24-25-24_Microtransit_Software_-_Addendum_1.pdf

City of Greenville Request for Proposal

Microtransit Shared Ride Software

RFP #24-25-24

Addendum #1

Date of Addendum: November 21, 2024 Reason for Addendum: 1) Extension of Proposal Deadline and Page Count

2) Response to Questions

1) Extension of Proposal Deadline and Page Count

The proposal due date has been extended to Tuesday, December 10, at 4:00 PM

The proposal page limit has been extended to 60 pages. The total length of the contractor’s proposal (including exhibits) should not exceed 60 pages. Forms required by the City of Greenville to accompany the proposal, such as federal certification forms and MWBE forms, need not be included in the 60-page proposal length limitation.

2) Response to Questions

1 Question: Would you want us to provide a call center for call-in riders with the software or would the agency handle that?

Answer: Call center.

2 Question: How many vehicles does GREAT intend to use for the pilot?

Answer: Two vehicles will be in service during service hours.

3 Question: Does GREAT have desired project kick-off and service launch dates?

Answer: As soon as practical.

4 Question: Will this pilot be replacing Route 4 entirely?

Answer: Yes.

5 Question: Can you share the current annual ridership of Route 4?

Answer: From July 2023 – June 2024, Route 4 Passengers: 32,134. 10.30% of total ridership.

6 Question: Can you elaborate on the current service productivity of Route 4 like passengers per hour?

Answer: Average Route 4 Passengers Per Hour: 12.86.

7 Question: Will this service include any commingling with the existing paratransit service?

Answer: GREAT’S paratransit service will continue to be operated independently by a third-party contractor.

8 Question: Can you clarify any existing systems (e.g., CAD/AVL, payment systems) that need to be integrated with the microtransit platform?

Answer: GREAT is currently working with ETA Transit and Masabi to provide AVL and payment systems.

9 Question: What are the key performance indicators or metrics that will determine the success of the microtransit service during and beyond the pilot phase?

Answer: Key performance indicators include ridership volume, booking success rate, on-time performance, response time, average wait time, cancelation rate, vehicle capacity utilization, customer satisfaction score, and revenue per mile.

10 Question: Could you elaborate on training requirements for staff and ongoing support expectations for the pilot and beyond? Is there a preference for on-site versus remote training?

Answer: On-site training is preferred for startup training. Continuing training and support can be on-site or remote.

11 Question: Has GREAT allocated a separate marketing budget for distributing materials across various channels, or is the marketing requirement focused solely on the vendor's ability to create content that GREAT will then distribute independently?

Answer: GREAT has funding available to produce and distribute marketing materials; however, GREAT expects marketing material, design, and content to be provided by the vendor.

12 Question: Could you clarify the specific requirements for community engagement support?

Additionally, can you provide an estimate of the number of engagements in which you would like our participation during the pilot phase?

Answer: Community engagement support may include participation in project launch event(s), support in public information outreach, and community survey/feedback collection. The number of engagements can be agreed upon as part of the vendor agreement’s scope of work.

13 Question: Since the requirement calls for full grant writing support, would it be acceptable for us to propose hourly rates for this service, given that there is no specified standard pricing form to adhere to?

Answer: Hourly rate is acceptable.

14 Question: Would GREAT consider extending the page limit to 60 pages, especially given the 12pt. font size requirement? This extension would allow us to submit a more comprehensive and detailed proposal. Also, are Appendices included in the page limit?

Answer: The City will extend the page limit to 60 pages including vendor appendices. Forms required by the City do not need to be included in the total page count.

15 Question: Would electronic signatures be acceptable on the required forms?

Answer: Yes.

16 Question: Can the City please provide service area (served by Route 4) details, service hours and service days for this microtransit pilot services?

• Also, kindly provide the area details of the additional zones to be included in the future.

Answer: The microtransit pilot service hours will mirror the fixed route service hours at the time of launch. The whole GREAT system will operate the following hours: Monday – Friday 6:15 AM

– 8:15 PM and Saturday 9:15 AM – 4:15 PM. Please see Exhibit A of this Addendum for a map of the proposed Route 4 pilot service area (in purple) along with a map of proposed additional zones to be implemented after the pilot period. The Route 4 pilot zone will also connect passengers to the G.K. Butterfield Transportation Center at 600 S Pitt Street, Greenville, NC. All fixed routes and microtransit service zones are subject to change.

17 Question: Can the City please provide the budget for the first year and the subsequent years for this pilot project?

Answer: The City will operate a pilot with two vehicles in the Route 4 area as described in Question

16. The pilot will help the City establish a budget for subsequent years and additional zones.

18 Question: Please provide the recent ridership details served by the Route 4.

• Kindly provide the estimated ridership demand in the coming years, if possible.

Answer: From July 2023 – June 2024, Route 4 Passengers: 32,134. Estimated ridership is unknown;

however, GREAT estimates an increase in demand for rides.

19 Question: Can the City provide an estimated number of vehicles that the City anticipates will be needed to run the pilot service?

• If possible, please mention the type of vehicle (EVs, hybrid, wheelchair accessible, etc.) to be used and the seating capacity.

Answer: The pilot will initially have two vehicles in operation at a time within the service area. The microtransit fleet will include four vehicles. Vehicle details are as follows:

Vehicle Ambulatory Passenger Seats

Wheelchair Securement

2024 Toyota Sienna Hybrid Minivan ADA 4 1 2025 Toyota Sienna Hybrid Minivan #1 6 0 2025 Toyota Sienna Hybrid Minivan #2 6 0 2025 Ford Transit-350 High Roof Van 14 1

Additional on-demand vehicles will be added to the microtransit fleet before expansion from the pilot phase to a full hybrid system.

