Grantees are not authorized to use the GSA contract schedules at this time. Can a grantee obtain a letter from a vendor/manufacturer stating that the vehicle being offered meets GSA pricing and then purchase small buses from that vendor with a bid process?Ī. a five bus bid if you had to re-procure the buses in a new procurement action. As you note, the base price in this contract reflects a 100 bus bid vs. In addition, issuance of a change order would appear to be the most cost effective way to meet your agency's needs. The additional cost of less than $2,000 per bus certainly suggests that such a minor change could have been within the contemplation of the parties when the original competition was being conducted, and it certainly does not change the nature of the bus under contract. In view of the information you have provided, we feel that the change in seating configuration should be permissible under the changes clause. a 5 bus bid), not to mention the additional cost of administering the new procurement.Ī. If Transit Agency ABC were to bid these five vehicles on their own, the individual bus price would probably skyrocket (100 bus bid vs. In this case, it would be less than an additional $10,000. If the cost of doing this can be justified as meeting the average cost in the industry, can they proceed with the purchase? I've checked and the cost of doing this modification is less than $2,000 per bus. Transit Agency ABC needs to purchase 5 buses which would require the vehicle to be extended 2 feet to add an additional row of seating (four seats), which is a seating configuration not offered on the contract. Let's say the state contract is for 100 buses of various seating configurations and 95 of the vehicles purchased on this contract meet the seating configurations offered in the contract. You should inquire of the agency that provides your Federal funding to determine if they have a statutory or regulatory provision on the subject.
FTA has no requirements on school bus parts availability. I thought it might be in Circular 4220, but have not found it.Ī. I teach that fleet age needs to be less than that, and one of the reasons I typically give is based on this belief about manufacturing of parts and responsibility for the inventory and availability of parts. Is there a “required” number of years for which parts must be made available by the manufacturer? I have always believed 18 was the “magic number.” What if any is the current requirement? Boards and districts here in Texas often use School buses in excess of 18 years. 20 (Joel can give you some other agency names that have solicited proposals from his company - New Flyer). Lucy Jackson - Washington DC WMATA - 20.However, listed below are some names and phone numbers of transit agency personnel that are involved with bus procurements and may be able to assist you. I am looking for a standard form of RFP for a cut-away (body on chassis) and a smaller than 29' low floor so that I can design ones for our future purchases.
Their phone number is 20 and their web site address is. They could also talk to you about the practices of their industry members. APTA publishes a book on the Standard Industry Bus Procurement Guidelines that may be useful to you. The best source for determining transit industry practices regarding bus procurements would be the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Hence, I would like to find out what would be the industry practice for Bus Maintenance period which the contractor will be liable upon receiving final payment (taking over).Ī. My company plans to procure inter-city busses.