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Portland Public Schools School District 1J

Multnomah County, Oregon

Request for Proposals Student Transportation Routing and Operations Platform

RFP No. 2026-037

RFP Availability:

This RFP is available electronically through the PlanetBids website at:

http://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=22555. Interested parties must be registered with PlanetBids to obtain and download documents. Registration is at no cost. Future notices regarding this solicitation, including solicitation addenda, will be posted to PlanetBids.

Proposal Opening:

A public proposal opening will occur via teleconference promptly at 2:05 PM on the day proposals are due.

Only the name of the proposer will be read aloud.

Dial in information:

(US) 3815-592-+1 405

PIN: 179 660 689#

Meeting code meet.google.com/tjc-wezs-upr

Proposals Due: Not Later than 2:00:00 PM Pacific Time, October 20, 2026 Late proposals will not be accepted or considered.

Submit Proposals to: ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL Submit electronically via PlanetBids, The Proposal, including all required documentation, must be submitted through the website not later than 2:00:00 PM on 10/20/2026 in accordance with the PlanetBids internal timestamp. Late Proposals shall be rejected.

HARDCOPY SUBMITTAL

No hardcopy submittals will be accepted.

Direct Questions to: Procurement Contact: Brandon Niles Email: purchasing@pps.net Deadline for Questions: 10/2/2026

Electronic Responses: Electronic responses via PlanetBids are required. E-mailed responses will not be accepted.

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RFP Student Transportation Routing and Operations Platform 2026-037

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction

1.1 About Portland Public Schools

1.2 Timeline

1.3 Definitions

1.4 RFP Questions, Clarifications and Changes

1.5 Equity in Public Purchasing & Contracting Policy

2 Scope of Work

2.1 Scope of Work

2.2 Minimum Requirements

2.3 Description of Software Platform

2.4 Description of Services

2.5 Contractor and Subcontractor Fingerprint-Based Criminal History Verification

2.6 Sustainable Business Practices

3 Proposal Format, Content, and Submission

3.1 Proposal Format

3.2 Proposal Content

3.3 Proposal Responses to Evaluation Criteria

3.4 Proposal Submission

4 Proposal Evaluation and Award

4.1 Clarification of Responses

4.2 Proposal Evaluation

4.3 Notification of Intent to Award

4.4 Negotiation

5 Solicitation Terms and Conditions; Protest of Solicitation or Award

5.1 Solicitation Document

5.2 Proposer Cost of Response Preparation

5.3 Submitted Materials are District Property

5.4 Proposal Validity

5.5 Solicitation Cancellation, Rejection of a Proposal or All Proposals

5.6 Disputes

5.7 Publicity

5.8 Preference for Recycled Materials

5.9 Performance within state of public printing, binding and stationary work

5.10 Confidentiality

5.11 Protests

5.12 Intergovernmental Permissive Cooperative Agreement

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6 Contract Terms and Conditions

6.1 Contract Award and Term

6.2 Portland Public Schools Contract

6.3 Insurance

6.4 Asbestos Abatement

Attachment A: Sample Contract

Attachment B: Proposer Certification Form

Attachment C: Reference Form

Attachment D: Price Proposal Form

Attachment E: Functional Scenarios

Attachment F: Security Questionnaire

Attachment G: Functionality Attestation

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1 Introduction

Portland Public Schools (“District”) seeks written proposals from qualified vendors able to provide a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) student transportation routing and operations platform. The District intends to award a single contract as a result of this RFP. This determination will be based upon the evaluation of scores underlying the rank of each proposal and the capacity of the proposers, and shall be at the sole discretion of the District. The contract term will be five years with options to renew for one additional five-year term.

1.1 About Portland Public Schools

Portland Public Schools, founded in 1851, is a PK-12 urban school district in Portland, Oregon. With more than 45,000 students in 81schools, it is one of the largest school districts in the Pacific Northwest.

With highly trained teachers and staff; an engaged parent community; strong partnerships, and a focus on closing the racial educational achievement gap, PPS has seen significant gains in its graduation rate and has enjoyed steady enrollment growth. Thanks to the state Legislature, school funding is improving and thanks to Portland voters, a PPS School Building Improvement Bond is now fueling the modernization of our aging school buildings for 21st century learning.

Effective July 1, 2026, Transportation Services is consolidated within the Office of the Chief of Integrated Operations alongside Facilities & Maintenance, Custodial Operations, Information Technology (OTIS), Enterprise Systems, Security & Safety Operations, Nutrition Services, and Warehouse & Logistics. The Office of Integrated Operations is responsible for establishing unified service standards, performance accountability, and aligned operational technology across the District’s non-instructional service portfolio.

This procurement is governed by the Office of the Chief of Integrated Operations in coordination with Purchasing & Contracting, the Department of Technology Services (OTIS), and Transportation Services.

The District’s student transportation operations include general education, special education, McKinney- Vento, focus option / magnet, and athletic and activity transportation. Operations are delivered through a combination of in-house and contracted resources, operate across multiple bell tiers, and serve students across the City of Portland and adjacent service areas. The District is committed to providing safe, reliable, and equitable transportation to all eligible students.

