13522-20250108151206 MGCCC.pdf

January 8, 2025

Instructions to Proposers:

RETURN TO:

MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DISTRICT PURCHASING OFFICE – HARRISON HALL

PO BOX 609

51 MAIN STREET

PERKINSTON, MS 39573-0609

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will receive sealed proposals in the District Purchasing Office, Harrison Hall, Perkinston, MS 39573-0609, until 2:00 pm, Friday, February 7, 2025. Next day (over-night) delivery is not guaranteed for Perkinston, MS.

Proposals will not be considered unless the attached form is used for bidding and required documentation enclosed.

Sealed proposals must be submitted in one of the following ways:

1. Physical document to include (1) one complete signed hard copy and a nonreturnable flash drive of the proposal.

2. Electronic document submitted to the college via Central Bidding at https://www.centralauctionhouse.com/rfpc10330-mississippi-gulf-coast-community-college.html

PROPOSALS SHALL BE FIRM: For ninety (90) days after bid opening date

PROPOSALS SHALL BE FOB: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College –District Office

MARK ALL ENVELOPES: Passenger Bus with Title of Bid & Bid No. RFP No. – 25-01-007

Please indicate if you are a minority/woman owned business. Yes No

The college reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids and to waive any informalities in bidding.

Force Majeure Event: If the college is closed for any reason and prevents the opening of bids at the advertised date and time, all bids received shall be publicly opened and read aloud on the next business day that the agency shall be open and at the previously advertised time.

For additional information contact Kyle Clark, District Office, 51 Main Street, Perkinston, MS, 39573, 601- 928-6231, and/or email to: kyle.clark@mgccc.edu

Sincerely, COMPANY

ADDRESS

Kortney Woodard, MBA PHONE NUMBER Director of Administrative Services Signature

(Print name)

Enclosures Print email address:

https://www.centralauctionhouse.com/rfpc10330-mississippi-gulf-coast-community-college.html mailto:kyle.clark@mgccc.edu a

Table of Contents

Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... a RFP Objective Our College

RFP Requirements Preferred Motorcoach Bus Specifications Timeline and Plan of Manufacturing of Motorcoach Passenger Bus Serviceability and Warranty Aesthetic Customization Cost to Institution

Proposal General Information Submission Vendor Information RFP Timeline Questions Ownership of Property Ownership of Documents Intellectual Property Rights Confidentiality Background Checks Educational or Promotional Discount Data Theft

RFP Objective

It is the objective of this Request for Proposal (RFP) for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is to obtain proposals from qualified firms to procure a 56-60 passenger bus for the purpose of transporting college constituents. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College engages in many trips throughout any given year, placing safety and security of passengers at the highest level.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will be referred to hereafter in the RFP as “MGCCC”.

The companies submitting proposals in response to this RFP will hereafter be referred to as “Vendor.” MGCCC shall retain the right to reject any and all proposals.

Our College

Established in 1911, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) is currently a multi-campus institution with three traditional main campus locations, four centers, a non-traditional campus without walls the “Community Campus” and the Maritime Training Academy. Located across the four-county district of Harrison, Stone, Jackson, and George counties, MGCCC provides educational and career technical opportunities and workforce partnerships with many of the local industries.

RFP Requirements

The primary objective in the passenger bus is to have a reliable source method of transporation for college groups including athletic teams, performing arts groups, student organizations, college faculty and leadership, and selected community groups. A successful solution will not only encompass the bus itself but will also include the serviceability of the bus, warranty offerings, production timeline, and customization to meet the needs of the college.

Specific Requirements for the RFP are as follows:

1. The specifications of the bus

2. The timeline and manufacturing of the bus

3. The warranty and extended warranty of the bus

4. The available service agreement options for the bus

5. The ability of the business to have cosmetic customizations

RFP Criteria

The following areas will be considered when grading each RFP. The criteria is based on the following items with further detailed requirements within this RFP. Requirements are listed with their respective weights to ensure that a reliable passenger bus solution is selected

1. Specifications of Bus Proposed (20%)

2. Timeline of Delivery (20%)

3. Serviceability and Warranty (10%)

4. Customization (10%)

5. Cost to the Institution (40%)

Preferred Motorcoach Bus Specifications

The passenger bus that is offered must meet the minimum criteria:

Quantity (1): 56-60 Passenger Motorcoach Bus Including all standard equipment and safety requirements Model: MCI J4500 or equal

Specifications:

• Cummins X12 with engine brake. 455 hp, 1,550 lb. ft. torque (or equal)

• Allison Gen V transmission with prognostics capability (or equal)

• Synthetic Oil

• Disc Brakes on all axles

• Tires – Firestone ST230 315/80 R22.5 (or equal)

• Alcoa aluminum wheels

• Enhanced engine diagnostics (MCI Connect)

• Fog Lights

• High Visibility High/Low Beam LED forward lighting

• Auxiliary Heat

• Rear Engine Driven

Passenger/Driver Area Specifications:

• Passenger seat armrests- fold down

• Cup holders on passenger seating

• Retractable footrests

• Seating for 56-60 passengers.

