Charter Bus Services

Location:	Florida
Posted:	May 22, 2026
Due:	Jun 8, 2026
Agency:	Hillsborough County Public Schools
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	V - Transportation, Travel and Relocation Services
Solicitation No:	26129-RFP-MST
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Main

Agency
Hillsborough County Public Schools

Status
Active

Fiscal Year
2026

Primary Contact
Rebecca Baez

Title
Charter Bus Services

Secondary Contact
Shawntavia Fleurijean

Number
26129-RFP-MST

Tertiary Contact

Type
Request for Proposal

Department
Safety and Risk Management

Online Submissions
Yes

Project Estimate

Piggyback Solicitation
No

Insurance Required
No

Bid Bond Required
No

Bid Bond Amount

Performance Bond Required
No

Performance Bond Amount

Construction Bond Required
No

Construction Bond Amount

Scope of Services
This solicitation intends to pre-qualify multiple vendors to provide charter bus services, as needed, for in-county and out-of-county travel for students, staff, and extracurricular activities. Approved transportation companies will be placed on a list of qualified vendors distributed to all schools and departments. Schools and departments will be directed to use vendors from this approval list for contracted extracurricular transportation services.

Dates(All times are listed as EST )

Broadcast Date
4/28/2026 7:00 PM EST

Question End Date
5/12/2026 5:00 PM EST

Sample Due Date

Due Date
6/8/2026 5:00 PM EST

Bid Opening Date

Question End Date Reminder Notification
2 Day(s)

Sample Due Date Reminder Notification
0 Day(s)

Due Date Reminder Notification
2 Day(s)

Pre-Bid Meetings

Total: 0 (All times are listed as EST )

Date

Time

Mandatory

Location

Shortlist Meeting

Total: 0 (All times are listed as EST )

Date

Time

Location

Documents

Total: 5

Type	Name	Description	File Type
Request for Proposal	26129-RFP-MST Charter Bus Services.pdf	Charter Bus Services	PDF
Attachment	26129 Price Sheet.xlsx	26129 Price Sheet	Excel
All Bid Types	CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES OF CONCERN PROHIBITED AFFIDAVIT.pdf	CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES OF CONCERN PROHIBITED AFFIDAVIT	PDF
All Bid Types	STATEMENT OF NO BID.pdf	Statement of No Bid	PDF
Addendum	26129 Addendum 1.pdf	Addendum 1	PDF

Quote/Bid

Zones
Total: 0

Zone

Groups
Total: 0

Group

Quote/Bid Items

Total: 0

Required

Group

Make

Model

Description

Quantity

Unit of Measure

Price/ Percent

Type

Additional Quote/Bid Items Fields

Display Options Spreadsheet Section	No	Display Image and Specifications Hyperlink Fields	No
Display Build Sheet File Upload Field	No	Display Options File Upload Field	No
Require Build Sheet File to be Uploaded	No	Require Options File to be Uploaded	No
Display Lead Time Field	No	Display Standard Packaging Field	No