1.2 Timeline

ACTIVITY DATE

Issuance of Request for Proposal September 18, 2026 Deadline for Questions or Clarifications October 2, 2026 Final Addenda Deadline October 13, 2026 Proposals Due October 20, 2026

Interviews/Demonstrations November 9-13th, 2026 Notice of Intent to Award November 17, 2026

Anticipated Contract Start January 13, 2027

The District reserves the right to deviate from this schedule.

PLEASE NOTE: After an Intent to Award has been issued, all Offerors are welcome to view the solicitation and evaluation file at District offices. However, a debrief and/or copies of documents in the solicitation file will not be available until after a contract has been fully executed.

1.3 Definitions

a) “CERTIFIED BUSINESS”, as used in this RFP, means a for-profit company certified by the State of Oregon Certification Office of Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) as a Minority-Owned Business (MBE), a Women-Owned Business (WBE), a Service Disabled Veteran Business (SDVBE) and/or an Emerging Small Business (ESB) pursuant to Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 200; and/or

A company certified in the States of Oregon, Washington and California by the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 49, Subtitle A, Parts 23 and 26; and/or

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A company certified by the State of Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and/or Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) pursuant to Washington Administrative Code, Title 326, Chapter 326-20.

b) Additional definitions in the below table:

Term Meaning

“CERTIFIED

BUSINESS”

A for-profit company certified by the State of Oregon Certification Office of Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) as an MBE, WBE, SDVBE, and/or ESB under ORS Chapter 200; and/or certified by U.S. DOT as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) under 49 CFR Parts 23 and 26;

and/or certified by the State of Washington OMWBE.

“AVL”

Automatic Vehicle Location, including GPS-based vehicle tracking and telematics.

“Dispatcher” An individual responsible for daily operational management of routes, drivers, and incidents

“SE / SPED

Transportation”

Transportation provided to students with disabilities pursuant to Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and applicable federal and state law.

“McKinney-Vento Transportation”

Transportation services required under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

“Platform” or “Solution”

The proposed student transportation routing and operations software, including all hosted services, mobile applications, integrations, and related components.

“SIS” Student Information System. The District’s SIS of record is Synergy.

Additional definitions are provided in the Portland Public Schools Public Contracting Rules, adopted 2026:

http://www.pps.net/Page/1584

1.4 RFP Questions, Clarifications and Changes

Any Proposer requiring clarification of the information provided in this solicitation must submit specific questions or comments in writing to the Procurement Contact shown on page 1 of this document. Email is the preferred form of written communication. The deadline for submitting such questions is shown on page 1 of this document.

Questions should be transmitted by email and should include the solicitation number and title in the subject line of the email. Wherever possible, all questions for a single solicitation should be grouped together in a single email. Such emails must only address one solicitation. If a prospective Bidder has questions across multiple solicitations, the Bidder should submit separate emails for each solicitation, labeled by solicitation number and title.

The District may at its sole discretion reject questions or requests that do not adhere to these guidelines.

If selected for award, a proposer will be expected to execute a contract with the material terms and conditions of the sample contract included with the solicitation documents. The material terms and conditions of the sample contract may be modified at the sole discretion of the owner upon determination that the modification is in the best interest of the owner.

If the proposer selected for award as a result of this RFP fails to agree to a contract with the material

Page 6 of 22 Rev. 060425 terms and conditions of the sample contract attached, the District may terminate negotiations with the proposer and commence negotiations with the next highest ranked proposer.

1.4.1 Addenda

If the District determines that additional information or interpretation is necessary, such information or interpretation will be supplied in addenda, posted on PlanetBids.

Those who have registered their interest in the solicitation through PlanetBids will be notified of addenda via email. Addenda shall have the same binding effect as though contained in this RFP.

The Director of Purchasing & Contracting or designee shall issue all addenda not less than 72 hours prior to the submission deadline.

Statements made by the District’s representatives are not binding on the District unless confirmed by written addendum.

1.5 Equity in Public Purchasing & Contracting Policy

The District is dedicated to increasing contracting opportunities for minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, disadvantaged businesses, and emerging small businesses (“Certified Businesses”). Certified Businesses are strongly encouraged to submit proposals in response to this RFP. In addition, all proposers should seek opportunities to partner or subcontract with Certified Businesses in this work as well as participate meaningfully in minority and women workforce development.

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2 Scope of Work

2.1 Scope of Work

This Scope of Work defines the requirements for a cloud-based SaaS student transportation routing and operations Platform, and the services required to implement, host, and support it. The proposed Solution is intended to replace and consolidate current routing tools, manual workarounds, and disconnected point solutions used by PPS for student transportation, and to provide a foundation for future capabilities such as student ridership badging, electric-vehicle fleet management, and advanced predictive analytics.

2.1.1 Vision and Business Drivers

Vision: Empowering student success through exceptional service and operational excellence. The Office of Integrated Operations exists to make greatness possible behind every classroom, every meal, every building. With equity at our core and excellence as our standard, we ensure operations uplift every student’s journey. Student transportation is a foundational condition for learning: when it fails, instructional time, attendance, and family confidence are all degraded.

