School Bus Stop-Arm Camera Safety Program

Location:	Maryland
Posted:	Mar 31, 2026
Due:	Apr 24, 2026
Agency:	Montgomery County Public Schools
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	V - Transportation, Travel and Relocation Services
Solicitation No:	8120.1
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Attachment Preview

March 31, 2026

RFP Number: 8120.1

Prebid Conference: April 15, 2026

Due Date: April 24, 2026

To: Prospective Offerors:

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), in collaboration with Montgomery County, Maryland, is issuing this

Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit qualified vendors to provide a comprehensive School Bus Stop-Arm Camera

Safety Program. This program aims to enhance student safety by detecting and deterring illegal passing of stopped

school buses.

A virtual pre-proposal conference will be held on April 15, 2026 at 11:00a.m. EST via Zoom. The

conference will not be recorded. Information to access the conference is contained in the RFP, Section

14.0. Questions regarding the RFP must be submitted by the close of business, 4:00 p.m., on April 13,

2026.

Please respond according to the instructions provided in the attached. Proposals must be received on or

before April 24, 2026 at 2:00pm. Proposals received after this date and time will not be considered.

Proposals shall be delivered in a sealed envelope with the RFP number, opening date and opening time

indicated in the lower left corner of the envelope. Proposals shall be delivered to MCPS Department of

Procurement, 45 West Gude Drive, Suite 3100, Rockville, Maryland 20850.

The offeror must submit one (1) original, one (1) redacted copy, one (1) electronic version on flash drive

and one (1) separate copy of the proposal. The proposal must be signed by an official having authority to

contract with MCPS. The firm and official's name shall be used. This solicitation does not commit MCPS

to pay any costs incurred in the submission of proposals or guarantee that an award will be made.

In the event of emergency closing of the MCPS Board of Education offices, this RFP will be accepted at

the same time on the next regular working day.

AMD

Enclosure

Sincerely,

Angela McIntosh Davis

Director, Department of Procurement

Office of Financial Management

MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Division of Procurement, Suite 3100

45 West Gude Drive

Rockville, Maryland 20850

Request for Proposal #8120.1

SCHOOL BUS STOP-ARM CAMERA SAFETY PROGRAM

Equipment, Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Services

1.0 INTENT

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), in collaboration with Montgomery County, Maryland, is

issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit qualified vendors to provide a comprehensive School Bus

Stop-Arm Camera Safety Program. This program aims to enhance student safety by detecting and

deterring illegal passing of stopped school buses.

Maryland law prohibits vehicles from overtaking or passing a stopped school bus operating its alternately

flashing red lights (Md. Code Ann., Transp. §21-706). The violation of this law poses significant safety

risks to students boarding and exiting school buses. To address this critical safety concern, Maryland law

authorizes local jurisdictions to collaborate with boards of education to install school bus monitoring

cameras on school buses to record images of vehicles overtaking and passing stopped school buses and to

impose civil penalties on vehicle owners for violating the law.

MCPS currently operates a fleet of approximately 1,500 school buses, with potential growth to 1,600

buses. The selected vendor will be required to provide, install, operate, and maintain a state-of-the-art

camera system capable of capturing high-quality images and video evidence of stop-arm violations.

The primary objectives of this program are:

• To enhance student safety by deterring illegal passing of stopped school buses through the installation and

operation of exterior-mounted stop-arm cameras

• To capture clear, evidentiary-quality images and video of vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses

• To enable efficient identification and processing of violations in coordination with Montgomery County

Police Department (MCPD)

• To provide comprehensive violation processing services including review, citation issuance, payment

processing, and customer service

• To improve public awareness and compliance with school bus safety laws

• To generate accurate data and analytics for program evaluation and continuous improvement

• To provide internal and external surveillance recordings to investigate alleged student misconduct, alleged

staff misconduct, injuries, and accident investigations

2.0 INTRODUCTION

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is the 15th largest school system in the United States, and the

largest in the state of Maryland. During the 2025–2026 school year, MCPS served more than 156,000 students

RFP 8120.1

from 157 countries speaking 162 languages. With a Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Operating Budget of approximately

$3.6 billion, MCPS employs more than 25,800 employees. Among the 211 schools that MCPS operates, 45 are

National Blue-Ribbon schools. Six MCPS high schools rank in the top 200 of The Washington Post’s 2015

High School Challenge, and all 25 MCPS high schools appear on this list, which only includes the top 11 percent

of high schools in the country. MCPS has one of the highest graduation rates among the nation’s largest school

districts, according to an Education Week report. In 2010, MCPS was the recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige

National Quality Award, the highest presidential honor given to American organizations for performance

excellence.

3.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected Contractor shall provide a complete, turnkey School Bus Stop-Arm Camera Safety Program that

includes all equipment, software, installation, training, operation, maintenance, and violation processing

services. The Contractor shall be responsible for all aspects of the program as detailed below.

