Student Transportation Services GSA 5

GSA 5 AGREEMENT FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF STUDENTS BETWEEN THE SCHOOL BOARD OF DUVAL COUNTY, FLORIDA, AND STUDENT TRANSPORTATION OF AMERICA, INC. This Agreement for the Transportation of Students (the Contract), is made and entered into effective February 9, 2017 (the Effective Date), and is by and between The School Board of Duval County, Florida, operating a district school system in the State of Florida (the District"), and Student Transportation of America, Inc., a Delaware corporation authorized to transact business in Florida (the "Contractor"). WITNESSETH: WHEREAS, the District issued RFQ/ITB No. 018-17/LM dated November 4, 2016, together with Addendum No. 1 dated November 16, 2016, and Addendum No. 2 dated November 23, 2016, obtaining the credentials of prospective providers (RFQ) and providing qualified providers an Invitation to Bid (ITB) (herein referred to as the RFQ/ITB). WHEREAS, the Contractor subsequently submitted its qualifications and bid based on the scope set

forth in the RFQ/ITB and Contractor was the sole respondent. WHEREAS, pursuant to State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012(12)(c), F.A.C. and School Board Policy 7.70, if less than two responsive proposals are received, then the District may negotiate on the best terms and conditions or reject all proposals; and after negotiations with the Contractor pursuant to this authority, the District rejected the Contractor's proposal and found that no valid or acceptable proposal has been received within the prescribed time period. WHEREAS, pursuant to State Board of Education Rule 6A-1.012(12)(a)&(b), F.A.C. and School Board Policy 7.70, the requirements for requesting competitive solicitations is waived when the District has requested competitive solicitations and the District has made a finding that no valid or acceptable proposal has been received in the prescribed time period; and accordingly, the District commenced direct negotiations with transportation providers to provide the services according to the terms and conditions as the District determines to be in its best interests. WHEREAS, pursuant to these negotiations with potential transportation providers, the District and the Contractor agreed to utilize the contract tetms set forth in the prior RFQ/ITB and the Contractor's proposal as submitted pursuant to that prior solicitation, all of which are incorporated herein by this reference in Exhibit A, as amended pursuant to the modifications to the RFQ/ITB as expressly set forth in this Agreement. WHEREAS, the Contractor is deemed to possess the s and responsibility to be qualified to tender a bid to the District for the services referenced herein and the Contractor is deemed to be a responsive and responsible bidder. WHEREAS, the District is seeking service commencing with the 2017-2018 school year according to the provisions of the RFQ, ITB, and all contract documents. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and conditions contained herein, the parties agree as follows: ARTICLE | SCOPE OF SERVICES 4.1 The parties agree that the purpose of this Contract is that the Contractor shall provide the District the Services set forth in the RFQ, ITB, and all contract documents, to ensure the safe and efficient transportation of any and all pupils who are designated by the District to be transported. GSA 5 Such transportation shall be provided for each and every day that school is convened and in accordance with bus routes and schedules submitted by the District to the Contractor. Compensation shall be as set forth in Article lil below. 1.2 The parties further agree that the Contractor shall perform such Services for GSA 5 (West Side). ARTICLE Il COMMENCEMENT AND RENEWAL The provisions of Section 1.7, "Contract Term, of the RFQ are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following: 1.7 CONTRACT TERM: The Contract for GSA 5 will be for a term of ten (10) years (through July 31, 2027). The total term of the Contract, shall not exceed ten (10) years. See Section 1.3.20 (definition of Contract Year") for the commencement of the term and the expiration date for the last Contract Year. ARTICLE Ill COMPENSATION 3.1 Subject to Paragraph 3.2 below and Section 3.1.11.6 of the RFQ, Contractor shall be paid Six and 15/100 Dollars ($6.15) per every mile driven by a Contractor vehicle pursuant to section 3.1.11.3.C of the RFQ. 3.2 The provisions of Section 1.8, Consumer Price Index, of the RFQ are deleted in their entirety, renamed, and replaced with the following: 1.8 ANNUAL PRICE PER MILE INCREASE: Commencing with the annual anniversary of each Contract Year, the price per mile shall be increased by three percent (3%). 3.2 Contractor shall be paid for the Services as set forth in the Contract documents; in no event shall the District be responsible to the Contractor for compensation in excess of the maximum obligated amounts stated in this Contract except as increased by formal approved and executed supplemental agreement(s). ARTICLE IV TERMINATION This Contract may be terminated as set forth in the RFQ. ARTICLE V NOTICES 5.1 As required by Section 3.0.20 of the RFQ, the District's address for notices is set forth therein, and the Contractor's address for every notice, approval, consent or other communication authorized or required by the Contract shall be as set forth below: The Contractor: Student Transportation of America, Inc. 3349 Highway 138, Building A Suite C GSA 5 Wall, New Jersey 07719 And as required by Section 3.0.20 of the RFQ, notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties agree that all communications relating to the day-to-day activities shall be exchanged between the respective representatives of the District and the Contractor promptly upon commencement of the Services. ARTICLE VI ADDITIONAL NEGOTIATED CONTRACT PROVISIONS 6.1 The first two paragraphs in Section 3.0.8.2, "Bonds/Irrevocable Standby Letters of Credit, of the RFQ, are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following (it being understood that subsequent subsections A) and B) in Section 3.0.8.2 of the RFQ are not amended and are not deleted): For the initial term and any renewals of the Contract, the CONTRACTOR shall continuously provide a Performance Bond (in the form as Exhibit F) or Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit equivalent to ten percent (10%) of the total miles as stated in this solicitation times the bid price per mile. For subsequent years, the amount of the Performance Bond (or Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit) shall be calculated annually using the budget estimate for contracted transportation services for the applicable school year. The bond calculation shall use budgeted basic transportation and variable service miles, in addition to estimates for new services multiplied by the bid price per mile (PPM) if in the first year of the contract; or the annual three percent (3%) adjustment as set forth in Section 1.8 of this RFQ. 6.2 The provisions of Section 3.1.4.2, "Convenience," of the RFQ, are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following: 3.1.4.2 Convenience: The DISTRICT, reserves the right to terminate any contract resulting from this RFQ/ITB, at any time and for any reason, upon giving no less than one (1) year prior written notice. If said contract should be terminated for convenience as provided herein, the DISTRICT shall be relieved of all obligations under said contract. The DISTRICT shall only be required to pay to the CONTRACTOR that amount for the mileage accrued through the date of termination. Access to any and all work papers will be provided to the DISTRICT after the termination of the contract. The parties understand and agree that the CONTRACTOR sh no event have the reciprocal right to terminate the contract; it being understood that the DISTRICT's payments to the CONTRACTOR forms the consideration for this termination for convenience not being available to CONTRACTOR. In the event of the DISTRICTS termination of the contract, the DISTRICT (in its sole election) may also require the CONTRACTOR to provide the transition assistance as set forth in Section 1.16 of this RFQ. 6.3 The provisions of Section 3.1.11.6, Addition and Deletion Clause," of the RFQ, are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following: 3.1.11.6 Addition and Deletion Clause: A. Reduction and Increase of Mileage The District, at times, may find it necessary to vary the overall number of school bus routes and/or miles traveled. Upon reasonable prior written notice 3 GSA 5 Cc. to the Contractor, the District retains the right to add or delete trip(s), stop(s), routes(s), or change the order of stops on routes based on necessity, economic considerations or any other reason that is deemed necessary. It is further understood that required route changes not listed herein, but deemed necessary during the Contract period, shall be accepted by the CONTRACTOR. Subject to the required minimums set forth in Paragraph 6.2(B.) below, the determination of the mileage by the District shall be final and the CONTRACTOR shall abide by that determination. Compensation for Mileage Minimum Subject to the provisions of this Section 3.1.11.6., the Contractor shall be paid for 2,700,341 minimum annual miles (RFQ base miles referenced in Section 1.0). In conjunction with the final billing cycle for each Contract Year, the trict's Transportation Office will conduct a reconciliation of the annual mileage. The mileage calculation will be completed on Basic Transportation Service miles and will not include any variable, supplemental, or summer program miles as defined in sections 1.3.5, 1.3.6, 1.3.7, and Exhibit A. An adjustment will be made using the price per mile for the then-current Contract Year. Elimination of Routes/District Credit (1) If the District deems it necessary to eliminate routes due to route demographic changes, program changes, changes in bell schedules, loss of ridership, optimization measures, or any other reason; then, subject to the provisions of Section 3.1.11.6.C, adjustments shall be made accordingly on the next compensation cycle and annual mileage reconciliation shall be completed in accordance with Section 3.1.11.6.B. (2) Effective with the commencement of the sixth (6'") Contract Year (July 1, 2023), if routes are eliminated, then the CONTRACTOR shall provide a per vehicle per day credit for every vehicle reduction up to twenty (20) vehicles. A route is defined in Section 1.3.13. The reduction must eliminate all home to school work for the day, thereby eliminating the route from the total number of routes and the requirement for a daily operator. At the end of year five (5) the CONTRACTOR and District will inventory route vehicles, and when the routes are prepared for Contract Year six (6), for every vehicle less than that which was utilized the previous year, the District will receive a per vehicle per day credit. Regardless of the number of vehicles reduced, which shall be no greater than twenty (20), there shall be no impact on annual increases due to CONTRACTOR, and no impact on the minimum guaranteed miles. This procedure will take place each Contract Year beginning with Contract Year 6 (July 1, 2023). The per vehicle per day credit amount shall be determined as follows: For Contract Year six (6), the minimum annual mileage guaranty of 2,700,341 miles (RFQ miles) will be divided by 180 days (number of school days) divided by 229 routes (RFQ routes), multiplied by the price per mile for Contract year six (6). Seventy-six percent (76%) of that calculation shall be the multiplier. The same formula will be applied to each subsequent year as applicable based on the price per mile for Contract Years seven (7), eight (8), nine (9), and ten (10). Such calculations equate as follows: GSA 5 Per Mile Per Diem Per Diem Year g Rate Annual Miles Routes Billing Rate Credit (76%) 6 $7.1295 2,700,341 229 $467.06 -$354.97 z $7.3434 2,700,341 229 $481.07 -$365.61 8 $7.5637 2,700,341 229 $495.50 -$376.58 9 $7.7906 2,700,341 229 $510.37 -$387.88 10 $8.0243 2,700,341 229 $525.68 -$399,52 6.4 The provisions of Section 3.1.11.8 of the RFQ, Increase of Routes or Program Growth, are deleted in their entirety, renamed, and replaced with the following: 3.1.11.8 Increase of Routes or Growth Program 3.1.11.8 Increase of Routes or Program Growth: The District reserves the right to increase the number of routes during the term of the Contract, with reasonable prior written notice to Contractor of the anticipated date of increase. 