The District has defined the following business drivers for this procurement:

Conditions for Learning — reliable, on-time delivery across all service categories; audit-defensible documentation of special education and McKinney-Vento services; equity-aligned family communication in preferred languages.

Operational Reliability and Responsiveness — real-time operational visibility; dynamic rerouting and incident management; reduction of manual dispatcher and analyst effort through automation.

Data-Driven Decision Making — KPI dashboards for on-time performance, ridership, utilization, deadhead miles, driver productivity, and compliance; a PPS-owned outbound operational data feed; centralized configuration PPS can manage post-implementation.

Modernization — self-service for dispatchers, schedulers, and school-site users; a mobile-first driver experience; readiness for EV, AI-supported routing, and ridership badging.

Equity — equity-aware route design including hazard mapping and walk-zone management; multilingual family communication; defensible service standards for students with disabilities and students experiencing homelessness.

Risk — minimize redundant tools and shadow IT; meet District security, redundancy, and resilience requirements; support standardized, repeatable process health assessments.

2.1.2 Proposed Deployment Methodology

PPS will consider both a phased approach and a single-cutover (“big bang”) approach, and expects the Vendor to recommend an approach grounded in implementation experience with K-12 districts of comparable size and complexity. At minimum, PPS expects:

A parallel operations period of no less than 90 operating days prior to full production cutover, with PPS retaining authority to extend.

A documented rollback plan executable within a defined window.

Cutover scheduled to avoid the first 60 operating days of the school year and the period surrounding the start of the second semester, unless explicitly approved by the District.

2.1.3 Future-State Architecture and Business Capabilities

The Solution must address the capabilities below. Detailed functional requirements are provided in Attachment E. The list is a summary, not a complete requirements list.

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Capability Functions

Routing and Scheduling

Automated route generation; route optimization; multi-tier bell alignment;

dynamic rerouting; boundary and walk-zone management; hazard mapping; field-trip and athletics routing; what-if scenario modeling

Special Education Routing

IEP transportation requirement tracking; specialized equipment tracking;

aide/attendant assignment; medical and behavioral accommodations;

door-to-door / curb-to-curb workflows; defensible compliance documentation

McKinney-Vento Support

Workflow for in-district and out-of-district placement; rapid route assignment; documentation of authorization and service delivery

Dispatch Operations Dispatcher dashboards; real-time route visibility; incident management;

driver assignment management; late-bus management; weather and emergency scenarios

Driver Tools Mobile driver app; turn-by-turn navigation; student manifest and ridership verification; pre-trip and post-trip inspection; incident reporting

Parent / Guardian Communication

Real-time notifications; opt-in GPS bus tracking; delay notifications;

multilingual support; equity-aware multi-channel delivery

School-Site Visibility Read-only operational views for principals, attendance, and office staff;

managed transportation changes within defined permissions

Reporting and Analytics

KPI dashboards; route efficiency, ridership, on-time performance, driver productivity, fuel/emissions; ad-hoc reporting; outbound data feed to the District data platform

Integrations Synergy SIS; Workday (HR/payroll touchpoints); district SSO; GPS/AVL;

mass notification; PPS enterprise data repository; future-state badging and access systems

Security and Compliance

FERPA, IDEA, CIPA, COPPA, OSIPA; encryption at rest and in transit;

role-based access; audit logs; disaster recovery; SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (or equivalent)

PPS uses Workato as its enterprise integration platform and prefers integrations developed through Workato rather than point-to-point. PPS uses Synergy as SIS of record, is transitioning its ERP to Workday, uses DocuWare for document management, uses AWS and Microsoft Azure cloud environments (U.S. data residency required), and uses a centralized data repository (Snowflake).

The Vendor must describe how the Platform supports these preferences or propose a suitable alternative. Marketing-level AI claims without operational substantiation may be discounted in evaluation.

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2.2 Minimum Requirements

Solutions proposed must meet the minimum requirements outlined below:

2.2.1 Software Platform

Provide core student transportation routing and operations functionality out-of-the-box, relying on configuration rather than code development.

Be offered through a SaaS environment for all capabilities and functions defined in this solicitation.

Meet and maintain State requirements for K-12 districts in Oregon, including applicable Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Department of Transportation requirements for student transportation.

Meet and maintain federal regulatory and statutory compliance, including FERPA, IDEA, McKinney-Vento, Section 504, the ADA, CIPA, COPPA, and applicable FMCSA requirements relevant to student transportation.

Have provided SaaS hosting for student transportation operations in school districts of similar complexity to PPS.

Be hosted in a SOC 2 Type II audited environment with U.S. data residency.

2.2.2 Implementation Services

Have successfully implemented, in the last five (5) years, the proposed SaaS solution for K-12 districts comparable in size and complexity to PPS. Preference will be given to multiple implementations during this time period for K-12 districts comparable in size and complexity.

Provide a hybrid implementation team including, at minimum, a Technical Implementation Lead, a Routing SME with K-12 transportation experience, an Integrations Lead, a Data Migration Lead, a Training Lead, and a Change Manager (CCMP or Prosci certified, or equivalent demonstrated experience).

