33365_Apr_13_26_solicitation_doc.pdf

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) for the procurement of a Contactless Fare Collection Platform and supporting services for bus services throughout Connecticut. The platform must include validators capable of accepting contactless EMV payments, fare calculation software, mobile ticketing applications, and associated support services. Key deliverables include 730 validators with installation components across eight CTtransit garages, migration of existing Go CT account data, native iOS and Android mobile applications supporting up to 20 transit agencies, and integration with existing cash farebox systems and CTrail rail ticketing. The solicitation opened January 22, 2026, with a mandatory pre-proposal conference scheduled for February 5, 2026 via Microsoft Teams (registration required by February 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. EST). The vendor question and answer period runs from February 6, 2026 through February 19, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Proposals must be submitted electronically to dot.transit@ct.gov and received by April 7, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EDT, with six mailed copies postmarked by the same date. The initial contract term is five years with options for two additional five-year extensions, extending the potential maximum contract term to fifteen years.

Evaluation criteria include technical compliance with 84 distinct requirements organized into five categories, pricing and payment terms competitiveness, and vendor capability to support simultaneous implementation across 13 different Connecticut transit agencies. Vendors must specify pricing, including transaction fees for both open-loop and mobile ticket transactions with potential volume-based discounts, using the provided price schedule template with cost categories for hardware, installation, implementation, annual fixed fees, and annual SaaS support fees. The mobile ticketing application must be revenue-ready within three months of contract notice to proceed. All vendors are eligible to respond with no specific set-aside designations or restrictions on organization types. No incumbent vendor information is identified in the procurement materials. The solicitation indicates that contracts anticipated to exceed $50,000 in annual value will require completion of OPM Form 1, the State of Connecticut Campaign Contribution Certification, at contract execution, suggesting a substantial project investment.