6.5 The provisions of Section 3.1.13.5, subsection B, Age of Bus Fleet, are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following: 3.1.13.5 Age of Bus Fleet B. The average age of the CONTRACTOR's bus fleet shall not exceed ten (10) years. The District's Director of Transportation must approve in advance any exception to this requirement in writing. 6.6 The provisions of Section 3.1.14.5, Air Conditioning, of the RFQ, are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following: 3.1.14.5 Air Conditioning All vehicles placed into service during the term of the contract shall be equipped with factory installed, or equivalent, air-conditioning. ARTICLE VII MISCELLANEOUS 71 This Contract may not be amended or supplemented in any way except in writing, dated and signed by the Chairman of the District Board following a properly authorized Board meeting, and by an authorized representative of Contractor. 7.2 This Contract may be executed via facsimile and in one or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but all such facsimiles and counterparts will together constitute but one and the same instrument. [Signatures on next page] GSA 5 {Signature page to Agreement for the Transportation of Students between The School Board of Duval County, Florida, and Student Transportation of America, Inc., dated effective February 9, 2017] IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Contract as of the date first above written. ATTEST: Nikolai P. Vitti, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools and Ex-Officio Secretary to the Board Witnesses: THE SCHOOL BOARD OF DUVAL COUNTY, FLORIDA By: a Yi Paula D. Wright, Chdirman-~ Approved by the Board: February 7, 2017 STUDENT TRANSPORTATION OF AMERICA, INC. Gene Kowalczewski, Senior Vice President of 0 EXHIBIT A RFQ/ITB No. 018-17/LM and Addenda GSA 5 7 February 7, 2017, Regular Board Meeting Title 15. STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES GSA 5 AWARD Recommendation That the Duval County School Board approve the STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES - GSA 5, contract award to Student Transportation of America, Inc., for the contract period from August 1, 2017 to July 31, 2027. That the Duval County School Board authorize the Chairman or Vice Chairman and the Superintendent to execute the contract upon approval as to form by the Office of Legal Services. Description The Student Transportation Services Contracts are divided by high school boundary areas serving all grade level schools and their programs located within those boundaries. The GSA 5 contract will provide transportation services for schools located in the Catchment area of Baldwin, Robert E. Lee, Westside, and Edward H. White high school boundary areas. The bid itation yielded one respondent. In accordance with State Board of Education rules, Board Policy 7.70, and Section 1.5 of the RFQ/ITB, the district rejected any and/or all bids and entered into negotiations with other providers. After the completion of that process, Student Transportation of America continued to offer the most favorable pricing, terms, and conditions to the district. Gap Analysis The district must award a contract for GSA 5 in order to provide for the transportation of students for the 2017-2018 school year. The proposed award affords the district a means to provide for continued operations. The February 2017 award approval is needed to allow the respondent adequate time to prepare, provide, and obtain sufficient personnel, facilities, and school buses in advance of an August 2017 school start. Previous Outcomes Birnie Bus Service, Inc. has provided transportation services for GSA 5 since August 1, 2012. The contract will end July, 31, 2017 based on a settlement agreement approved by the Board on November 1, 2016. The contractor contended that circumstances beyond their control negatively impacted their ability to perform the services during the renewal terms. Expected Outcomes By awarding the contract to Student Transportation of America, it is expected that student transportation services in GSA 5 will continue. Additionally, the entire bus fleet in GSA 5 will be all new buses with air conditioning. This award will increase the percentage of air conditioned buses in the fleet from 49% to approximately 67%. The term of the contract be 10 years. Long term transportation service contracts tend to be more favorable for the district. Historically, contract rebids result in an increase in bid unit price. Additionally, long term contracts allow for increased corporate partnership and a more stable financial planning environment. Strategic Plan Goal Ensure Effective, Equitable, & Efficient Use of Resources Financial Impac' Estimated expenditure in FY 2017-2018 is $16,607,097. This cost is offset by the $3,000,000 Birnie Bus Service settlement agreement as a result of a November 1, 2016 Board action. The reoccurring cost for this contract will increase by 3% each contract year. The district will receive potential credits for route efficiencies in years six through ten of the contract. At the high end the credit could equate annually to $1.3M to $1.4M. GSA 5 was previously up for bid in FY 2012-2013. The contract was awarded to Birnie Bus after a protest hearing was held on a challenge that Birnie Bus was not responsible in its bid. During the hearing Birnie Bus assured the hearing officer that the bid was responsible and services could be provided based on its submitted bid. The table below outlines the Birnie Bus contract cost for GSA 5 from FY 2013-2017. GSA 5 Fy 12/13 Fy 13/14 Fy 14/15 Fy 15/16 FY 16/17 Birnie Bus $9,656,286 $11,104,074 $11,382,743 $11,848,497 $11,951,069 Based on comparable bids for GSA 5 during the FY 2012-2013, the attachment outlines the initial cost of each of these bids and the approximate cost of GSA 5 had a different vendor been awarded the bid in FY 2012-2013. My Contact Mr. Don Nelson, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, 390-2008 Mrs. Leslee Russell, Director of Transportation, 858-6251 Attachment: GSA5 Estimated Costs from FY 13-17.pdf Attachment: GSA 5 Agreementvfinal.pdf Page 1 of 6 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM, Student Transportation Services GSA-5 ADDENDUM NO. 2 ADDENDUM NO. 2 www.duvalschools.org/purchasing Issue Date: November 23, 2016 Phone: 904-858-4859 Buyer: Louis Mitchum Bid Number: RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Bid Title: Student Transportation Services GSA 5 Term of Bid: Duval County Public Schools (the District) is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) as well as the accompanying Invitation to Bid (ITB) to interested firms for the purpose of selecting a qualified provider for student transportation services, for an initial period of seven (7) years, from August 1, 2017 through July 31, 2024 with renewal options. Opening: Thursday, December 1, 2016, 2:00 p.m. (EDT). Bids received prior to this date and time will be opened in the Conference Room, and may not be withdrawn for 120 days after opening. All bids received after the specified date and time will be returned unopened. Any response received after the stated time and date or at any other location, will not be considered and will retained by the District and then returned unopened to the originator after the Districts award of the Contract.. The addendum shall serve to amend, replace and append information provided to potential Respondents in the original RFQ/ITB package. To assist in the development of their responses, interested firms are encouraged to carefully review the information found in this addendum and on any additional enclosed documents. Purpose: To provide clarification and to answer questions received in accordance with this RFQ/ITB. 1. Question: Section 1.0: Does the 2,700,341 miles represent Live Miles? Total Miles? Billable Miles? Answer: These miles are daily route miles for basic transportation services which includes essential deadhead. They do not include variable services miles or supplemental transportation service miles. See Section 1.3.5, 1.3.6 and 1.3.7 for definitions. 2. Question: On the historical cost sheet provided with addendum No.1, please provide an explanation of mileage shown? Answer: The mileage shown represents the actual, paid miles for GSA 5, for the fiscal years listed. 3. Question: Section 1.4: Is the fuel allocation in this solicitation computed similar to other GSAs, specifically GSA 1? Answer: Yes, currently all GSAs have the same computation for fuel allocation. eile re http://www.duvalschools.org/purchasing http://www.duvalschools.org/purchasing Page 2 of 6 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM, Student Transportation Services GSA-5 ADDENDUM NO. 2 4. Question: Section 1.7: Why is the contract term a seven (7) year base while the average fleet age requirement is six (6) years? Answer: Section 3.1.13.5 B will be amended to reflect an average fleet age of seven (7) years. B. The average age of the CONTRACTOR's bus fleet shall not exceed six (6) seven (7) years. The Districts Director of Transportation must approve in advance any exception to this requirement in writing. 5. Question: ..Section 1.8: Can annual cost increases be negotiated in years 2 through 7 instead of utilizing the Consumer Price Index (CPI)? Answer: No, the CPI will be used for calculating annual increases in the price per mile, as set forth in section 1.8. 6. Question: Section 1.8: Would the District be willing to allow the Respondent to state subsequent year rates for price per mile increases in lieu of the CPI increases? Answer: No, the CPI will be used for calculating annual increases in the price per mile, as set forth in section 1.8. 7. Question: Section 1.14: Would the District consider changing from the RFQ/ITB process to a RFP or allowing alternative bids? Answer: No. 8. Question: Section 1.16: The wording appears to allow for changes to the contract. If so, what would they be? Answer: Exhibit is E is intended as a sample, the RFQ/ITB, the vendors response to the RFQ/ITB, (mileage rate), Attachment A-Respondents Profile, Attachment C-Fleet plan and Attachment D-Federal Forms will be incorporated in the final contract. No other changes will be made to the contract. 9. Question: Section 3.05: Please provide how the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) requirement is currently met in GSA 5? Answer: The current vendor is using M/WBEs to provide the following: consulting, staffing and training, drug testing, TB testing, physicals and DOT/E compliance, tire replacement and repair and office supplies. 10. Question: Section 3.0.8.2: What are the miles to be used for the bond? Answer: See 3.0.8.2. 11. Question: Section 3.0.9.2 B: Is a Road Supervisor required? Answer: A Road Supervisor is not specifically listed in this section; however, it is a business decision to employ sufficient personnel to handle the day to day management in the area listed. Page 3 of 6 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM, Student Transportation Services GSA-5 ADDENDUM NO. 2 12. Question: Section 3.0.11.3: Would the District consider a different rate for the second school bus monitors salary? Answer: Section 3.0.11.3 is revised to read as follows: The CONTRACTOR shall provide a certified school bus monitor on any route or field trip and/or a second school bus monitor on a special needs route if requested by the District as well as, any additionally requested monitors. The second school bus monitors salary shall be reimbursed by the District at the CONTRACTORs hourly rate Step 2 (2nd year) current entry level hourly rate for school bus monitors, as evidenced by the CONTRACTORs Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the applicable fiscal year payroll records provided by the CONTRACTOR to the Director of Transportation or designee. The second school bus monitors billable hours shall be equivalent to the estimated trip time (essential miles) plus one (1) hour, as approved by the District. 13. Question: Section 3.1.4.2: Would the District allow the Contractor to cancel for convenience? Answer: No. . 14. Question: Section 3.1.10: Would the District consider waiving the requirement to utilize the Districts designated fuel contractor? (i.e. propane vs diesel) Answer: Yes; however, the CONTRACTOR would be exempt from the fuel allocation process allowed in Section 3.1.10.3 of the RFQ for any alternative fueled buses. 