Identify Key Personnel by name with resumes and prior K-12 implementation experience.

2.2.3 Support Services

Have provided post-deployment support, in the last five (5) years, for K-12 student transportation operations comparable in size to PPS.

Provide support that adapts to changing state and federal regulations affecting K-12 student transportation.

Provide a named Customer Success Manager or Technical Account Manager available during PPS business hours.

2.3 Description of Software Platform

For each in-scope capability, this section provides the business function, the expected level of configuration, the extent of centralization, and required integrations. The Vendor must address each functional scenario in Attachment E with a narrative describing how the Solution fulfills it. Where standard functionality does not match a current PPS process and the process was not identified as a functional scenario, PPS will strongly consider adopting the Solution’s standard functionality.

2.3.1 Routing and Scheduling

Automatically generate printable turn by turn driver directions reports and optimize routes against bell times, student addresses, eligibility rules, walk zones, and hazard areas.

Support multi-tier bell schedules with explicit modeling of trip chaining and vehicle reuse across tiers.

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Provide dynamic rerouting for route changes and have a process for updating data, making changes “live” on a specified effective date.

Provide what-if modeling for bell-time, boundary, walk-zone, and capacity changes prior to publishing.

Provide field-trip and athletics routing integrated with home-to-school operations.

Provide hazard mapping with version control and a defensible audit trail for every route change (who, when, why).

Provide a dynamic road network for the service area that has restriction components that can be triggered based on user defined criteria.

Provide system generated polygons that impact student eligibility and are able to be used as criteria in reporting.

2.3.2 Special Education Transportation

Capture IEP transportation requirements as discrete structured fields: service type, specialized equipment, medical accommodations, behavioral considerations, aide/attendant requirements, and maximum ride time.

Enforce routing constraints based on IEP fields, including preventing assignment to a non-compliant route.

Maintain a defensible audit trail of authorization, route assignment, and service exceptions for every SPED student.

Support rapid route assignment when IEP transportation accommodations change.

Integrate with Synergy so SPED eligibility flags drive workflow without manual re-entry, and provide reporting suitable for state/federal compliance review and records requests.

2.3.3 McKinney-Vento Transportation

Provide a defined workflow for in-district and out-of-district placements, including documentation of authorization.

Support rapid route design or contracted-service placement consistent with the District’s service-level expectation.

Capture documentation sufficient for inter-district reimbursement and maintain status visibility consistent with student privacy and access controls.

2.3.4 Dispatch Operations

Provide a configurable dispatcher dashboard with route status, driver assignment, vehicle status, late-bus alerts, and incident queues, with role-based drill-down to route, vehicle, driver, and student.

Provide incident logging, categorization, escalation, and resolution tracking.

Provide driver assignment management including bid-line, seniority, and call-out workflows configurable to PPS’s collective bargaining context.

Provide alerting on operational thresholds (route late by X minutes, student not boarded, vehicle off-route).

2.3.5 Driver Tools

Operate on commercially available rugged Android/iOS devices with offline capability for connectivity gaps.

Provide turn-by-turn navigation, the daily student manifest with accommodation flags, and ridership verification (scan, tap, manual confirm). Must be able to be exported in PDF format or displayed digitally on any district owned tablet service.

Capture pre-trip and post-trip inspection workflows and structured incident reporting with photo/location capture.

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Authenticate via PPS SSO for District employees, or a vendor-managed identity model for contracted drivers, with full audit logging.

2.3.6 Parent / Guardian Communication

Integrate with any district contracted GPS service and/or parent communication service and/or app. Optionally provide opt-in real-time bus location and arrival estimates and automated (not manual) delay notifications.

Support multilingual communication consistent with PPS language access standards across push, SMS, email, and the District mass-notification platform.

Honor PPS privacy standards; family-facing views must not expose information beyond the family’s own student(s).

2.3.7 School-Site Visibility

Provide read-only views of students assigned to the school’s routes/stops and real-time bus arrival and delay status.

Provide tools to manage routine transportation changes within policy and access controls, and reporting on chronic late/missed transportation affecting attendance.

2.3.8 Reporting, Imports, and Analytics

Provide out-of-the-box KPI dashboards: on-time performance, ridership, utilization, deadhead miles, driver productivity, incident rate, and SPED/McKinney-Vento compliance.

Provide ad-hoc reporting accessible to authorized PPS users without vendor professional services, plus scheduled distribution.

Both automated and manual options for imports, exports and other reporting.

Provide the ability for specified district admin to perform district-initiated imports to all system data fields. The district must be able to perform imports of both spatial and tabular data.

Provide an outbound near-real-time operational data feed compatible with the District data platform; PPS retains ownership of all such data. Dashboards/reports for staff must meet

WCAG 2.1 AA.

2.3.9 Integrations

The Solution shall provide documented, modern APIs (REST/JSON preferred). Integrations with systems of record and district enterprise applications shall be developed through PPS’s Workato platform by the PPS Development Team. The Solution shall provide Single Sign On functionality using SAML2.0 or OAuth / OIDC.