• Amaya A-220 thin back seat for improved passenger space with separate headrest and 3-point seatbelts

• Secondary lavatory holding tank

• Driver’s Seat- ISRI 6832- 3-point driver seat with seatbelt alarm

• Wireless Microphone

• 6 15” HD wide screen monitors

• AM/FM Radio, CD and DVD Player

• 110V outlets with USB ports at every passenger seat

• Media panel with HDMI, A/V, and USB + 3.5 mm audio inputs in tour guide area

• Tinted Passenger Windows

• Back up camera included

• Heated Mirrors

• All-Operator and Service/Parts manual included

Color: Navy Blue or White

Timeline and Plan of Manufacturing of Motorcoach Passenger Bus

In an effort to plan for future travel, MGCCC will need an estimated date of delivery of the bus as well as detailed description of the manufacturing process and timeline.

Assuming a purchase order is issued on March 1, 2025, please describe the manufacturing processes that will occur each month. The description should include major manufacturing processes but are not limited to material procurement, fabrication, assembly, and testing. The vendor shall also listed an estimated percentage of completion for each month. Should the manufacturing timeline extend beyond the dates listed below, the vendor shall provide additional dates to meet the needs.

Month Manufacturing

Processes Percentage of Completion

March 2025

April 2025

May 2025

June 2025

July 2025

August 2025

September 2025

October 2025

November 2025

December 2025

January 2026

February 2026

March 2026

April 2026

May 2026

June 2026

July 2026

August 2026

September 2026

October 2026

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

Please provide the estimated date of delivery to MGCCC:

MGCCC recognizes, that should a purchase order be issued after March 1, 2025 the expected timeline and date of delivery will be adjusted to the date of actual PO issuance.

If the vendor believes there to be any specific delays in production, please describe below:

Option-Assembled Bus Available for Sale The college will consider a passenger bus that the vendor has that already assembled and is available for sale. The specifications of the assembled bus must meet the specifications of the bus listed in the “Preferred Bus Specifications”. The vendor shall supply full specifications of the assembled bus to include year model, date assembled, and applicable mileage. The college will only consider a new bus for this option. No pre-owned or rebuilt buses will be considered.

Serviceability and Warranty

Serviceability MGCCC will heavily rely upon the new bus for college travel, requiring the amount of out of service time to be kept at a minimum. To reduce the time out of service, a network of authorized repair centers will need to be available. Any authorized repair center should be able to perform routine maintenance and repairs, major repairs, and any applicable warranty or factory recall related issues.

The passenger bus will be housed on the Perkinston Campus of MGCCC. Based upon the following street address, 51 Main St., Perkinston, MS 39573, please provide the number of manufacturer approved service centers within a 100 mile radius .

Please provide the name, address, and phone number of the 3 service centers closest to the Perkinston Campus

Service Center #1

Service Center #2

Service Center #3

Service Contract In order to keep the bus in proper working order, a routine maintenance plan will need to be established, with preventative activities performed on a scheduled basis. If the vendor has a recommended service plan, an overview of the shall be included to include the scope of services offered, the frequency of services, the life of the service contract (years or miles), and the cost of the contract

Warranty At minimum the passenger shall include a 30 month limited warranty. MGCCC is open to additional extended warranties. Please include documentation with specifications for a 60 month and 120 month warranty if available. All warranty documentation shall include specific parts covered, the length of warranty per part and the warranty.

Aesthetic Customization

MGCCC uses college buses as a marketing and recruitment tool in addition to transportation. The preference of the college is have all buses wrapped with graphics representing MGCCC Athletics, Academic and Career Technical Programs and Student Life.

MGCCC would prefer for the bus to wrapped and fully ready for use at the time of delivery. If the vendor has the ability to provide this service, please provide an overview of your experience in the aesthetic customization of buses and the types of services you could provide. Please also include any available images of previous buses for which have utilized these services.

All design work and required graphic files will be provided by MGCCC. Please indicate the date for which all graphic files would need to be submitted to the vendor to successfully wrap the bus by the date of delivery .

Cost to Institution

Please include the following pricing information:

Item Description Cost 56-60 Passenger Motorcoach Bus to be manufactured as specified above with included 30 month warranty

(Optional) Bus already constructed and available for delivery.