15. Question: Will the District be making payment via credit card? The extra cost to the Contractor will be passed on to the District. Answer: No, payment will be via ACH, check or Electronic File Transfer (EFT). 16. Question: Section 3.1.11.6 B: Does the District intend to waive the Variation of Quantity (VOQ) clause? Answer: There is no intention at this time to waive the VOQ clause. 17. Question: Can the District share if there are any known future changes that would affect the addition and/or deletion of routes? Answer: There are no known future changes at this time. 18. Question: Section 3.1.13.5: Does the six (6) year average age requirement include back up buses? Answer: Yes, Section 3.1.13.5 B will be amended to reflect an average fleet age of seven (7) years. B. The average age of the CONTRACTOR's bus fleet shall not exceed six (6) seven (7) years. The Districts Director of Transportation must approve in advance any exception to this requirement in writing. Page 4 of 6 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM, Student Transportation Services GSA-5 ADDENDUM NO. 2 19. Question: Section 3.1.13.5: Is the District willing to waive the six (6) year average fleet age requirement for the purchase of existing fleet, specifically the fleet currently owned by Birnie Bus, Inc? Answer: Section 3.1.13.5 B will be amended to reflect an average fleet age of seven (7) years. Additionally, it is in the best interest of the District to keep the existing Birnie buses in Duval. The District recognizes the disadvantage to a potential bidder of purchasing an average five (5) year old fleet since to maintain the required average fleet age these buses would require replacement sooner. To reflect the documented outstanding mechanical condition of the Birnie school bus fleet, the fact that they have been maintained to a high standard and have a transferrable extended warranty, a one (1) year adjustment will be made to the individual bus age of each Birnie bus. This will help offset the cost of bus replacement to the successful bidder should they choose to purchase the Birnie school bus fleet. This is a specific and one-time adjustment to address a unique situation and only applies to those buses currently in the Birnie school bus fleet in Duval County. 20. Question: In the event the successful bidder does purchase the Birnie fleet will the buses be required to be retrofitted for air conditioning? Answer: No, refer to Section 3.1.14.5 for the air conditioning requirement. 21. Question: Section 3.1.13.5: Can the six (6) year average of the fleet be waived during the entire contract? Answer: No. Section 3.1.13.5 B will be amended to reflect an average fleet age of seven (7) years. 22. Question: Section 3.1.16.2 Answer: Section 3.1.16.2 has been amended to read as follows: Any bus inspected in accordance with 3.1.17.2 A 3.1.16.2 A. that, in the opinion of the inspector, is unsafe, not equipped as required by law, contains equipment not in proper adjustment or repair, and/or whose continued operation would present a hazardous operating condition may be removed from use. Prior to being placed back in service, the bus will be required to be re-inspected and pass a Florida School Bus Inspection at the CONTRACTORs expense, at an approved location as specified in Section 3.1.17.1A 3.1.16.1 A. Page 5 of 6 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM, Student Transportation Services GSA-5 ADDENDUM NO. 2 23. Question: Section 3.1.16.5: The current cost of bus inspections with the City of Jacksonville Inspection Station is $45.52. 24. Question: 3.2.6.1 C: Can you provide specifics and time frames pertaining to the placement of backup buses throughout the GSA to ensure timely service? Answer: The intention of this section is to ensure timely service in the event a backup bus / substitute operator is assigned to run a route or trip. Decisions as to where the backup buses should be staged will be discussed further with the Director of Transportation after award of the contract. 25. Question: Section 1.5: Can a CONTRACTOR operate more than one (1) GSA? Answer: Refer to Section 1.5 Award. 26. Question: Clarify submission packaging. Answer: Refer to Section 1.14 Instruction to Respondents and item check list on pages 16 and 17. 27. Question: Would the District consider a per diem vs a live mile billable rate? Answer: No. 28. Question: Exhibit A 1.1: Would the District allow the Respondent to state their own field trip rate? Answer: No. 29. Question: Exhibit A 1-8: Would the District consider adjusting field trip rates annually vs every two (2) years? Answer: The hourly rate for field trips shall be adjusted every year for the change in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumer (CPI-U). Please refer to Section 1.8- Consumer Price Index for information regarding the process. 30. Question: Section 3.0.14.4 has been revised to read as follows: Answer: The school bus operator shall not use a cellular telephone wireless communication devices while actively driving the bus. Cellular telephone Wireless communication device use shall be restricted to use on the bus only if the bus is pulled safely off the road emergency use only, and only if the bus is pulled safely off the road. Refer to Exhibit C, Safe Driver Plan, Table 1, Item #28 for the definition of actively driving the bus. Page 6 of 6 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM, Student Transportation Services GSA-5 ADDENDUM NO. 2 31. Question: Section 3.1.12 C has been revised to read as follows: Answer: The CONTRACTOR shall use the forms required by the District. Data collection shall generally occurs four times per year or as prescribed by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). The Florida Department of Education annually publishes the collection periods, and that information shall be forwarded to the CONTRACTOR as soon as the District receives it. The collections generally occur in October, February, June and July of each year. 32. Question: Could the current year cycle billing be provided for GSA 5? Answer: Yes, GSA 5, Cycle 2 for school year 16/17 is included as an attachment to this addendum. We are providing the GSA 5, Cycle 2 paid invoice which does not include all possible variable service miles that could be billed because of the beginning of the year start dates. Cycle 2 is currently the only available paid cycle. Note: Respondents should use the REVISED ITB with their submittals. The District will accept the outdated ITB, but will apply the terms and conditions set forth in the revised ITB. Page 1 of 1 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM, Student Transportation Services GSA-5 ADDENDUM NO. 1 ADDENDUM NO. 1 www.duvalschools.org/purchasing Issue Date: November 16, 2016 Phone: 904-858-4859 Buyer: Louis Mitchum Bid Number: RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Bid Title: Student Transportation Service GSA 5 Term of Bid: Duval County Public Schools (the District) is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) as well as the accompanying Invitation to Bid (ITB) to interested firms for the purpose of selecting a qualified provider for student transportation services, for an initial period of seven (7) years, from August 1, 2017 through July 31, 2024 with renewal options. Opening: Thursday, December 1, 2016, 2:00 p.m. (EDT). Bids received prior to this date and time will be opened in the Conference Room, and may not be withdrawn for 120 days after opening. All bids received after the specified date and time will be returned unopened. The addendum shall serve to amend, replace and append information provided to potential respondents in the original RFP package. To assist in the development of their responses, interested firms are encouraged to carefully review the information found in this addendum and on any additional enclosed documents. Purpose: To provide additional information and to revise Section 1.13 Dispute. Section 1.13 (6) is revised to read: The Hearing Officer shall issue his/her decision within two (2) five (5) working days of the completion of the protest hearing. eile re http://www.duvalschools.org/purchasing INVITATION TO BID www.duvalschools.org/purchasing November 4, 2016 Buyer: Louis Mitchum Phone: 904-858-4859 Bid Number: RFQ/ITB01817/LM Bid Title: STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES GSA 5 Services Term: August 1, 2017 through the day before the first day of the fall semester, 2024 with renewal options. Opening: December 6, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Bids received prior to the deadline date and time will be opened in the Conference Room, and may not be withdrawn for 120 days after opening. All bids received after the specified date and time will be returned unopened. Submit Bid To: DCPS Purchasing Services / 4880 Bulls Bay Highway / Jacksonville FL 32219-3235 Special Requirements: All bids may be accompanied by a bid bond or Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit in the amount of $200,000.00. See Section 3.0.8, BONDS/IRREVOCABLE STANDBY LETTERS OF CREDIT of the Request for Qualifications. BIDDER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This form must be completed, returned, and include an original manual signature for bid to be considered. By signing below, I attest that I have acquainted myself with the general conditions, special conditions and specifications of this bid, and agree to comply with them all; in addition, I certify that I am authorized to obligate on behalf of the bidder. Bid documents shall be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked with this bid number, opening date and time. Legal Name of Bidder: Mailing Address: City, State, Zip Code: Telephone: Toll Free: Fax: Email Address: Internet URL: Federal ID # or SS #: Duns #: If you are a certified minority, state certifying agency: Payments will be made in accordance with Florida Statute 218. Form of Payment accepted: Credit Card (see Section 3.1.11.3.K of the RFQ) Initial Addenda through received. (if applicable) Original Manual Signature of Authorized Representative: Printed/Typed Name of Authorized Representative: Title: Date: eile re http://www.duvalschools.org/purchasing GENERAL CONDITIONS 1. RESERVATIONS: Duval County Public Schools reserves the right to reject any or all bids or any part thereof and/or waive informalities if such action is deemed in the best interest of Duval County Public Schools. Duval County Public Schools reserves the right to cancel any contract, if in its opinion, there be a failure at any time to perform adequately the stipulations of this invitation to bid, and general conditions and specifications which are attached and made part of this bid, or in any case of any attempt to willfully impose upon Duval County Public Schools services, products or workmanship which is, in the opinion of Duval County Public Schools, of an unacceptable quality. Any action taken in pursuance of this latter stipulation shall not affect or impair any rights or claim of Duval County Public Schools to damages for the breach of any covenants of the contract by the contractor. Duval County Public Schools also reserves the right to reject the bid of any bidder who has previously failed to perform adequately after having once been awarded a prior bid for furnishing services similar in nature to those services mentioned in this bid. Should the contractor fail to comply with the conditions of this contract or fail to complete the required work or furnish the required materials within the time stipulated in the contract, Duval County Public Schools reserves the right to purchase in the open market, or to complete the required work, at the expense of the contractor or by recourse to provisions of the faithful performance bond if such bond is required under the conditions of this bid. Should the contractor fail to furnish any item or items, or to complete the required work included in this contract, Duval County Public Schools reserves the right to withdraw such items or required work from the operation of this contract without incurring further liabilities on the part of Duval County Public Schools thereby. SHOULD ANY BIDDER HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AS TO THE INTENT OF MEANING OF ANY PART OF THIS BID HE/SHE SHOULD CONTACT THE BUYER IN TIME TO RECEIVE A WRITTEN REPLY BEFORE SUBMITTING HIS/HER BID. All items furnished must be completely new, and free from defects unless specified otherwise. No others will be accepted under the terms and intent of this bid. 2. QUOTATIONS: No bidder will be allowed to offer more than one price on each item. IF SAID BIDDER SHOULD SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE PRICE ON ANY ITEM, ALL PRICES FOR THAT ITEM WILL BE REJECTED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE DIRECTOR OF PURCHASING. 