2.3.10 Security and Compliance

The Solution shall meet the requirements in Attachment F (Security Questionnaire), including FERPA, CIPA, COPPA, OSIPA, SOC 2 Type II, encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access control, audit logs, documented disaster recovery and business continuity, vulnerability management, and breach notification.

2.3.11 Functional Requirements

See scenarios and requirements in Attachments E and G.

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2.4 Description of Services

The Vendor is expected to provide a complete suite of hosting, implementation, and support services.

The Vendor’s methodology need not match the sequence below, but the services and responsibilities below must be addressed.

2.4.1 Implementation

Project governance aligned to PPS structure; project management plan, schedule, risk/issue logs, and status reporting; business-process / fit-gap analysis; organizational change management; configuration with knowledge transfer to PPS; workflow development; report and dashboard development; testing (including automation); role-based training for a diverse workforce (dispatchers, drivers, SPED staff, school-site users); data migration with a test-migration plan; and go-live with a defined hypercare period.

2.4.2 Hosting

SaaS hosting in a SOC 2 Type II environment with U.S. data residency; cross-region failover for disaster recovery; documented business continuity; defined uptime SLA with remedies; and a published maintenance-window policy that avoids peak operating times.

2.4.3 Steady-State Support

A named Customer Success / Technical Account Manager; tiered support (Standard / Enhanced / Premium); defined response and resolution targets; and enhanced operational support during peak operating windows (start of school year, schedule changes, severe weather).

2.5 Contractor and Subcontractor Fingerprint-Based Criminal History Verification

Performance under this Contract may require or cause Contractor to have direct, unsupervised contact with students. The District requires all Contractor personnel who may have direct, unsupervised contact with students to pass the District fingerprint-based criminal history verification. The Contractor is solely responsible for the cost of these verifications. The current cost is $94.50 and is subject to change.

Proposers are advised to consider this cost when responding to price proposal evaluation criteria as the District will not pay for, or reimburse, such costs. Additional information about this verification process may be found at https://www.pps.net/Page/184

2.6 Sustainable Business Practices

Proposers should prioritize sustainable business practices, including but not limited to:

a. Apply route optimization strategies when providing services, which reduces dependency on oil, saves money, and reduces climate changes when feasible.

b. Maintain a comprehensive and sustainable waste reduction and recycling plan and, where possible, recycle, reuse, and reduce waste going to landfill.

c. Emphasize local product sourcing.

d. Apply water conservation measures to reduce water loss, water usage, and improve water management; including high efficiency fixtures, employee education, and a comprehensive water conservation management plan with actionable goals.

e. Expand use of renewable energy

f. Maintain a toxic waste reduction plan, including but not limited to the following approaches, as applicable: Using certified green cleaning products (e.g. Ecologo, GreenSeal, etc.); reducing technology toxicity (e.g. using EPEAT registered computers); building or remodeling with the intent to be LEED certified with a focus on the environmental health of buildings; using low VOC paints and sealants; and purchasing new goods with Health Product Declarations (HPD).

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3 Proposal Format, Content, and Submission

3.1 Proposal Format

District proposal standards:

a) Proposal includes a one-page cover letter as the first page of the proposal.

b) Proposal addresses all evaluation criteria in the order presented in 3.2.

c) Proposal is 25 pages or less in length. Attachments B, C, D, E, F, and G should be submitted in separate files, and do not count against the page count. Submit as described below:

a. File: Proposal Response

b. File: Attachments B, D, and G

c. File: Attachments C, E, and F

d) Proposals must be submitted electronically via PlanetBids. No hardcopy submittals will be accepted.

Please do not include sales or promotional materials as part of proposal unless requested.

3.2 Proposal Content

Include the content listed in Table 3.2-1.

Proposals shall include all designated mandatory requirements. Proposals lacking one or more of the mandatory requirements may be rejected as non-responsive. Mandatory requirements are designated by a check mark in the “Mandatory” column of Table 3.2-1 below.

Table 3.2-1

Proposal Content Mandatory Scored Optional Proposer Certifications and Representations, signed in ink or indelible pencil

Attachment B

References Attachment C Price Proposal Attachment D Functional Scenarios Attachment E Security Questionnaire Attachment F Requirements Attestation Attachment G Evaluation Criteria Responses

3.2.1 Attachment B: Proposer Certifications and Representations

Include a completed Attachment B: Proposer Certifications and Representations form, signed in ink or indelible pencil. If submitted electronically via PlanetBids, a scanned copy will be accepted.

Digital and stamped signatures are not accepted.

3.2.2 Attachment E: Functional Scenarios

Please limit your scenario responses to no more than three pages per scenario.

3.2.3 Attachment G: Requirements Attestation

Proposers must sign and include this attestation. Attachment G must be attested to in its entirety to be considered responsive.

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3.3 Proposal Responses to Evaluation Criteria

Address each of the following Evaluation Criteria completely, and in the order provided:

3.3.1 Written Evaluation Criteria

A. Narrative Functional Scenarios and Functional Fit

Per Sections 2.2-2.4 and Attachment E. An ideal proposal meets each functional requirement with minimal customization, with particular strength in routing optimization, special education routing, dispatch operations, and parent communication.

