All proposals will be opened at the time stated above by the

Business Administrator/District Treasurer or a representative.

Persons submitting proposals may attend and may examine the

proposals received at the time and place of proposal opening. The

identity of those responding to such offer will be publicly

disclosed. No discussion of the proposals will be permitted at that

time.

All proposals shall be irrevocable for a period of thirty (30) days

from the date of proposal opening. The only alterations that will

be allowed in a proposal after the opening are those, which may be

caused by rate changes or similar circumstances beyond the control

of the agent submitting a proposal. Such alterations must be made

in writing.

The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any and all

quotations. If contracts are awarded, they will be awarded to the

provider whose quotations and services, in the opinion of the

Board of Education, best serve the interests of the District.

Upon award by the Board of Education, this RFP in its entirety

except as noted on the bidder’s proposal will become a binding

agreement between the school district and the provider. Therefore,

your proposal must clearly delineate any exceptions or conditions

to the services as set forth in the provisions of this RFP.

All quotations shall be complete and prepared in accordance with

the attached instructions and specifications in order to receive

consideration. Do not submit incomplete proposals except where

specifically requested or permitted. Any alternate proposal should

be clearly marked as such.

A properly completed Non-collusive bidding certification must be

included with each bid as required by General Municipal Law,

Section 103.d. The enclosed form, “Bid Proposal Certification,”

meets the requirement.

Criteria for award:

Although the estimated fees submitted are an essential part of the

proposal, the Board is not obligated by operation of any statute or

regulation to award contract on the sole basis of the lowest cost

quotation. Factors such as experience in transporting students,

safety history, and financial stability will also be taken into

account, along with the experience of the provider in handling

similar accounts.

Requests for additional information concerning present practices,

experience data, or any other information shall be directed to the

office of the Business Administrator/District Treasurer.

Should anyone proposing a quotation be in doubt as to the meaning

of any provision in the instructions or specifications, or find that

information essential to the quotation has been omitted, they shall

notify the Business Administrator/District Treasurer, who will

endeavor to issue clarification by an addendum to all who have

taken sets of proposal forms. Any such addendum shall be binding

on all quotations.

Cancellation Clause:

All providers agree that they will give at least ninety (90) days’

prior notice by certified mail, addressed to Anjelieeque Martinez,

Business Administrator/District Treasurer, of any cancellation, of

this agreement. It should be clearly understood, however, that the

Board of Education reserves the right on its own behalf and/or

behalf of any future Board of Education, to rescind this policy or to

modify it in any fashion for whatever reason or reasons it or any

future Board of Education may deem necessary. Nothing herein

contained shall prohibit or restrict the Board of Education from

canceling any contract at the end of any contract year.

Anjelieeque Martinez

Business Administrator/District Treasurer

Attachments

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SOUTH COLONIE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR

CHARTER BUS SERVICES

2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

South Colonie Central School District is located in Albany County. Enrollment is approximately

4,800 students.

The district is comprised of five (5) elementary schools, two (2) middle schools and one (1) high

school.

The majority of the trips our students take are handled in or through the district’s Transportation

Department. The intent of this Request for Proposal is to assign charter service transportation for

trips when the school Transportation Department cannot fulfill the request. These trips consist of the

following, but are not limited to:

1. Trips to Boston, New York City, or other distant cities

2. Ski trips

3. Building trips, i.e. end-of-year trips

4. Zoo and museum trips

5. Sports

II. SCOPE OF SERVICE

The District wishes to contract with one or more charter bus companies to provide the following

services:

Provide charter bus service for any and all requested trips, which include scheduling and all services

as they relate to trips. This RFP does not include any transportation of students, which would

normally be covered under New York State Private Transportation Contract Criteria, from home to

school, or from school to home.

Any Charter Bus Company awarded this contract will provide:

Vehicles

1. All buses must have cellular phone capabilities.

2. On all trips having a one-way travel time of more than one hour or that require a 55-

seat coach, said coach must be equipped with air conditioning and bathroom.

3. The designated vehicle will be available, prior to student boarding, for inspection by

an authorized district employee.

4. The successful bidder’s fleet must have a NYS DOT pass rate of 90% or greater

for the most recent time period. Each bus being used on a trip must have passed

a complete mechanical inspection within the previous 6 months.

5. A copy of the annual inspection report, including age of vehicles, must be given to

the school district Transportation Department upon the award of this bid.

6. The carrier must be authorized for interstate service by the ICC.

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7. The successful bidder must comply fully with the maintenance rules and regulations

promulgated by the New York State Department of Transportation. The failure of the

successful bidder to fully abide by the maintenance rules and regulations of the New

York State Department of Transportation shall be a material breach and shall result in

termination of the contract and, if applicable, an assessment of damages against the

successful bidder.

8. The successful bidder must fully comply with the guidelines and requirements issued

by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with respect to the operation, maintenance

and cleaning of the vehicles. CDC guidelines are attached as an addendum to this

document and are incorporated herein by reference.