3. TAXES: Duval County Public Schools is exempt from the following taxes: (a) State of Florida Sales Tax by Certificate No. 85- 8013988912C-0. 4. PERFORMANCE BOND/IRREVOCABLE STANDBY LETTER OF CREDIT: The successful bidder on this bid must furnish a performance bond or irrevocable standby letter of credit if indicated in this bid or the accompanying RFQ, made out to the School Board of Duval County, Florida, prepared on an approved form, as security for the faithful performance of his/her contract no later than ten (10) days prior to the commencement date of the contract to the Director, Purchasing Services. The surety thereon must be such surety company or bank as are authorized and licensed to transact business in the State of Florida. Attorneys in fact who sign bid bonds must file with each bond a certified copy of their power of attorney to sign said bonds. The successful bidder upon failure or refusal to furnish within ten days after his/her notification the required performance bond or irrevocable standby letter of credit, shall pay to The School Board of Duval County, Florida, as liquidated damages for each failure or refusal an amount in cash equal to the security deposited with his/her bid. 5. DISCOUNTS: all discounts to be included in bid price. 6. COLLUSION: the bidder, by affixing his/her signature to this proposal, agrees to the following: bidder certifies that this bid is made without any previous understanding, agreement or connection with any person, firm, or corporation making a bid for the same items; and is in all respects fair, without outside control, collusion, fraud or otherwise illegal action. 7. ERRORS IN BIDS: Bidders or their authorized representatives are expected to fully inform themselves as to the conditions, requirements and specifications before submitting bids; failure to do so will be at the bidders own risk and he/she cannot secure relief on the plea of error. Neither law nor regulations make allowance for errors either of omission or commission on the part of bidders. In case of error in extension of prices in the bid, the unit price shall govern. 8. ORIGINAL BIDS: All original bid responses are to be submitted in typewritten form or submitted in ink. Responses received in pencil will not be accepted. Respondents shall submit one manually signed original (see Section 1.14 of the RFQ). Bid No. RFQ/ITB018-17/LM CONFLICT OF INTEREST CERTIFICATE Bidder must execute either Section I or Section II hereunder relative to Florida Statute 112.313(12). Failure to execute either section may result in rejection of this bid proposal. SECTION I I hereby certify that no official or employee of Duval County Public Schools requiring the goods or services described in these specifications has a material financial interest in this company. ________________________________ ________________________________ Signature Company Name ________________________________ ________________________________ Name of Official (Type or print) Business Address ________________________________ City, State, Zip Code SECTION II I hereby certify that the following named Duval County Public Schools official(s) and employee(s) having material financial interest(s) (in excess of 5%) in this company have filed Conflict of Interest Statements with the Supervisor of Elections, 105 East Monroe Street, Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, prior to bid opening. Name Title or Position Date of Filing ___________________________ ______________________ ___________________ ___________________________ ______________________ ___________________ _________________________________ ________________________________ Signature Company Name _________________________________ ________________________________ Print Name of Certifying Official Business Address ________________________________ City, State, Zip Code SUBMISSION OF BIDS Bids must be submitted prior to the time set for opening. Bids are to be delivered to Duval County Public Schools, Purchasing Services, 4880 Bulls Bay Highway, Jacksonville, Florida 32219. Bidders are fully responsible for delivery of bids. Reliance upon mail or public carrier is at the bidders risk. Late bids are not considered and will be returned unopened. Official time, for the purpose of bid opening, will be calibrated using the time/temperature information found at www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=411 . ********* NOTE ********* Bid documents shall be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked with the bid number as found on the Bidder Acknowledgement page, opening date and time. Failure to do so will result in your bid being returned unopened. Faxed or e-mailed bids will not be accepted. BID OPENING PROCEDURES Bids will be opened publicly in the Conference Room at 2:00 p.m. Prices will be read upon the request of bidder(s) in attendance. Arrangements may be made to review bid documents at a later date. AWARD RECOMMENDATION AND BID TABULATION Bid tabulations and recommendation(s) for award will be posted in Purchasing Services on or about October 26, 2013 and will remain posted for 72 consecutive hours. Bid results or award recommendations will not be given by telephone. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=411 DRUG FREE WORKPLACE CERTIFICATION I hereby swear or affirm that this company has established a drug-free workplace program by completing the following requirements: 1) Published a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violations of such prohibition. 2) Informed employees about the dangers of drug abuse in the workplace, the businesss policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace, any available drug counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs and the penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations. 3) Given each employee engaged in providing the commodities or contractual services that are under bid a copy of the statement specified in subsection (1). 4) In the statement specified in subsection (1), notified the employees that, as a condition of working on the commodities or contractual services that are under bid, the employee will abide by the terms of the statement and will notify the employer of any conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, any violation of Chapter 893 or of any controlled substance law of the United States or any state, for a violation occurring in the workplace no later than five (5) days after such conviction. 5) Imposed a sanction on, or required the satisfactory participation in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program if such is available in the employees community, by any employee who is so convicted. 6) Make a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of this section. As the person authorized to sign the statement, I certify that this firm complies fully with the above requirements. I understand that false certification of a drug-free workplace is a violation of Florida Statutes 287.087. _________________________________________ VENDORS SIGNATURE/DATE _________________________________________ COMPANY NAME BID NO. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES GSA 5 Opening Date: December 6, 2016 NO-BID FORM If your firm cannot submit a bid at this time, please provide the information requested in the space provided below and return it to (or fax it to 904-858-4868): Duval County Public Schools Purchasing Services 4880 Bulls Bay Highway Jacksonville, Florida 32219 We are unable to submit a bid at this time due to the following reason(s): Name of Firm: Signature and Title: Street Address or P.O. Box: City, State, Zip Code: RETURN THIS FORM ONLY. DO NOT RETURN BID PACKAGE. Bid No. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 1 of 2 SPECIAL CONDITIONS 1. PURPOSE: Purpose of this bid is to establish a contract for Student Transportation Services for Geographic Service Area (GSA) 5. The initial term of the contract will be from August 1, 2017 through the day prior to the first day of the regular school term, 2024. 2. AWARD: Award will be to the lowest qualified responsive and responsible bidder. In the event of tie bids, ties will be broken as follows in accordance with Purchasing Code 7.70 II. Q. Tie Bids. In the bidding process, when identical prices are received from two or more vendors and all other factors are equal, priority for award shall be given to vendors in the following sequence: 1) cash discounts offered for payments of thirty (30) days or longer; 2) a vendor that is a certified minority vendor by Duval County Public Schools Office of Minority Business Affairs; 3) a vendor that is located in Duval County, Florida; 4) a vendor that is located in the State of Florida; 5) a business that certifies that it has implemented a drug free workplace program in accordance with the provisions of 287.087, Florida Statutes; 6) a coin toss by the Director of Purchasing or designee shall be held at the location where the bids were opened. The tie low bid vendors will be invited to be present as witnesses. 3. QUESTIONS: Any questions and/or request for additional information should be directed to Louis Mitchum in Purchasing Services, via email at mitchuml@duvalschools.org placing this bid number (RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM) in the subject header. Deadline for questions shall be 2:00 p.m. ET on November 21, 2016. Questions received after this date will not be answered. Interpretations or clarifications in response to such questions will be issued in the form of written addenda to all parties recorded by Purchasing Services as having received the Bid Documents. No verbal or written information obtained other than by information in this document or by written addendum to this bid will be binding on the District. 4. LINE ITEM BIDS AND CORRECTIONS: All prices submitted on the original Bid Proposal Forms shall be indelible. The use of correction fluid or erasures to correct line item bid prices and/or quantities are not acceptable. Corrections must be by lineout of the incorrect figures, writing in of correct figures, and initialing of the corrections by the originator. Correction fluid or erasure corrected bids will be considered non-responsive for the corrected item(s) only. In the event of a discrepancy between the written price and the numeric price, the written price shall govern. 5. UNITS OF MEASURE: The item unit of measure shall be as indicated on the Bid Proposal Form. Bids received for items that do not conform to the requested unit of measure shall be considered non- responsive. 6. METHOD OF PAYMENT: Payments to vendors may be made via credit card or ACH. If credit card payment is acceptable, initial the designated space(s) on the Bidder Acknowledgement under Form of Payment accepted. By doing so you are authorizing this form of payment on all future invoices whether or not they are related to this solicitation. Payments will be made in accordance with the Local Government Prompt Payment Act, F.S. 218.70. 7. PAYMENT TERMS: Payments will be made in accordance with Florida Statutes 218.174, also known as the Local Government Prompt Payment Act. Bid No. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 2 of 2 8. AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS: The obligations of the District under this award are subject to the availability of funds lawfully appropriated annually for its purposes by the Legislature of the State of Florida. 9. DISQUALIFICATION OF BIDDER: More than one bid/proposal from an individual, firm, partnership, corporation or association under the same or different names will not be considered. Reasonable grounds for believing that a bidder is involved in more than one bid/proposal for the same work will be cause for rejection of all bids/proposals in which such bidders are believed to be involved. Any or all bids/proposals will be rejected if there is reason to believe that collusion exists between bidders. Bids/proposals in which the prices obviously are unbalanced will be subject to rejection. 10. CONTINGENT OR ALTERNATE BIDS: Each bidder shall only submit a single offer and shall adhere to the requirements and scope as described in this solicitation. Submittal of an alternate offer or an offer that includes contingencies that must be met by the District in order for the bidding firm to accept a contract will be deemed nonresponsive and will cause the bid to not be eligible for consideration for award. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM NAME OF BIDDER: ________________________ Page 1 of 1 BID PRICING SHEET FOR GSA 5 (WEST SIDE) Prices shall be given to the fourth digit to the right of the decimal point. (i.e - $ #.####) In the event of a discrepancy between numeric price and written price, the written price shall govern. Failure to respond as requested may result in rejection of item(s) as non-responsive. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the ITB or RFQ documents, the mileage is an estimate subject to change, and shall not be deemed a guaranty of volume of work available (except for any adjustments set forth in section 3.1.11.6.B of the RFQ). GSA 5 WESTSIDE $____________ ________________________ Price per mile Price per mile (numeric) (written) ____________________________________________________________________________________ PRINTED/TYPED NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE/DATE The following documents are to be returned with this response to the Invitation To Bid: Bidder Acknowledgement (page 1 - front page of this document) Price Bidding Sheet (this page) Conflict of Interest Statement Drug Free Workplace Certification RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 1 of 64 DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PURCHASING SERVICES Consolidated Service Center 4880 Bulls Bay Highway Jacksonville, FL 32219 PH (904) 858-4848 FAX (904) 858-4868 November 4, 2016 Request for Qualifications/Invitation to Bid (RFQ/ITB) STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES GSA 5 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM PROCEDURAL TIMELINES AND RELEVANT INFORMATION Duval County Public Schools (the District) has developed a Request for Qualifications/Invitation to Bid (RFQ/ITB) package for Student Transportation Services and invites your firm to respond. The purpose of this communication is to provide information regarding the RFQ/ITB process. As indicated above, this solicitation is a two-step bidding process. Each Respondent is to submit a complete qualification package, and a separate price per mile offer. The offers of all Respondents determined to be qualified will be considered. There will be at least one NON-MANDATORY Information Conference held at the Duval County Public Schools Transportation Services Auditorium, 129 King Street, Jacksonville, Florida on Friday, November 18, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). The deadline for submission of responses is 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Thursday, December 1, 2016. All responses must be delivered to: Purchasing Services, 4880 Bulls Bay Highway, Jacksonville, FL 32219. Responses received after the established date and time or at any other location will not be considered. Questions regarding this schedule may be directed to Mr. Louis Mitchum, Purchasing Services at mitchuml@duvalschools.org. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 2 of 64 TABLE OF CONTENTS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS I. GENERAL INFORMATION 1.0 Introduction 1.1 General Information about the District 1.2 District Objectives 1.3 Definitions 1.4 Fuel 1.5 Award 1.6 Contract Documents: Priority of Documents; Construction of Documents 1.7 Contract Term 1.8 Consumer Price Index 1.9 Equal Opportunity Compliance 1.10 Gratuities and Kickbacks 1.11 Public Records Law 1.12 Public Entity Crimes 1.13 Dispute 1.14 Instructions to Respondents 1.15 Ex Parte Communications 1.16 Agreement 1.17 Disclosure of Former District Employees II. SUBMITTALS / PRE QUALIFICATION 1. Required Respondent Profile (Attachment A) 2. Office of Economic Opportunity Policy and Proposed Schedule of Participation Form (Attachment B) 3. References / Experience / Service History 4. Financial Information 5. Human Resource Administration 6. Fleet Plan 7. Staff / Safety Training 8. Facility Plan 9. Drug / Alcohol Testing Plan 10. Bid Bond / Irrevocable Letter of Credit III. SCOPE OF SERVICES / CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS 3.0 General 3.0.1 Facilities 3.0.2 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) 3.0.3 Status of Contractor 3.0.4 Legal Awareness and Compliance 3.0.5 Office of Economic Opportunity 3.0.6 Permits and Licenses 3.0.7 Records and Reports 3.0.8 Bonds/Irrevocable Standby Letters of Credit 3.0.9 General and Managerial Personnel 3.0.10 Back-Up Personnel 3.0.11 School Bus Monitor Requirement 3.0.12 School Bus Operator / School Bus Monitor Certification 3.0.13 Required Attire 3.0.14 Standard of Conduct 3.0.15 Suspension / Termination / Reassignment of School Bus operators / School Bus Monitors 3.0.16 Personnel Records RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 3 of 64 3.0.17 Substitutions 3.0.18 Radio Communication 3.0.19 Communication with the Public / District 3.0.20 Notices 3.0.21 Time of the Essence 3.1 BUSINESS 3.1.1 Tax Responsibility 3.1.2 Assignment of Contract or Payment; No Third Party Beneficiaries 3.1.3 Contract Extension and Emergency Service 3.1.4 Cancellation of Award / Termination 3.1.5 Default 3.1.6 Severability; Survival; Forum; Venue 3.1.7 Insurance Requirements 3.1.8 Indemnification / Hold Harmless Agreement 3.1.9 Attorneys Fees and Costs 3.1.10 Fuel 3.1.11 Contractor Compensation 3.1.12 Collection of Florida Education Funding Program (FEFP) Data 3.1.13 Bus Fleet Inventory 3.1.14 Bus Equipment 3.1.15 Bus Numbering and Lettering 3.1.16 Bus Inspections 3.1.17 Bus Fleet Maintenance 3.1.18 Retiring Buses 3.2 OPERATIONS 3.2.1 Basic Transportation Service 3.2.2 Supplemental Transportation Service 3.2.3 Drug / Alcohol Testing 3.2.4 Eligible Riders 3.2.5 Exceptional Education Routing 3.2.6 Routing - Regular, Magnet and Special Programs 3.2.7 Ridership Notification 3.2.8 Student Management 3.2.9 Safety and Emergencies ATTACHMENTS Attachment A - Respondent Profile Attachment B - Office of Economic Opportunity Policy and Proposed Schedule of Participation Form Attachment C Fleet Plan Attachment D Federal Forms EXHIBITS Exhibit A - Supplemental Transportation Service Pricing Exhibit B Performance Guarantee Exhibit C Safe Driver Plan Exhibit D Route Information Exhibit E Sample Standard Form Contract Exhibit F Sample District Performance Bond RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 4 of 64 INVITATION TO BID DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Purchasing Services Consolidated Service Center 4880 Bulls Bay Highway Jacksonville, FL 32219 PH (904) 858-4848 FAX (904) 858-4868 _____________________________________________________________________________ November 4, 2016 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) FOR STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES GSA 5 RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM I. GENERAL INFORMATION: 1.0 INTRODUCTION: Duval County Public Schools (the District) is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) as well as the accompanying Invitation to Bid (ITB) to interested firms for the purpose of selecting a qualified provider for student transportation services. Both the response to the RFQ and the response to the ITB shall be submitted at the same time in SEPARATE SEALED ENVELOPES. The resulting contract will be with an individual company (the CONTRACTOR) for the provision of all required Student Transportation Services for a designated area of the District. This two-step process is further described in Section 1.14 of this document. The District seeks a firm that has experience providing the same or similar services to school districts, municipalities and governmental entities and desires to enter into a multi-year contract with the District for such services. The selected Respondent will be required to execute a standard form contract as adopted by the District, for use with this contract for services. A copy of a sample standard form contract is attached hereto for information purposes only. (Exhibit E). The contract resulting from this process will be for the provision of school buses and personnel for Basic Transportation Services, Supplemental Transportation Services, and Summer Program Transportation Services as needed (refer to definitions in Section 1.3). The District is divided into Geographic Service Areas (GSAs). Each of these areas is comprised of a variable number of bus routes. Currently, the District is soliciting bids for GSA 5 (West Side). Although subject to change (and specifically, the following shall not be deemed a guaranty of volume except for any permitted adjustments described in section 3.1.11.6.B below), the number of routes and miles for this solicitation is: GSA 5: West Side 229 routes (2,700,341 miles); this information is current as of 10/14/2016. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 5 of 64 1.1 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISTRICT: The District and its governing board were created pursuant to Section 4, Article IX of the Constitution of the State of Florida. The District is an independent taxing and reporting entity managed, controlled, operated, administered, and supervised by District school officials in accordance with Florida Statutes. The School Board consists of seven elected officials responsible for the adoption of policies, which govern the operation of District public schools. The Superintendent of Schools is responsible for the administration and management of the schools within the applicable parameters of State and Federal laws and regulations, State Board of Education Rules, and School Board policies. 1.2 DISTRICT OBJECTIVES: To deliver safe, reliable, efficient and cost effective transportation services to the Duval County Public Schools community. 1.3 DEFINITIONS: 1.3.1 District: When used in this document, the word District will be intended to denote the geographic area or the organization's administrative staff, dependent upon the context in which they are used. The words "School Board, or The School Board of Duval County, Florida will be intended to denote the elected body of governing officials for the entity, unless the context includes the District. 1.3.2 CONTRACTOR: Represents all references to the awardee. 1.3.3 Respondent: Any individual, sole proprietorship, firm, corporation or other entity who submits an offer for materials and/or services (as the basis for award of contract) in response to a RFQ/ITB. At times in context, Respondent may mean the intended CONTRACTOR. 1.3.4 Subcontractor: An entity with a contractual relationship to a CONTRACTOR who the CONTRACTOR proposes to use to perform a portion of its obligations. 1.3.5 Basic Transportation Services: The safe and efficient transportation of any and all pupils, who are designated by the District to be transported, between school and home and/or school and school (shuttles and additional service trips included). Such transportation shall be provided for each and every day that school is convened and in accordance with bus routes and schedules prepared by the District. Currently, the operation days for all schools are 180 days, which may be increased or decreased as determined to be in the best interest of the District or as required by law. The CONTRACTOR shall only invoice for the days services are rendered, and the District shall be liable to pay only for the days services are rendered. 1.3.6 Variable Transportation Services: Variable services are transportation services in addition to Basic Transportation Services and includes services that may or may not occur daily. These include, but are not limited to, Gifted services, Community Based Instruction (CBI) services, Community Based Vocational Instruction (CBVI) services, Speech services and Early Release. Variable services are compensated at the same contracted price per mile (PPM) as Basic Transportation Services. 