Maximum Points Available: 600

B. Qualifications and Experience

Three projects of similar scope/size with comparable K-12 districts (dates, client, cost), proposed team and experience, past performance, references (Attachment C), and staff capacity.

Available: 100

C. Internal Workforce Equity and Diversity Practices

Describe your local/regional workforce demographics and any measurable steps taken to ensure a diverse internal workforce (e.g., women and people of color).

How do you approach internal on-the-job training, mentoring, technical training, and/or professional development opportunities for women and people of color?

What strategies do you use to overcome any existing lack of regional or industry diversity in order to ensure a diverse internal workforce?

List the top three actions/ongoing practices you have implemented to ensure a diverse workforce is represented at all levels (e.g., upper management, middle management and lower-level management).

Reference implementation dates, timelines, and any performance metrics that characterize these achievements.

Available: 50

D. Implementation and Support

Per Section 2.4. Credible implementation methodology, change management, training, parallel operations and hypercare, and ongoing support proportionate to PPS’s scale.

Available: 150

E. Sustainable Business Practices

Describe your organization’s internal and external approaches to the use of renewable energy, including purchasing energy from low carbon and renewable sources, avoiding products that draw power when not in use, and improving the insulation, lighting, and building envelope features of organization facilities.

Provide detail about potential procurement and/or sourcing of products or services from local, small and/or disadvantaged businesses. As possible, identify suppliers and their ownership.

Describe how your organization will perform all the Sustainable Business Practices listed in Section 2.

Describe and include any sustainability accreditations and/or certifications your organization holds.

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How does your organization promote use of public transportation and/or telecommuting for its employees?

What business value have you seen from your sustainability efforts?

How does your company’s innovation impact your customers?

Describe your toxic waste reduction plan

Provide the details of your energy conservation efforts in the form of metrics, practices, and/or processes.

An ideal proposal will demonstrate: Offeror prioritizes sustainable business practices within the organization, and has a plan in place to increase sustainability within its operations.

F. Price Proposal

Provide fee as specified in Attachment D.

Price proposal will be evaluated with lowest total five-year proposal cost receiving full points, with all other proposals receiving cost evaluation points proportionately fewer than the maximum based upon the difference from the lowest total five-year proposal cost.

Changes to locked portions of Attachment D may result in Proposal rejection.

Written Evaluation Criteria Total Total Points Available: 1000

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3.3.2 Demonstration Evaluation Criteria

A. Software Product Demonstration

Live execution of a District-provided script covering routing, dispatch, special education, driver mobile, and parent communication on the production-equivalent Solution, without staged screens.

Available: 700

B. Implementation Services Oral Presentation

Proposed team, PPS-specific deployment approach, known risks, and change management/training for dispatcher, driver, SPED, and school-site users.

Available: 300

Written Evaluation Criteria Total

Total Points Available: 1000

3.4 Proposal Submission

Electronic Submittal

Submit electronically via PlanetBids, all required sections of the Proposal must be submitted through the website in accordance with the PlanetBids internal timestamp.

Hardcopy Submittal

No hardcopy submittals will be accepted.

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4 Proposal Evaluation and Award

4.1 Clarification of Responses

In the event that one or more proposals are in need of clarification, the District will request such clarification in writing and will afford the Proposer(s) contacted an opportunity to respond in kind, with the necessary clarification.

4.2 Proposal Evaluation

The evaluation process of this RFP will be comprised of a written proposal tier (Tier 1) and an interview/demonstration tier (Tier 2). Demonstrations are expected to be in-person.

An Evaluation Committee, consisting of not less than three individuals, shall evaluate the proposals. Each evaluator will independently evaluate and score proposals in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria.

The District may assign certain evaluators specific Evaluation Criteria, in alignment with the evaluator’s expertise.

The District may appoint separate evaluation teams for each tier of the evaluation process.

4.2.1 Ranking of Proposals

Evaluations will be scored by rank. The highest-ranked proposal will be determined as follows:

a) Each evaluator will assign a ranking to each proposal, based on the total score he or she awarded each proposal based on the evaluation criteria points.

b) The proposal to which the evaluator awarded the most points will receive an Evaluator Final Rank of 1. The proposal to which the evaluator awarded the second most points will receive an Evaluator Final Rank of 2, and so forth.

c) The District will then sum the Evaluator Final Ranks for each proposal. The proposal with the lowest total final rank (the sum of all Evaluator Final Ranks) will be ranked first. The proposal with the second lowest final rank will be ranked second, and so on. The proposal with the highest final rank will be ranked last.

4.2.2 Tier 1: Written Proposal Evaluation

a) Each evaluator shall independently score and then rank proposals in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria.

b) District Purchasing & Contracting department, or its designee, shall evaluate fee proposals.

c) The District shall sum the Tier 1 rankings per proposal for a total written evaluation ranking for each proposal.