20 Question: Please confirm if the vendors are expected to provide the drivers, vehicles or any other staffs for this project?

Answer: The vendor is not expected to provide drivers or vehicles for this project.

21 Question: Will the City please provide the locations of the local bus stops that needs to be displayed in the rider app?

• Is there any GTFS requirement for this project? If yes, kindly elaborate on the requirement.

Answer: GREAT is currently updating its GTFS, but the current version is available here:

https://greenvillenc.gov/home/showdocument?id=29101.

22 Question: The RFP requests an integration requirement to existing and future systems.

• Can the City please provide the details/ list of the mandatory, optional and future integrations required in this project?

• Kindly confirm if the City will provide the APIs for the integrations or if the vendors need to directly get it from the 3rd parties?

Answer: See response to Question 8.

23 Question: Can the City please confirm if proposal submission is via email/website or via hardcopies mailed to the address provided in the RFP or both?

Answer: Proposals may be submitted digitally via email or physically via postal/delivery service at addresses specified in the RFP document.

24 Question: Can City confirm the anticipated Go-Live date for this microtransit pilot project?

Answer: As soon as practical.

25 Question: Can the City confirm if it has a price proposal format/ form or is open to the vendor’s pricing format?

Answer: The vendor may provide its own pricing format.

26 Question: The RFP states that, “The City of Greenville has adopted a Local Preference Policy, Resolution

No. 056- 13, and a Professional and other Services Policy, Resolution No. 057-13 that may pertain to this project.”

• Can the City please elaborate on this preference policy and confirm, in which circumstances the local preference policy would be taken into consideration in determining the award?

Answer: The Local Preference Policy does not apply to this project.

27 Question: Can the City provide more details re the requirements for the MBE and WBE participation goals? E.g., Does a vendor need to be certified as an MBE and WBE in NC?

Answer: It is the policy of the City of Greenville to provide minorities and women equal opportunity for participating in all aspects of the City's contracting and procurement programs, including but not limited to construction projects, supplies and materials purchase, and professional and personal service contracts. The City of Greenville Minority and Women Business

Enterprise Program (M/WBE) is a voluntary goals program in construction, purchasing, and professional and personal services based on "good-faith efforts." The MWBE goal for minority and women business participation in professional and personal services is 4%. The MWBE Program Plan is available online at https://www.greenvillenc.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/8048/638554226078930000.

The Plan provides additional details on the MWBE program, such as “Provider Good-Faith Efforts.” Vendors are encouraged to participate in the City’s voluntary MWBE Program.

28 Question: Is there any DBE goal for this project?

Answer: GREAT has a goal of 9.375% utilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.

29 Question: Are the vendors expected to provide a certificate of insurance with the proposal submission?

Answer: A Certificate of Insurance is not required with a proposal submission but is required with a contract.

30 Question: The RFP states, “The total length of the contractor’s proposal (including exhibits) should not exceed 40 pages. Forms required by the City of Greenville to accompany the proposal do not contribute towards the page limit.”

• Can City please confirm if the cover page, table of contents, pricing proposal, and supplemental documents will be counted towards the page limit?

• Is it possible to increase the page limit by 10-20 pages enabling the vendors to provide adequate details in their proposals?

Answer: See response to Question 14.

31 Question: Are there any bid or performance bond requirement for this project?

Answer: No.

32 Question: Is it possible for the City to extend the submission date so that the offerors can provide more responsive, solid, and informative proposals?

Answer: The City will extend the submission date by one week, to December 10, 2024.

33 Question: Will the City accept electronic signatures?

Answer: Yes.

34 Question: Can the City clarify how M/WBE participation will be factored into proposal evaluation?

Answer: It is the policy of the City of Greenville to provide minorities and women equal opportunity for participating in all aspects of the City's contracting and procurement programs, including but not limited to construction projects, supplies and materials purchase, and professional and personal service contracts. The City of Greenville Minority and Women Business Enterprise Program (M/WBE) is a voluntary goals program in construction, purchasing, and professional and personal services based on "good-faith efforts." The MWBE goal for minority and women business participation in professional and personal services is 4%. The MWBE Program Plan is available online at https://www.greenvillenc.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/8048/638554226078930000.

Proposals from potential vendors will be evaluated based on the City’s MWBE Program.

35 Question: Would the City accept evidence of good faith efforts from proposers who are not able to meet the City’s M/WBE goals?

Answer: It is the policy of the City of Greenville to provide minorities and women equal opportunity for participating in all aspects of the City's contracting and procurement programs, including but not limited to construction projects, supplies and materials purchase, and professional and personal service contracts. The City of Greenville Minority and Women Business Enterprise Program (M/WBE) is a voluntary goals program in construction, purchasing, and professional and personal services based on "good-faith efforts." The MWBE goal for minority and women business participation in professional and personal services is 4%. The MWBE Program Plan is available online at https://www.greenvillenc.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/8048/638554226078930000.

36 Question: Who is the incumbent contractor currently providing these services?

Answer: There is no current contractor providing microtransit software services.

37 Question: Could you share the contract number for the existing or previous agreement?

Answer: There is no contract for existing or previous agreements related to microtransit software services.

38 Question: What is the total value of the current or previous contract?

Answer: There is no current or previous contract for microtransit software services.

EXHIBIT A

All fixed routes and microtransit service zones are subject to change.