1.3.7 Supplemental Transportation Services: The safe and efficient transportation of any and all pupils or other authorized persons as may be requested by the District for after-school activity trips, field trips, athletic activities, special or additional services, or any other purpose designated by the District (Exhibit A). RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 6 of 64 Field Trip: Any service requested by a school to transport students to/from a curriculum related location, athletic event, or other location and return to the school. After School Activity Trip: Any service transporting students from school to home after regular dismissal time in the PM, including programs like TEAM UP. Additional Service: o Any operations related service that does not fall within the scope of basic service, field trip, or after-school activity trip. o Any administrative type service initiated through the Director of Transportations office. o Any additional school days/partial school days (Saturday school, etc.) that are not included in the 180-day school schedule. o Special program trips are any additional school days/partial school days, Saturday school, and independent school program. 1.3.8 Summer Program Transportation Services: An extension of the regular school term defined the same as Basic Transportation Services, and including summer school. The days of operation vary from year to year. 1.3.9 Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit: Letter of credit that represents an obligation by the issuing bank to a designated third party (the beneficiary), that is contingent on the failure of the bank's customer to perform under the terms of a contract between the banks customer and the beneficiary. 1.3.10 School Board: The words "School Board," or The School Board of Duval County, Florida will be intended to denote the elected body of governing officials for the entity, unless the context includes the District. 1.3.11 Stop: The location of the pick up or drop off point for student(s). 1.3.12 Trip: A group of stops or distance traveled from one location to another (i.e. from stops to school, from school to stops, or from school to school). 1.3.13 Route: A recurring group of trips assigned to make up a route. Routes shall be divided into both AM and PM trips. 1.3.14 Essential Unloaded Mileage: AM: During the course of any route, the mileage from the drop off of students at the last school on the trip to the first student pick up for the next trip. PM: During the course of any route, the mileage from the last student dropped off on a trip to the next school on the route. 1.3.15 Non-essential Unloaded Mileage: AM: During the course of any route, the mileage from the bus compound to the first student stop or from the last school back to the bus compound. PM: During the course of any route, the mileage from the bus compound to the first school or from the last student stop back to the bus compound. PM: If a bus has a supplemental trip such as an after-school activity trip or field trip after the finish of the daily route and does not return to the compound, the mileage from the last student stop back to the school is also considered non-essential unloaded mileage. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 7 of 64 1.3.16 Bus Capacity: The passenger seating of a bus is defined as the manufacturer's rating of seating capacity for a bus with no seats removed. Seats removed for wheelchair space will not reduce the seating rating of a bus. 1.3.17 Back-Up Bus: Any bus in the CONTRACTOR's fleet, meeting the same specifications and age requirements as those of the daily route fleet, but is utilized to perform service in the event a daily route bus is "out of service" for any reason, or for Supplemental Transportation Service. 1.3.18 Contracted Price Per Mile: The price per mile awarded to the CONTRACTOR. 1.3.19 Business Cycles: There are 180 school days. Each Business Cycle is comprised of 20 school days for a total of 9 Business Cycles (Cycles 2 through 10) during the regular school year. The summer break is broken into Cycle 11 which covers from the end of school through June 30th and Cycle 1 which covers July 1st through the first day of the new school year. 1.3.20 Contract Year: A Contract Year shall be defined as the period from August 1st through July 31st, except that the last Contract Year shall end on the day prior to the first day of that years regular school year. 1.3.21 Idling Policy: Idling Limits at Loading/Unloading Locations and Exceptions District staff/CONTRACTOR staff supervising any school bus loading zone where students are loaded or unloaded, shall not allow or cause any school bus to idle for a period greater than 5 minutes while waiting at such location to load or unload. The 5-minute rule also applies to all pick up and/or drop off drop off locations for field trips, charters, and after school activity trips where buses are transporting students and/or adults (includes all out-of-county locations). Idling limits should not apply for periods where: A school bus idles while forced to remain motionless because of an official traffic control device or at the direction of a law enforcement official. A school bus idles solely to prevent a true safety or health emergency. A school bus engine idles for emergency repairs or diagnostic purposes, but only to the extent that idling is necessary for such activity. A school bus engine idles for more than 5 minutes due to remote incidences of extreme weather; but only to the extent necessary for the health, safety or wellbeing of the students and/or staff. 1.4 FUEL: The District shall purchase at its own cost, inclusive of all fuel taxes, fuel required for basic and operations related service as set forth in 3.1.10. The CONTRACTOR will provide fuel for field trips, after school activity trips, and administrative type service trips and any additional fuel not paid by the District per section 3.1.10. In the event a Respondent is qualified to submit a bid, be aware that the cost of fuel shall not be included in the bid proposal. Respondents shall consider any costs they may incur for unallocated fuel when responding to pricing. Allocated fuel may be bio-diesel or red dye diesel, at the Districts option as cost and availability permit. Other alternative fuels may also be used, subject to the consent and agreement of both parties. The CONTRACTOR is encouraged to implement the use of alternative fuels for the unallocated portion of its fuel use. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 8 of 64 1.5 AWARD: Award will be by GSA. The District reserves the right to: (1) accept bids of any or all of the items it deems, at its sole discretion, to be in the best interest of the District; and (2) the District reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids. It is the intent of the District to preclude award to any CONTRACTOR for all GSAs contracted simultaneously (such that only one CONTRACTOR would provide transportation services to the entire District). However, if any qualified Respondent is the sole bidder for a GSA, or the second low bid exceeds the low bid by five percent (5%) or more for the GSA under consideration, the District reserves the right to waive this limitation and make an award that is based on the best interest of the District. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, any single CONTRACTOR shall not be awarded all GSAs. 1.6 CONTRACT DOCUMENTS; PRIORITY OF DOCUMENTS; CONSTRUCTION OF DOCUMENTS: 1.6.1 A contract shall be released, after award, for any work to be performed as a result of this two-step process. The RFQ, ITB, bid, qualification proposal, addenda, Attachments, Exhibits, Contract form in Exhibit E, approved change orders, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) directives, and performance bond/standby letter of credit and corresponding purchase order(s) shall constitute the contract documents between the parties. 1.6.2 In the event of a conflict or ambiguity among the contract documents, then precedence shall be given in the following order: approved change order, SOP directive, the Contract, Addenda, RFQ, Performance Bond/Standby Letter of Credit, ITB, the Bid, Qualification Proposal, and Attachments and Exhibits lastly. 1.6.3. In the event of a conflict or ambiguity in the contract documents, the contract provisions shall not be construed more strongly against any party regardless of who was more responsible for its preparation. 1.6.4 The parties agree that the contract documents described herein represent the entire agreement between the parties, may only be amended by a written agreement signed by both parties except as may be expressly provided in this RFQ, and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral or written agreements and understandings with respect to the matters covered by the Contract. 1.7 CONTRACT TERM: The Contract for GSA 5 will be for an initial term of seven (7) years (through July 31, 2024), and may be renewed under the same terms and conditions as the original contract for three (3) additional one (1) year renewals with written consent and agreement of both parties. With respect to the three (3) potential one (1) year renewals, the CONTRACTOR shall send written notice to the District if the CONTRACTOR does not agree to the next annual renewal. CONTRACTORs written notice must be delivered to the District no later than May 1 fifteen (15) months prior to the renewal period (e.g., the deadline is May 1, 2023 for CONTRACTORs written notice to the District to cancel the option of the first of three annual renewals; the deadline is May 1, 2024 to cancel the option of second annual renewal; and the deadline is May 1, 2025 to cancel the option of the third and last annual renewal). If the CONTRACTOR fails to timely deliver its notice of non-renewal, then the Contract is automatically renewed according to the terms of the Contract, it being understood that CONTRACTOR does not have any additional options to cancel renewal terms. The total potential term of the Contract, including all potential renewals, shall not RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 9 of 64 exceed ten (10) years. See Section 1.3.20 (definition of Contract Year) for the term of the last Contract Year. Any notice delivered pursuant to this section must conform to the requirements set forth in section 3.0.20 hereafter. 1.8 CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: The contracted price per mile in the initial Contract Year for Basic Transportation Services and Summer Program Transportation Services will be used and adjusted for subsequent Contract Years using the initial Contract Year rates as follows. Commencing on the second Contract Year of the Initial Term, and each Contract Year thereafter (including any Renewal Term) the rates will be adjusted by the change in the CPI Index (as defined below). There may be a normal time delay in reporting price change data, which delay (if any) might necessitate retroactive adjustments in the payments arising under the Contract rates for any Contract Year as adjusted pursuant to this section. If there is a decline in the CPI for any given year, compensation will not be reduced and the rate for the immediately prior Contract year will be maintained. As used in this section: (a) "CPI" means the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, all items (1982-84=100), not seasonally adjusted, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor (or the replacement index therefore published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics or its successor if the Consumer Price Index has been discontinued, or if there is no such replacement index, a reasonably comparable index selected by the District). (b) Commencing on the anniversary of the Contract, the contracted price per mile (PPM) for the next Contract Year will be the contracted PPM from the initial Contract Year adjusted as follows. Using the CPI published as of May 31, 2017 as the Basic Index, the contracted PPM will be adjusted to the quotient obtained by dividing (C) into the product of (A) multiplied by (B), where (A) is the CPI as of May 31, 2017 in the immediately preceding Contract Year for which the adjustment is being computed; where (B) is the contracted PPM for the initial Contract Year (prior to any adjustment) and where (C) is the Basic Index. The result of that calculation will determine the new rate set forth in the Contract for the upcoming Contract Year. For example, to calculate the first CPI adjustment for the Contract year commencing August 1, 2018 assuming the initial Contract Year rate is $3.0000, and assuming the Basic Index (May 31, 2017 CPI) is 177, and assuming that May 31, 2018 CPI is 181, then the following applies. Year 2: (A = 181) X (B = $3.0000) = $3.0678 (C=177) The calculation for Year 3 assuming the May 31, 2019 CPI is 185, the following applies: Year 3: (A = 185) X (B = $3.0000) = $3.1356 (C=177) (c) When the rate is adjusted under these provisions, the District will provide a detailed written statement of the Districts calculations pursuant to this Section. The rate adjustment pursuant to this Section will be rounded to the same level of detail as the rate set forth in the initial Contract Year. Fifteen (15) days will be given to specify in writing to the District any reasonable objection to such calculation as set forth in this Section, and in the event no objection is made, then the rate adjustment will be conclusive. In the event of reasonable disagreement regarding the calculation in accordance with this Section, the District will continue to pay the prior Contract Year rate until such disagreement is resolved, in which case, the District will pay the difference as reasonably agreed upon by the parties (such agreement to be conclusive). In the RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 10 of 64 event the parties cannot reach a reasonable agreement within sixty (60) days, then the Superintendent's designee will conclusively determine the issue. NOTE: In no event will the price per mile be reduced below the prior Contract Year rate. (d) Rate adjustments for Supplemental Transportation Services will be made at different intervals than for Basic Transportation Services and Summer Programs. (Exhibit A). 