4.2.3 Establishment of the Competitive Range

a) The District shall establish a Competitive Range after evaluating all responsive proposals in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria.

b) The District anticipates establishing a Competitive Range which will consist of a minimum of one or more Proposers.

c) The District will notify Proposers of the Competitive Range. Notice of Intent to Award issued on PlanetBids shall qualify as this notification in the event there is no Tier 2 evaluation.

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4.2.4 Tier 2: Invitation for Interview

a) The District may invite all Proposers in the Competitive Range to an interview with the Evaluation Committee.

b) At its sole discretion, the District may eliminate the Tier 2 evaluation if the results are unlikely to change the outcome of the solicitation, or if the District determines the Tier 1 evaluation was sufficient for selection

c) No additions, deletions or substitutions may be made to proposals during the interview/presentation that cannot be viewed as clarification.

4.2.5 Tier 2: Interview Evaluation

a) Each evaluator shall independently score and then rank the interview in accordance with the Interview Evaluation Criteria.

b) The District will sum the Tier 2 rankings per proposer for a total interview evaluation ranking for each proposal.

c) After scoring is completed, the District, if necessary, will apply tier weighting to the evaluator ranks.

d) The District will sum weighted Tier 1 total written evaluation rankings and the weighted Tier 2 total interview evaluation rankings to achieve a total rank per proposal.

4.2.6 Best and Final Offers

a) At its sole discretion, the District may require Best and Final Offers.

b) At its sole discretion, the District may re-establish the competitive range, based on written and interview rankings. If the District exercises this option, it will require Best and Final Offers from Proposers within the re-established Competitive Range.

c) In the event District requires Best and Final Offers, it shall establish a common date and time by which eligible Proposers must submit such Best and Final Offers. The District shall evaluate Proposals as modified by the Best and Final Offer, and on the basis of the Evaluation Criteria.

d) If a Proposer does not submit a Best and Final Offer or a notice of withdrawal, the Proposer’s original proposal shall be construed as its Best and Final Offer.

4.2.7 References

The District reserves the right to investigate references, including customers other than those listed in a Proposer’s submission. This inquiry may include without limitation, investigation of past performance of any Proposer with respect to its successful performance of similar projects, compliance with specifications and contractual obligations, completion or delivery of a project on schedule, and its lawful payment of employees and subcontractors.

4.3 Notification of Intent to Award

The District shall notify Proposers of its Intent to Award by posting such notification on PlanetBids.

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4.4 Negotiation

a) After the District has issued the Notice of Intent to Award, the District will commence serial negotiations with the highest-ranked eligible Proposer.

b) At any time during negotiations, the District may terminate negotiations with the highest ranked Proposer, or the eligible Proposer with whom it is currently negotiating if the District believes that:

i. The eligible Proposer is not negotiating in good faith; or

ii. Further negotiations or negotiations with the eligible Proposer will not result in the parties agreeing to the terms and conditions of the final Contract in a timely manner.

c) If the District terminates negotiations with an eligible Proposer, the District may then commence negotiations with the next highest-ranked eligible Proposer.

d) The District reserves the right to negotiate final contract terms with the selected Proposer(s) to the fullest extent allowed by law and as in the best interest of the District.

5 Solicitation Terms and Conditions; Protest of Solicitation or Award

5.1 Solicitation Document

This solicitation document may be viewed at the Portland Public Schools Bid Desk, located at the Blanchard Educational Service District Building, 501 N. Dixon St., 2nd Floor, Portland, Oregon 97227.

5.2 Proposer Cost of Response Preparation

Proposers will bear sole responsibility for all costs incurred in preparing and providing their proposals in response to this RFP.

5.3 Submitted Materials are District Property

All materials submitted for any proportion of a Proposal in response to this RFP, or during any tier of this solicitation, will become the property of the District and will not be returned to proposers.

5.4 Proposal Validity

Proposals will remain valid for a period of 90 days following the Proposal submission deadline.

5.5 Solicitation Cancellation, Rejection of a Proposal or All Proposals

The District may cancel the Procurement or reject any or all Proposals in accordance with ORS 279B.100.

The District is not liable to any Proposer for any loss or expense caused by or resulting from the cancellation of a solicitation or rejection of a Proposal.

5.6 Disputes

In case of any doubt or difference of opinion as to:

a) The items or service to be furnished under this RFP, or

b) The interpretation of the provisions of the RFP, the decision of the District will be final and binding upon all parties.

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5.7 Publicity

News releases relating to this RFP will not be made without prior approval by, and in coordination with, the District Community Involvement and Public Affairs Department.

5.8 Preference for Recycled Materials

The District will give preference for Recycled Materials as set forth in ORS 279A.125 if:

a) The Recycled Product is available;

b) The Recycled Product meets applicable standards

c) The Recycled Product can be substituted for a comparable non-recycled product; and

d) The Recycled Product’s costs do not exceed the costs of non-recycled products by more than 5%, or a higher percentage if the District makes such a written determination.

