Student Transportation

Project Description: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Student Transportation - SOLICITATION # USBE-CH26006-RFP
This Request for Proposals (“RFP”), having been determined to be the appropriate procurement method to provide the best value to the Utah State Board of Education (USBE), is designed to provide interested Offerors with sufficient basic information to submit proposals. This RFP is issued in accordance with the Utah Procurement Code and applicable administrative rules of the Utah Administrative Code. If any provision of this RFP conflicts with the Utah Procurement Code or Utah Administrative Code, then the Utah Procurement Code or Utah Administrative Code will take precedence.
Issuing Procurement Unit, Conducting Procurement Unit, and Solicitation Number:
USBE is the issuing procurement unit and conducting procurement unit for this RFP (referred to as “USBE”). The reference number for this RFP is Solicitation # USBE-CH26006-RFP. This solicitation number must be referenced on all proposals, correspondence, and documentation submitted to USBE relating to this RFP.
The purpose of this RFP is to enter into a contract or contracts to provide transportation services for students attending the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB).
This RFP may result in multiple contract awards. These contracts will be awarded on a regional basis for the Ogden, Salt Lake City, Springville, and St. George Regions. All contracts will be with the Utah State Board of Education and must be approved by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). If a contract is not able to be awarded for each region the solicitation may be canceled.
The methodology or formula that will be used to determine the number of contract awards is: a contract will be awarded to the highest scoring vendor in each region.
Length of Contract: Five (5) Years with the option of five (5) one-year renewals.
The vendor guarantees its pricing for one year. A request for price adjustment must be made at least thirty (30) days prior to the effective date. A request for price adjustment must include sufficient documentation (market analysis) supporting the request. Any price adjustment will not be effective unless approved by USBE. A price adjustment will be guaranteed for the same length of time as the original price guarantee. USDB unit will be given the immediate benefit of any decrease in the market or allowable discount.
Background
The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) provides education for qualifying students with sensory impairments from birth to age 22 from all over the state of Utah. The Ogden campus is located at 742 Harrison Blvd in Ogden. The Salt Lake City Campus is located at 1655 East 3300 South in Salt Lake City. The Springville Campus is located at 1160 West 900 South in Springville. The St. George campus is located at 919 Brigham Rd in St. George. Each main campus has a group of satellite schools which may change from year to year due to availability. The USDB pupil transportation is divided into four transportation boundary areas that correlate with the main campuses. The boundary for the Ogden campus covers an area that runs north to the Utah/Idaho state line and south to Farmington. The Salt Lake Campus boundary covers an area that runs north to Farmington and south to Lehi. The Springville campus boundary covers an area that runs north to the Lehi/Alpine/Highland area and south to Mona. The St. George campus covers an area that runs from Washington County to Cedar City. These boundaries are subject to change. In some cases transportation is provided beyond set campuses and boundaries.
Please refer to the Scope of Work and Technical Evaluation Criteria documents in the Files for further details.
Additional Information:
Offerors are prohibited from communications regarding this RFP with the USBE staff, USDB staff, evaluation committee members, or other associated individuals EXCEPT the USBE procurement officer overseeing this RFP.
Wherever in this RFP an item is defined by using a trade name, brand name, or a manufacturer and/or model number, it is intended that the words, “or equivalent” apply; and invites the submission of equivalent products by the Offerors.
USBE reserves the right to conduct discussions with the Offerors who submit proposals determined to be reasonably eligible of being selected for award, followed by an opportunity to make best and final offers pursuant to the Utah Procurement Code and applicable administrative rules, but proposals may be accepted without discussions.
Proposal Content and Evaluation:
The provisions of this RFP are not intended to limit a proposal's content or exclude any relevant or essential data. Offerors are at liberty and are encouraged to expand upon the specifications to demonstrate Offeror's ability to provide USBE with a solution.
Each proposal received shall be evaluated as outlined in this RFP, the Utah Procurement Code, and applicable administrative rules in the Utah Administrative Code.
To be responsive and responsible Offerors must review and respond to the following sections of this RFP:
Requested Information: The Requested Information section includes the prerequisites all Offerors must read and agree to in order to respond to this RFP.
Files: The Files section includes the standard contractual terms and conditions applicable to this RFP, as well as other documents associated with this RFP.
Questions: The Questions section contains questions to which Offerors must respond in order to submit a proposal. This section also includes the objective and subjective criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals, including mandatory minimum requirements and technical evaluation criteria.
To determine which proposal provides the best value to USBE, the evaluation committee shall evaluate each responsive and responsible proposal that has not been disqualified from consideration under the provisions of the Utah Procurement Code and applicable administrative rules, using the criteria described in this RFP.
Offerors must review each section carefully.
After the evaluation and final scoring of proposals is completed, USBE shall award the contract as soon as practicable to the responsive and responsible Offeror eligible for award, subject to the Utah Procurement Code and applicable administrative rules, provided the RFP is not canceled in accordance with Utah Code Section 63G-6a-709(2)(b) and applicable administrative rules.