1.9 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMPLIANCE: Respondents affirm by submitting their responses they are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers and shall comply with all applicable Federal, State and local laws and regulations. 1.10 GRATUITIES AND KICKBACKS: Any employee or any official of the District, elective or appointive, who shall take, receive, or offer to take or receive, either directly or indirectly, any rebate, percentage of contract, money or other things of value, as an inducement or intended inducement, in the procurement of business, or the giving of business, for, or to, or from, any person, partnership, firm or corporation, offering, proposing for, or in the open market seeking to make sales to the District, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and upon conviction such persons shall be punished to the full extent of the law. Every person, firm, or corporation offering to make, or pay, or give, any rebate, percentage of contract, money, or other things of value, as an inducement or intended inducement, in the procurement of business, or the giving of business, to any employee or official of the District, elective or appointive, in his efforts to proposal for, offer for sale, or to seek in the open market to make sales to the District, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and upon conviction such persons shall be punished to the full extent of the law. It is the policy of the District to not accept gifts, gratuities, or favors of any kind or of any value whatsoever from vendors, members of the staff, or families. CONTRACTOR warrants that it has not employed or retained any company or person, other than a bona fide employee working solely for the CONTRACTOR, to solicit or secure the Contract, and that it has not paid or agreed to pay any person, company, corporation, individual for firm, other than a bona fide employee working solely for the CONTRACTOR, any fee, commission, percentage, gift, or any other consideration, contingent upon or resulting from the award or making of the Contract. CONTRACTOR further warrants that it, nor any of its directors, employees, officers or agents, nor any of CONTRACTORs respective subsidiaries or affiliates, has taken, is currently taking or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to anyone to improperly influence or otherwise secure any improper advantage in procuring business in relation to the Contract. For the breach or violation of these provisions, the District shall have the right to terminate the Contract without liability and/or, at its discretion, to deduct from the price, or otherwise recover, the full amount of such fee, commission, percentage, gift or consideration. 1.11 PUBLIC RECORDS LAW: Pursuant to Florida Statutes Chapter 119, responses received as a result of this RFQ or the subsequent ITB shall not become public record until thirty (30) days after the date of opening or until posting of a recommendation for award, whichever occurs first. Thereafter, all documents or other materials submitted by all Respondents in response to this offering shall be open for inspection by any person and in accordance with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, unless otherwise exempt under Florida law. It shall be the sole responsibility of the awarded CONTRACTOR to comply with all requirements of Chapter 119 regarding public records (whether documents, notes, letters, emails, or other records) RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 11 of 64 received or generated in relationship to the contract awarded by the District. The Contract shall be subject to Floridas Public Records Laws, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. CONTRACTOR understands the broad nature of these laws and agrees to comply with Floridas public records laws and laws relating to records retention. In compliance with section 119.0701, Florida Statutes, CONTRACTOR agrees to: A. Keep and maintain public records required by the District in order to perform the service. B. Upon request from the Districts custodian of public records, provide the District with a copy of the requested records or allow the records to be inspected or copied within a reasonable time at a cost that does not exceed the cost provided in the Chapter 119, Florida Statues or as otherwise provided by law. C. Ensure that public records that are exempt or confidential and exempt from public records disclosure requirements are not disclosed except as authorized by law for the duration of the Contract term and following completion of the Contract if the CONTRACTOR does not transfer the records to the District. D. Upon completion of the Contract, transfer, at no cost, to the District all public records in possession of Contractor or keep and maintain public records required by the District to perform the service. If CONTRACTOR transfers all public records to the District upon completion of the Contract, CONTRACTOR shall destroy any duplicate public records that are exempt or confidential and exempt from public records disclosure requirements. If CONTRACTOR keeps and maintains public records upon completion of the Contract, CONTRACTOR shall meet all applicable requirements for retaining public records. All records stored electronically must be provided to the District, upon request of the Districts custodian of public records, in a format that is compatible with the information technology systems of the District. IF CONTRACTOR HAS QUESTIONS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF CHAPTER 119, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO THE CONTRACTORS DUTY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC RECORDS RELATING TO THE CONTRACT, CONTACT THE CUSTODIAN OF PUBLIC RECORDS (DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION) AT THE ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER BELOW. DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 129 KING STREET JACKSONVILLE, FL 32204 904.858.6251 1.12 PUBLIC ENTITY CRIMES: A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid/proposal on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a bid/proposal on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit bids/proposals on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a CONTRACTOR, supplier, Subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in Section 287.017, for RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 12 of 64 CATEGORY TWO for a period of thirty six (36) months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list. The Respondent certifies by submission of a response, that neither it nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any Federal department or agency. When requested, the CONTRACTOR will execute and deliver to the District the appropriate federal debarment certification form within three (3) business days. 1.13 DISPUTE: 1) Any actual or prospective bidder, proposer or CONTRACTOR who is aggrieved in connection with the solicitation or award of a contract may file a protest and shall deliver its written notice of protest to the Chief Officer, Operations Support (formerly Associate Superintendent Administration and Business Services), or designee (hereinafter Hearing Officer) immediately, but no later than two (2) working days after bid opening or after recommendation of award, if not to the apparent low bidder, or as set forth in paragraph 9 infra, which will initiate the 48-hour notice requirement. The written protest with documentation shall be delivered to the Hearing Officer no later than 2 p.m. on the 4th calendar day immediately following the bid opening or receipt of notice of intent to award recommendation as is appropriate. If that day is a School Board non-workday, the protest shall be delivered no later than 9 a.m. the next District work day. Protests shall be presented with specificity, and every issue shall be fully documented. 2) The legal basis for any relief sought must be clearly identified and explained in the written notice of protest. 3) The Hearing Officer shall call a meeting and hear all protests and receive all evidence within a reasonable time. This does not preclude the Hearing Officer from calling a special meeting or granting a continuance under extraordinary circumstances. 4) All bidders or offerors shall receive notice of any protest hearing and a copy of the protest document. Attachments shall be available upon request. 5) The Florida Rules of Civil Procedure may be relaxed at the sole discretion of the Hearing Officer presiding at any protest hearing. 6) The Hearing Officer shall issue his/her decision within two (2) working days of the completion of the protest hearing. 7) The Hearing Officers decision shall result in a final order which may include findings and conclusions. The decision of the Hearing Officer shall be final. 8) The District does not encourage the use of faxes to accomplish delivery of the notice of protest and the protest itself. Any bidder or offeror utilizing delivery by fax shall assume the risk associated with incomplete delivery or nonreceipt. 9) Any protest specification objection shall be generally treated as set forth in paragraph 1 supra. The operative date for the notice requirement shall be the date the specifications were obtained by the prospective bidder or offeror but no later than 10 days prior to the date of bid opening or proposal due date. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 13 of 64 1.14 INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS: THE RFQ AND ITB DOCUMENTS WILL BE REVIEWED IN DETAIL AT A NON-MANDATORY INFORMATION CONFERENCE HELD IN THE AUDITORIUM AT 129 KING ST., JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2016 AT 9:00 A.M. (Eastern Time). Potential Respondents are advised to hold all comments, questions and items for clarification until the NON-MANDATORY Information Conference. All responses to the RFQ and ITB must be received no later than 2:00 P.M. (Eastern Time) on Thursday, December 1, 2016. If a response is transmitted by US Mail or other delivery medium, the Respondent shall be responsible for its timely delivery to Purchasing Services, 4880 Bulls Bay Highway, Jacksonville, FL 32219-3235. Any response received after the stated time and date or at any other location, will not be considered and will retained by the District and then returned unopened to the originator after the Districts award of the Contract. One manually signed original, two (2) exact photocopies and six (6) exact flash drive copies (in PDF file format) of the complete RFQ response must be sealed in a single envelope and clearly marked, "RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS - STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES GSA 5" on the outside of the package. One manually signed original of the response to the ITB must be sealed in a SEPARATE envelope clearly marked, "RESPONSE TO INVITATION TO BID" - STUDENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES GSA 5" and submitted at the same time. Once accepted, all original responses and any copies of responses become the sole property of the District and may be retained by the District or disposed of in any manner the District deems appropriate. All responses must bear the signature of an officer or employee having authority