(Optional) Service Contract (Optional) Extended Warranty (Optional) Aesthetic Customization Wrap

All pricing shall reflect a turnkey system to include shipping and delivery to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkinston Campus, 51 Main Street, Perkinston, MS 39573.

Proposal

General Information Prospective vendors are to submit sealed proposals to:

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Attn: Purchasing Department Harrison Hall 51 Main Street P.O. Box 609 Perkinston, MS 39573 no later than 2:00 p.m. cst, Friday, February 7, 2025. RFPs received after this date and time will be returned to the vendor unopened.

All Proposals are to be clearly marked in the lower left-hand corner with the RFP Name and RFP Number. The RFP Vendor’s name and address must also be on the outside of the sealed packet.

Submission

Vendor must submit one (1) signed and bound original copy of their proposal along with any technical information and product materials pertinent to the evaluation of the proposal. Proposal is to be tabbed and labeled indicating specific to, and addressing each area of concern contained within this RFP. Vendor must also submit an electronic copy of their entire proposal on a non-returnable flash drive or may submit electronically via Central Bidding. The flash drive is to enable the College to reproduce the Vendor’s proposal for the members of our Evaluation committee.

Proposals will be officially received at the MGCCC, Perkinston Campus, Harrison Hall, 2nd Floor Purchasing Department.

Vendor Information

References The vendor should provide a minimum of two (2) references of customers whose projects comparable in scope to the one presented in this RFP. Please provide customer contact information to include company name, primary contact person, phone number and email address.

RFP Pre-Proposal/Q&A Conference

To facilitate the RFP process for vendors, MGCCC will hold an open video and audio collaboration session using our Cisco WebEx/Telepresence system for vendor Q&A. The session is scheduled for:

• Wednesday, January 22, 2025 o 10 a.m. until 11a.m. (cst) – Via WebEx (Details to follow) o Meeting invites will be sent from the Director of Administrative Services office to all vendors requesting copies of the RFP.

Note: All Q&A from the call will be made available to all vendors.

• Meeting details:

o Join meeting in my WebEx Personal Room:

https://mgccc.webex.com/meet/kortney.woodard | 805 647 055 o Join from a video conferencing system or application:

Dial kortney.woodard@mgccc.webex.com o You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.

o Join by phone:

1-415-655-0001 US Toll, Access code: 800 445 682 https://mgccc.webex.com/meet/kortney.woodard mailto:kortney.woodard@mgccc.webex.com

RFP Timeline Dates Event January 8, 2025 1st Advertisement January 15, 2025 2nd Advertisement January 22, 2025, 10:00 a.m. Pre-proposal Vendor Q&A January 31, 2025 Last Day for Vendor Questions February 7, 2025, 2:00 p.m. Receive proposals February 10-14, 2025 Vendor Presentations/Q&A if needed

Questions Forward any questions regarding this solicitation to Kyle Clark, Superintendent of Transportation, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, at kyle.clark@mgccc.edu and Kortney Woodard, Director of Administrative Services, at kortney.woodard@mgccc.edu.

Force Majeure. If for any reason the college is closed on the proposal opening day, the college reserves the right to open proposals at the same time, on the first day the college resumes business.

The college reserves the right to reject any and all RFPs if it is in the best interest of the college.

The college reserves the right to waive any informalities.

It is the intention of the college to award this job to one vendor.

The college will accept only new equipment. No factory reconditioned or used equipment will be accepted.

Ownership of Property Any equipment, reference materials and other items purchased specifically for an agency’s order, using an agency’s funds, will belong to the College at the conclusion of the order and delivered to the agency placing the order.

Ownership of Documents All documents, which for purposes of this contract is defined to include but not be limited to reports, plans, subject data (“subject data” is defined as all information, excluding copyrighted material, that is compiled or delivered or specified to be compiled or delivered under this contract), drawings, studies, specifications, memoranda, estimates and computations secured by and for the contractor in the prosecution of this contract shall become and remain the property of the agency placing the order upon termination or completion of the work.

The agency placing the order shall have the right to use such documents (preferably including copyrighted material) for any public purpose without compensation to the contractor, other than as hereinafter provided. Except for its own internal use, the contractor shall not publish or reproduce documents, in whole or in part, in any manner or form, nor shall the contractor authorize others to do so without the written consent of the agency. The agency reserves the right to publish initially all documents. The contractor shall not release or publish any documents without the prior written approval of the agency. Neither the contractor, nor any subcontractor or any agents, employees or subcontractors thereof, shall publish, participate in the publication mailto:kyle.clark@mgccc.edu mailto:kortney.woodard@mgccc.edu.

of, or make oral presentations regarding any documents, information or material relating to this contract, either during or after the term of this contract, without specific prior written approval of the agency. Any releases to the news media must be approved by and released through the agency.