5.9 Performance within state of public printing, binding and stationary work

a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, all printing, binding and stationery work, including the manufacture of motor vehicle registration plates and plates required to be affixed to motor carriers, for the state or any county, city, town, port district, school district, or other political subdivision thereof, will be performed within the state. All requests for proposals and all contracts for such work shall so stipulate.

b) The work referred to in subsection (a) of this section may be performed outside the state if it is established that:

i. The work cannot be performed within the state;

ii. The lowest price for which such work can be procured within the state exceeds the charge usually and customarily made to private individuals and corporations for work of similar character and quality; or

iii. All proposals for the work, or any part thereof, are excessive and not reasonably competitive.

5.10 Confidentiality

a) The District is subject to the Oregon Public Records Law (ORS 192.311 to 192.478), which requires the District to disclose all records generated or received in the transaction of District business, except as expressly exempted in ORS 192.345, 192.355, or other applicable law. Examples of such exemptions include: trade secrets (ORS 192.345 (2)) and computer programs (ORS 192.345 (15)).

b) The District will not disclose records submitted by a proposer that are exempt from disclosure under the Oregon Public Records Law, subject to the following procedures and limitations:

i. The Proposer shall mark all proposal pages containing the records it has determined as confidential under Oregon Public Records Law and shall segregate those pages in the following manner:

a. Such pages will be clearly marked “Confidential” on each page of the confidential document.

b. Proposer will separate confidential pages from its other Proposal pages by providing the confidential pages to the District in a separate envelope or package.

c. In its proposal, Proposer will cite the specific statutory exemption in Oregon Records Law exempting such pages from disclosure.

d. Items 5.10 a) and 5.10 b) will prevail in the event these provisions conflict with formatting or response instructions elsewhere in this document.

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e. Proposers may not mark an entire Proposal confidential. Should a proposal be submitted in this manner, the District will hold no portion of the proposal as confidential, unless such a portion is segregated as per 5.10 b) and is determined exempt from Oregon Public Records Law.

c) Notwithstanding the above procedures, the District reserves the right to disclose information that the District determines, in its sole discretion, is not exempt from disclosure or that the District is directed to disclose by the Multnomah County District Attorney or a court of competent jurisdiction.

d) Prior to disclosing such information, the District will make reasonable attempts to notify the proposer of the pending disclosure.

5.11 Protests

5.11.1 Protest of Solicitation or Contract Documents

a) Any Proposer wishing to protest this RFP or any provision, specification or contract term herein, must submit such questions, comments or protests to:

b) The Procurement Contact and Bid Desk location listed on the first page of this RFP.

c) The deadline for submitting such protests is the same date as the deadline for questions listed on the first page of this RFP.

5.11.2 Content of Solicitation Protest

The prospective Proposer’s written solicitation protest must include all of the following:

a) Sufficient information to identify the solicitation that is the subject of the protest;

b) The grounds that demonstrate how the procurement process is contrary to law or how the solicitation document is unnecessarily restrictive, is legally flawed, or improperly specifies a Brand Name;

c) Evidence or supporting documentation that supports the grounds on which the protest is based; and

d) A statement of the desired changes to the Procurement process or the solicitation document that the prospective Proposer believes will remedy the conditions upon which the prospective Proposer based its protest.

5.11.3 Protest of Contract Award

a) Adversely affected Proposers who wish to protest the Competitive Range, proposal rejection as non-responsive, the Intent to Award a contract, may do so providing:

i. The Proposer is adversely affected because the Proposer would be eligible to be awarded the contract in the event that the protest were successful: and

ii. The reason for the protest is:

iii. All higher-ranked proposals are non-responsive;

iv. The District has failed to conduct the evaluation of Proposals in accordance with the criteria or processes described in the solicitation materials;

v. The District has abused its discretion in rejecting the protestor’s Proposal as non-responsive or;

vi. The District’s evaluation of Proposals or the District’s subsequent determination of Award is otherwise in violation of Portland Public Schools Public Contracting Rules or the Public Contracting Code.

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b) An affected Proposer may only protest its exclusion from a tier of competition if the Proposer is responsible, submitted a responsive proposal and, but for the District’s mistake in evaluating the Proposer’s offer, or other Proposer Offers, the protesting Proposer would have been eligible to participate in the next tier of competition.

i. All protests must be in writing and physically received by the Director of Purchasing & Contracting or designee no later than 2:00 PM Pacific Time on the seventh (7th) calendar day after the posted Notice of Intent to Award or postmarked rejection. Address protest to the Procurement Contact on the first page of this RFP.

ii. Protests must specify the grounds for the protest including the specific citation of law, rule, regulation, or procedure upon which the protest is based. The judgment used in scoring by individual evaluators is not grounds for protest.

iii. Protests not filed within the time specified in paragraph i. above, or which fail to cite the specific law, rule, regulation, or procedure upon which the protest is based shall be dismissed. An issue that could have been raised by request for clarification or protest of specifications as provided in 5.11.1 is not grounds for protest.

5.12 Intergovernmental Permissive Cooperative Agreement

At the discretion of the Contractor and pursuant to ORS 279A and District procurement rules, other public agencies shall have the ability to purchase the awarded goods and services from the awarded Contractor(s), under terms and conditions of the resultant…