to legally bind the responding firms. NOTE: It is the sole responsibility of each Respondent to assure all copies are identical to the original, including any supplemental information. Flash drive copies will be utilized by the Committee for the purpose of qualification. Any information contained in the original RFQ response which has not been transferred to the flash drives or photocopies may NOT be considered. The original document will be used solely for official record keeping and audit purposes. Responses not conforming to the instructions provided herein will be subject to disqualification at the sole discretion of the District. Any exceptions to the terms and conditions of this solicitation made by any Respondent are not accepted. The District anticipates the following time schedule in completion of the process with the intended result of selection of the contracted service provider: November 4, 2016 - Date of distribution November 18, 2016, 9:00 a.m. NON-MANDATORY RFQ/ITB Information Conference November 21, 2016, 2:00 p.m. - Deadline for submission of questions and requests for clarification December 1, 2016, 2:00 p.m. - Opening of RFQ responses (ITB responses to remain sealed at this time) December 5, 2016, by 2:00 p.m. Notification to qualified and non-qualified Respondents (Notification shall be affected by email and manual posting at the Districts office at Bulls Bay) December 6, 2016, by 12:00 noon - Deadline for submission of bid security RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 14 of 64 December 6, 2016, 2:00 p.m. - Opening of ITB responses from qualified firms January 3, 2017 - Anticipated date of award by School Board August 1, 2017 - Anticipated effective date of Contract August, 2017 - Service begins All questions and requests for clarification from potential Respondents shall be submitted in documented format to Mr. Louis Mitchum, Supervisor, Purchasing Services. Such requests may be e-mailed to mitchuml@duvalschools.org. Questions submitted subsequent to the deadline as shown above will not be addressed. Additions, deletions or modifications to information contained in the RFQ or ITB as a result of questions received will be presented to all potential Respondents by means of a written addendum, if necessary. No verbal or written information that is obtained other than by information in this document or by addendum to this RFQ or ITB will be binding on the District. 1.15 EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS: Ex parte communication, whether verbal or written, by any potential Respondent or representative of any potential Respondent to this RFQ with District personnel involved with or related to the RFQ, other than as designated in this document, is strictly prohibited. Violation of this restriction may result in the rejection/disqualification of the Respondents proposal. Ex parte communication, whether verbal or written, by any potential Respondent or representative of any potential Respondent to this RFQ with Board members is also prohibited and will result in the disqualification of the Respondent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, communications are permissible by this Section when such communications with a prospective Respondent are necessary for, and solely related to, the ordinary course of business concerning the Districts existing contract(s) for the materials or services addressed in this RFQ (but in no event shall any existing vendor intending to submit a bid initiate communications to any member(s) of the School Board of Duval County, Florida; it being understood such communication initiated by a vendor under these circumstances would not be in the ordinary course of business). 1.16 CONTRACT: (a) Execution of Contract. Upon award, a Contract will be executed substantially in the form of Exhibit E. CONTRACTOR agrees to execute all required forms, including but not limited to the Federal Forms in Attachment D. (b) Transition Assistance. In the event the resulting Contract is terminated, not renewed or naturally expires, the CONTRACTOR agrees that the District may provide written notice to the CONTRACTOR retaining the CONTRACTOR for a month-to-month basis on the same terms and conditions set forth in the agreement. Such month-to-month services shall continue until the District has established a replacement Student Transportation Services contract. In any event, these services will not be required to continue for a period of time exceeding six (6) months. mailto:mitchuml@duvalschools.org RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 15 of 64 1.17 DISCLOSURE OF FORMER DISTRICT EMPLOYEES. Pursuant to District Policy all bidders, proposers, consultants, and contractors are required to disclose the names of any of their officers, directors, agents, or employees who serve as agents or principals for the bidder, proposer or contractor, and who within the last two (2) years, have been or are employees of the District. And all bidders, proposers, consultants, and contractors are required to disclose the name of any District employee who owns, directly or indirectly, any interest in the CONTRACTORs business. Such disclosures will be in accordance with current District policies, but will include, at a minimum, the name of the former District employee, a list of the positions the employee held in the last two (2) years of his or her employment with the District, and the dates the employee held those positions. By its signature of the Contract, CONTRACTOR will be deemed to have certified to the District that there are no names to disclose to the District pursuant to this section, unless CONTRACTOR provided the names in an addendum to EXHIBIT A (Respondent Profile) when CONTRACTOR submitted its response to the RFQ. II. SUBMITTALS/PRE-QUALIFICATION: Each Respondent should submit sufficient information to allow an assessment of its capacity, resources, experience, planning capability and financial status to successfully manage and operate a large-scale student transportation services program. The determination of whether or not a Respondent is qualified to participate in the next phase of solicitation will be based upon this information. Categorical qualification assessments will be performed in accordance with District guidelines. With the exception of minor errors or omissions, as determined by the District, failure on the part of any Respondent to submit sufficient information in any area below to allow an assessment of the firms ability to successfully perform the Contract, if awarded, including documented efforts to secure Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) goals, may render the Respondent non- responsive and the Respondent may be deemed disqualified for further consideration. Respondents who fail to obtain an acceptable determination may be deemed unqualified. The operational sufficiency of any plan or submission will not be evaluated in the qualification phase. The successful CONTRACTOR shall obtain approval for all final reports, plans and submittals from the Districts Director of Transportation on a schedule to be determined. This includes, but is not limited to: implementation timelines, operation progress reports and transition scheduling. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 16 of 64 ITEMS FOR SUBMITTAL ARE IDENTIFIED ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES. RESPONDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE THE CHECKLIST PROVIDED ON THESE PAGES TO ASSURE THEY HAVE ADDRESSED ALL CATEGORIES IN THEIR RESPONSE. ITEM CHECKLIST: 1) Respondent Profile (Attachment A) with all information completed and all signatures as specified. 2) Office of Economic Opportunity Policy and Proposed Schedule of Participation Form (Attachment B) with information completed and signatures as specified. 3) References/Experience/Service History Provide at least three (3) references concerning the level of experience (contract history/current contracts) involving student transportation over the last five (5) years, with at least one (1) current or previous contract with a volume utilizing at least one hundred- fifteen (115) buses operating on a recurring daily/weekly basis for a twelve month or one- school year period. The Respondent shall have been the primary CONTRACTOR and utilizing the Respondents buses. Both public and private transportation experiences will be considered. The District may not be used as a reference. The District reserves the right to investigate all references and to take steps as necessary to determine the ability of the Respondent to perform the work in a safe, prompt and efficient manner as outlined herein. Complete and submit Client Information, Section 14 of Attachment A. 4) Financial Information Provide audited financial statements for the company (in U.S. Dollars) for the last two (2) fiscal years of operation. Audited financial statements shall include for each year: A balance sheet; A statement of cash flow; An income statement; The independent auditors opinion letter; The notes to the financial statement The financial information provided will be reviewed to determine the Respondents overall financial health. An assessment of working capital will also be performed to determine the Respondents ability to finance the necessary capital purchases for performance of the Contract. 5) Human Resource Administration Provide a set of company standards and guidelines for school bus operators and school bus monitors, mechanics, school bus operator trainers, managers, and administrators to include, but not be limited to details about the screening practices, hiring practices, employee qualifications and experience, details of the employee retention plan, the specifics of the benefit package to be offered, and availability of trained school bus operators/school bus monitors for timely use. Provide the current organizational chart of the company. Provide the plan for proper staffing of school bus operators/school bus monitors relative to the Districts operation. 6) Fleet Plan (Attachment C) with all information completed, as specified. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 17 of 64 NOTE: The District reserves the right to require a supplier commitment letter for proposed purchase of buses prior to the determination of pre-qualification. 7) Staff/Safety Training Provide a plan for school bus operator/school bus monitor training relative to the Districts operation. Provide a current school bus operator/school bus monitor safety and training manual. 8) Facility Plan Provide a plan to store and maintain equipment and buses relative to the Districts operation, as well as, dispatch and manage operations from a facility(s) located in accordance with Section 3.0.1.1. 9) Drug/Alcohol Testing Plan Submit the company policy and procedure relating to all phases of testing: pre- employment, random, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and return-to-duty and follow- up testing. 10) Bid Bond/Irrevocable Letter of Credit Provide a Bid Bond or Irrevocable Standby Letter(s) of Credit in the amount of $200,000.00 in accordance with Section 3.0.8 of this document. RFQ/ITB-018-17/LM Page 18 of 64 III. SCOPE OF SERVICES/CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS: 3.0 GENERAL: The CONTRACTOR shall supply and maintain such number of school buses and personnel as are required to fulfill the Districts needs for Basic Transportation Services, Supplemental Transportation Services, and Summer Program Transportation Services, and required back-up personnel and equipment. If any services, functions or responsibilities not specifically described in this RFQ are necessary for the proper performance and provision of the transportation services, they shall be deemed to be implied by and included within the CONTRACTORs scope of the services to the same extent and in the same manner as if specifically described herein. It shall be understood that the District will not act as an agent for nor will it finance or supplement any CONTRACTOR in acquisition of facilities or equipment, employee training, insurances, licensing, inspections, or any other financial or service-related responsibility of the CONTRACTOR. 3.0.1 FACILITIES: 3.0.1.1 The CONTRACTOR shall store and maintain equipment and buses, as well as dispatch and manage operations hereunder at a facility(ies) located in or near the boundaries of each contracted GSA, subject to approval by the District after award of the Contract. The District reserves the right to make site vis