Drivers

1. All drivers must be certified pursuant to Article 19-A of the New York State Vehicle

and Traffic Law (School Bus Driver certification) and must meet all other applicable

New York State & Federal regulations. The successful bidder shall furnish the

District with the driving history of all employees selected to operate a vehicle. The

most recent Department of Motor Vehicles “Affidavit of Compliance” along with the

most recent “Abstract of Driving Record” for each driver must be submitted with this

proposal. The most recent Affidavit and Abstract must be dated within two months

of the submitted proposal.

2. Drivers must adhere to U.S. Department of Transportation regulation 395.10, which

restricts a driver’s actual on-the-road time.

3. 24 to 48 hours prior to a scheduled trip, the successful bidder must provide the

driver’s abstract from the Department of Motor Vehicles for the selected driver. An

alternate driver’s abstract must be provided in case the scheduled driver is unable to

make the trip.

4. Drivers must be fingerprinted and a criminal background check must be completed

within two months of a driving assignment.

5. All drivers shall be at least twenty-one (21) years of age.

6. Failure to abide by any of the terms of this section of the bid, relating to drivers, shall

be a material breach which shall result in the termination of the contract and, if

applicable, an assessment of damages against the successful bidder.

Insurance

1. Notwithstanding any terms, conditions or provisions, in any other writing between the

parties, the successful bidder shall name the school district as an unrestricted additional

insured on a primary and non-contributory basis, on the successful bidder’s insurance

policies, with the exception of workers' compensation.

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2. The policy naming the school district as an additional insured shall:

 Be an insurance policy from an A.M. Best rated "secured" insurer, licensed to

conduct business in New York State.

 Provides for 30 days’ notice of cancellation.

 Provides that the organization's coverage shall be primary for the district, its Board of

Education, employees and volunteers.

 Affirmatively provides coverage for claims including but not limited to negligent

hiring, negligent training, negligent supervision, negligent operation of the motor

vehicle, harassment, whether sexual or otherwise, sexual molestation, abuse,

harassment, or similar sexual misconduct.

 The school district and its Board of Education shall be listed as an additional insured

by using endorsement CG 2010 11 85 or broader. The certificate must state which

endorsement is being used and a copy of the endorsement shall be included with the

certificate of insurance provided to the school district.

3. The permittee or successful bidder agree to indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by

law, and to hold harmless the school district and its Board of Education for claims

caused by the negligence of the permittee or the successful bidder.

4. The insurance producer must indicate whether it is an agent for the companies providing

the coverage.

5. Required Insurance:

• Commercial General Liability Insurance

$5,000,000 per occurrence/$5,000,000 aggregate.

• Automobile Liability

$5,000,000 combined single limit for owned, hired, borrowed and non-owned motor

vehicles.

• Workers' Compensation

Statutory Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability Insurance for all

employees.

6. The successful bidder acknowledges that failure to obtain the required insurance on

behalf of the school district constitutes a material breach of contract and subjects it to

liability for damages, indemnification and all other legal and equitable remedies

available to the school district. The successful bidder must provide the school district

with a certificate of insurance, evidencing that the above requirements have been met,

prior to the commencement of work.

7. The school district is insured by Utica National Insurance Company. The successful

bidder further acknowledges that the procurement of such insurance as required

herein is intended to benefit not only the school district, but also Utica National

Insurance Company, as the school district's insurer.

Emergency and Breakdown Policy

1. The successful bidder shall provide school district with a copy of its emergency and

breakdown policies.

2. The successful bidder shall immediately notify school district designated personnel

of any emergency and/or breakdown incident.

Sub-contracting

1. Sub-contracting is prohibited. The successful bidder may not lease, hire or

subcontract for the use of any vehicle that will be used in connection with

transportation unless authorized in writing by the Board of Education.

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Additional Services

1. The successful bidder will provide a written trip itinerary within five days of the

scheduled trip.

2. When requested, the successful bidder will provide:

 Admission tickets to attractions, parks, museums and sporting events;

 Meal stops, enroute and on return trip;

 Tour guides in destination cities;

 Meal planning at destination cities;

 Video movies on the coach;

 Brochures of attractions in destination cities;

 Negotiation of room rates at hotels, booking of hotel accommodations, and

rooming lists, etc.;

III. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

A. COMPANY PROFILE

The proposal must state the size of the firm; length of time the firm has been in business, and the

location of its offices. A complete list of buses being offered for charter service, including the

age of vehicles, written mileage and maintenance history of vehicles, and current DOT profile

must be included with proposal.

B. EXPERIENCE

The proposal should include details about experience of similar school services provided by the

firm to whom, and when. Please include all contact persons including phone numbers and email

addresses.

C. REFERENCES

A list of references that may be contacted should be included in the proposal.

D. SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Please provide details regarding your understanding of the scope of services required and the

approach your firm would use to achieve the District’s objectives.

E. SERVICES OFFERED

Please provide a list of services provided by your firm in addition to those specifically requested

by this RFP, which may be useful to the District on this or subsequent projects.

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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

2026-2027 Charter Bus Service

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