3.1 EQUIPMENT AND INTALLATION

The Contractor shall provide and install all necessary equipment on MCPS school buses, including but not

limited to:

• Exterior-mounted stop-arm cameras capable of capturing license plates and vehicle information

• Exterior cameras not targeted toward stop-arm enforcement to capture views of each side of the bus, its

surroundings and traffic

• No less than four interior cameras recording audio and video of the driver seat area, any loading areas,

passenger section

• Non-enforcement cameras must be of sufficient quality, placement and number to provide comprehensive

views to serve the needs for training, surveillance and investigations

• On-board digital video recording systems

• GPS tracking and geolocation systems

• Communication hardware for data transmission

• All necessary mounting hardware, cabling, and power supplies

• Any additional hardware and software needed to ensure full system functionality

• All hardware and software for video retrieval

3.1.2 System Operation and Monitoring

The Contractor shall:

• Monitor system functionality daily using automated health check systems

• Ensure continuous operation of all installed equipment

• Collect and securely transmit digital images and video footage to the Contractor's servers

• Review captured violations for quality and evidentiary standards

• Provide a secure web-based portal for authorized MCPS and County personnel to access system data

3.1.3 Violation Processing System

The Contractor shall provide a comprehensive Violation Processing System that includes:

• Initial review and analysis of all captured violations

RFP 8120.1

• Vehicle owner identification through Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) records

• Preparation of violation packages for County review and approval

• Citation printing and mailing within 14 days of the violation date

• Provision of online payment portal for citation recipients

• Processing of all payment methods (online, mail, phone, in-person)

• Comprehensive customer service center including phone and email support

• Management of disputes, appeals, and hearings coordination

• Timely distribution of collected revenues to MCPS and the County

3.1.4 Maintenance and Technical Support

The Contractor shall:

• Provide all necessary maintenance and repairs to installed equipment

• Maintain adequate inventory of spare parts and replacement equipment

• Designate a Maintenance Supervisor and sufficient staff for timely repairs

• Respond promptly to system failures and equipment malfunctions

• Provide equipment upgrades and technology improvements as needed

• Replace stolen, damaged, or inoperable equipment at no cost to MCPS

3.2 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – SEE APPENDIX B - TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The proposed system must meet or exceed the following technical specifications:

3.2.1 Camera System Requirements

• High-definition video capture capability (minimum 1080p resolution)

• Ability to capture clear license plate images in various lighting and weather conditions

• Wide-angle coverage to capture approaching and passing vehicles

• Automatic activation when stop-arm is deployed

• Timestamping and GPS coordinates embedded in all captures

• Durable, weatherproof construction suitable for all-season operation

• Ability to capture multiple lanes of traffic simultaneously

• Internal Camera to monitor the driver’s activities with audio and video

• Internal camera to record audio and video of each passenger loading area

• Internal camera to record audio and video of the front third of the bus passenger cabin

• Internal camera to record audio and video of middle section of the bus passenger cabin

• Internal camera to record audio and video of the rear section of the bus passenger cabin with the

downward view of the back rows

• External cameras that record each passenger loading/unloading area

• External cameras each side of the bus, its surroundings and traffic such that evidence for accident

investigations would be gathered with minimal blindspots

• External camera with a rear view facing down

3.2.2 Data Storage and Management

• Secure on-board storage with redundancy capabilities

• Automated wireless data transmission via cellular or WiFi networks

• Cloud-based storage with appropriate retention policies

• Encryption of all data in transit and at rest

• Chain of custody documentation for all evidentiary materials

3.2.3 Software Platform Requirements

• Web-based access portal compatible with modern browsers

• Role-based access control with individual user credentials

• Real-time system status monitoring and reporting

• License plate recognition (LPR) capabilities

• Integration capabilities with County systems for citation approval workflow

• Comprehensive reporting and analytics tools

• Audit trail functionality for all user actions

• Mobile-responsive design for field access

3.2.4 Compliance and Security Requirements

• Compliance with all federal, state, and local privacy laws

• Regular security assessments and vulnerability testing

• Disaster recovery and business continuity plans

• Prevention of unauthorized video downloads through tracking mechanisms

3.3 CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The Contractor shall assume full responsibility for the following:

3.3.1 Project Management

• Designate a dedicated Program Manager as the primary point of contact

• Develop and maintain project implementation schedule

• Coordinate all activities with MCPS and Montgomery County staff

• Provide regular status updates and progress reports

• Manage all subcontractors and vendors

3.3.2 Installation and Deployment

• Develop phased installation plan with minimal disruption to bus operations

• Provide all labor, materials, and equipment for installation

• Conduct thorough testing of all installed systems before activation

• Complete installation on all buses according to agreed schedule

• Coordinate with MCPS Division of Transportation Services for bus availability

3.3.3 Quality Assurance

• Implement comprehensive quality control procedures

• Review all violation captures for accuracy and evidentiary quality

• Reject false positives and non-violations before submission to County

• Ensure citation packages meet legal and procedural requirements

3.3.4 Customer Service

RFP 8120.1

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

Bid/RFP Number: 8120.1
Solicitation Title	School Bus Stop-Arm Camera Safety Program
Due Date & Time	04/24/2026 02:00 PM
Contract Type	RFP
Buyer E-mail	Angela_S_Mcintosh-davis@mcpsmd.org
Description	Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), in collaboration with Montgomery County, Maryland, is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit qualified vendors to provide a comprehensive School Bus Stop-Arm Camera Safety Program. This program aims to enhance student safety by detecting and deterring illegal passing of stopped school buses. 8120.1 Bus Arm RFP FINAL.pdf 03/31/2026 APPENDIX B - RFP Technical Requirements_School Bus Safety.xlsx 03/31/2026
eMaryland Marketplace link	BPM056224