Delivery Date
None

Required Files to be Uploaded by the Vendor
None

Shipping
None

Terms and Conditions
None

Include Shipping in Price of Items
No

Display Bid Tabulation to Vendors
No

Display Vendor Submissions to Vendors
No

View Vendor Submissions while Bid Solicitation is Active
No

Allow Options File to be Updated after Due Date
No

Allow Post Due Date Submission
No

Questions & Answers

Total: 13

Question	Date Asked	Answer	Date Answered
Hi is there going to be any pre bid meetings for this bid? I do have one concern after reading everything.	4/28/2026 10:29:12 PM	No. There will not be a pre-bid meeting.	4/30/2026 9:28:31 AM
I also have a concern after reading the bid. Will there be a virtual pre-bid meeting?	4/29/2026 11:04:47 AM	No. There will not be a pre-bid meeting.	4/30/2026 9:28:38 AM
The Equipment age changed from 20 years of the current year to 2015. We are asking for 1 year to comply with the new requirement. Can any flexibility be considered?	4/30/2026 2:24:41 PM
I just wanted to reach out really quickly. I have been on the approved bus list for over 10 years, and I noticed something in the bid that I can see becoming a concern for several of the companies on the list. This came up ten years ago in the meeting and it was changed after the meeting. The part where it says the buses have to be 2015 or newer. That was changed to buses that have to be 20 years old or newer. It has been that way for the last 10 years at least. Also, the other school districts such as Pasco and Pinellas have that requirement of the 20 years or newer. Buses that are 2015 or newer are extremely expensive and this would drive the cost to the school`s way up. I know their are companies on the list right now that do not have many 2015 or newer buses in their fleets. Can you please take a look at that because it has always been my goal to give the district the best rates and this would cause everybody to have to raise the rates significantly if we all had to buy new buses. I saw below that somebody suggested one year I think that its`s still not enough time. I would ask if it could remain always at the 20 year or newer which is consistent with how its been the last 10 years and how the other area school districts require. Hope to hear from you soon thanks so much!	4/30/2026 3:16:51 PM
Please consider the request above regarding the age limit for buses remaining at 20 years. We did address the same issue with Hillsborough Risk Mgt at the last bid meeting and they agreed to the 20 years in the last bid. Buses don`t age like cars; the older models are actually much more reliable and have excellent safety ratings. Our fleet was recently upgraded, and we still don`t meet the 2015 requirement. The cost to upgrade to 2015 or newer would be exorbitant and would dramatically increase the bid pricing we could offer. We provided over 400 buses in 2025 for Hillsborough County trips and have been a vendor with the county for over 10+ years. All of the surrounding counties` school board bids follow the same 20-year policy. Please consider keeping the current policy.	4/30/2026 9:16:46 PM
Dear Team, We respectfully request clarification regarding pricing flexibility under this solicitation. Given that the Agreement provides for automatic renewal for up to nine (9) additional one-year periods, resulting in a potential long-term contractual relationship, we would like to address the impact of significant operational cost fluctuations over the life of the contract. The charter transportation industry is directly affected by variables beyond the control of service providers, including but not limited to: Diesel fuel market volatility Government-imposed surcharges or regulatory changes Insurance premium increases Labor and driver wage adjustments Vehicle parts and maintenance cost increases Supply chain disruptions Inflationary pressures National or international emergencies, including war or other geopolitical events affecting fuel and operational costs While the pricing submitted at the time of bid reflects our most competitive and reasonable rates based on current market conditions, these rates may not remain commercially sustainable throughout the full renewal term of the Agreement. Accordingly, we respectfully request confirmation that proposers may submit pricing as “up to” the stated rates, or alternatively that the contract may allow for periodic pricing review and adjustment upon renewal based on documented increases in operational costs.	5/5/2026 11:38:51 AM
Section 4.2 Statement of Work This section is asking bidders to define all the components of a project. The Charter Bus Bid doesn`t relate to this type of work since the work is a service versus a project with a timeline, scope, and milestones etc. Is this section a requirement?	5/5/2026 10:03:11 PM	Section 4.2 does not apply. Please disregard.	5/13/2026 8:08:02 AM
Good morning. On page "4", you are requesting" How many drug tests did your company administer during the 2023 calendar year? How many alcohol tests did your company administer during the 2023 calendar year?; so is that year "2023" correct or need to be year 2026"	5/6/2026 11:11:41 AM
Restricting the model year of buses to the year 2015 will severely impair an individual School’s ability to secure charter bus transportation. Does HCPS recognize the additional pressure that will be placed on a School upon their ability to secure charter bus transportation by this restriction?	5/11/2026 4:27:08 PM
Why would the District place restrictions on model year of buses rather than consider the operational history of a vendor?	5/11/2026 4:27:20 PM
Has the District determined how many buses in the Orlando/Tampa area will be disqualified due to the age restriction of model year 2015 and compared that to anticipated needs of schools for charter bus transportation?	5/11/2026 4:27:48 PM
Section 1.7.5 Hours - Drivers must always be available via cell phone. Does this mean that a driver must be able to talk on the cell phone while driving, which is a safety risk?	5/11/2026 4:30:57 PM
Section 1.7.10 indicates that a charter bus vendor is responsible for all costs in the case of irregular operations but provides no definition of what “on time” means.	5/11/2026 4:31:36 PM

Commodity Codes

Total: 4

Code	Description
[961-11]	Chartering Services (For Other than the Chartering of Transportation)
[961-13]	Chartering Services for Aircraft, Boats, Buses, and other Transportation
[961-82]	Transportation Services (Not Otherwise Classified)
[962-16]	Bus Transportation Services, School

Publications

Total: 0

Publication

Date

Charter Bus Services

See also