Intellectual Property Rights All rights in intellectual property specifically developed or created pursuant to this contract shall be the sole property of the agency placing the order with the Contractor. “Intellectual property” includes all inventions subject to the U.S. Patent System (including but not limited to new processes, materials, compounds, and chemicals), and all creations subject to the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 (including but not limited to printed material, software, drawings, blueprints, and compilations such as electronic databases).

All copyrightable material created pursuant to the contract shall be considered work made for hire and may be utilized exclusively by the agency. Neither party intends any copyrightable material created pursuant to this contract, together with any other copyrightable material with which it may be combined or used, to be a “joint work” under the copyright laws. If the whole or any part of any such copyrightable material cannot be deemed work made for hire or deemed a joint work, the contractor agrees to assign, and does hereby irrevocably assign, its entire copyright interest therein to the agency and shall execute and deliver such further documents as the agency may reasonably request for the purpose of acknowledging or implementing such assignment.

The contractor hereby agrees that, notwithstanding anything else in this contract, in the event of any breach of this contract by the agency, the remedies of the contractor shall not include any right to rescind or otherwise revoke or invalidate the provisions of this section. Similarly, no termination of this contract by the agency shall have the effect of rescinding the provisions of this section.

Confidentiality The contractor assures that information and data obtained during the performance of this contract, to include personal facts and circumstances related to students, patients or clients, shall be considered confidential, during and following the term of this contract, and will not be divulged without the agency’s written consent and then only in strict accordance with prevailing laws. The contractor shall hold all information provided by the agency as proprietary and confidential, and shall make no unauthorized reproduction or distribution of such material. Upon termination of this agreement and/or within 30 days of receipt of final payment for services, all materials, data, and information in the possession of the contractor, provided to or obtained by the contractor during the performance of this contract and to satisfy the requirements of this contract, shall be provided to the agency in hardcopy and/or electronic form. Except where law allows, the contractor shall not retain hard copies of the material, data and information and all electronic stored material, data and information shall be expunged from equipment and systems retained by the contractor, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the agency.

The contractor acknowledges and understands that its employees may have access to confidential information, including, but not limited to: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Protected Health Information (PHI) regarding employees, clients/patients, or the public. In addition, the contractor acknowledges and understands that its employees may have access to proprietary or other confidential information or business information belonging to the College. Therefore, except as required by law, the contractor agrees that its employees will not:

a. Access or attempt to access data that is unrelated to their job duties or authorization;

b. Disclose to any other person or allow any other person access to any information related to the College, or any of its facilities that is proprietary or confidential and/or pertains to employees, students, patients, or the public. Disclosure of information includes, but is not limited to, verbal discussions, FAX transmissions, electronic mail messages, voice mail communication, written documentation, “loaning” computer access codes and/or another transmission or sharing of data.

c. Disclose of Protected Health Information (PHI) in violation of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.

The contractor understands that the College and its employees, clients/patients, or others may suffer irreparable harm by disclosure of proprietary or confidential information and that the College may seek legal remedies available to it should such disclosure occur. Further, the contractor understands that violations of this clause may result in contract default.

Background Checks The College may make such reasonable investigations as deemed proper and necessary to determine the ability of the RFP Vendor or Contractors to perform the contract. Such investigations may include but are not limited to fingerprint-based criminal history background checks, credit checks, legal residence checks, or proof of US citizenship. The RFP Vendor or Contractors shall furnish to College all such information and data for this purpose as may be requested. The College further reserves the right to reject any RFP or proposal if the evidence submitted by, or investigations of, such RFP Vendor or Contractors fails to satisfy the College that such RFP Vendor or Contractors is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the contract and to complete the work/furnish the services contemplated therein.

Educational or Promotional Discount The contractor shall extend any special educational or promotional sale prices or discounts immediately to the College during the term of the contract. Such notice shall also advise the duration of the specific sale or discount price.

Data Theft The Contractor assures that any and all personal information and data obtained as a result of performing contractual duties associated with this contract shall be held in strict confidence.

Such information shall not be divulged without written permission from the individual and

MGCCC.

a. All personal information whether electronic or hard copy shall be stored in a manner that will prevent intrusion and theft by unauthorized persons.

b. All intrusions or suspicions of intrusion into files containing personal information shall be reported to the college and proper authorities within 24 hours of detection or suspicion.

c. All remedies suggested by the Contractor shall be approved by the Agency prior to being implemented.

d. Data thefts occurring due to Contractor errors, omissions, or oversights are the financial responsibility of the Contractor. This responsibility includes the cost of remedy.