Wilcox County GDOT TPO RFP_ Revised 03252025.pdf

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

FOR THIRD PARTY OPERATION OF TRANSIT SERVICE FOR WILCOX COUNTY

1. NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC) invites proposals for a service provider for the operation of its Section 5311 Rural public transit service, for a one-year period, with an option at the discretion of Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC) to extend for four (4) additional years. This public transit service is a federal and state subsidized service through 49 USC Section 5311, Federal Transit Administration Other than Urbanized Areas Transit Fund Program. Copies of the Request for Proposal (RFP) document may be obtained from:

Michael Pomirko County Manager

103 North Board Street Abbeville, GA. 31001

(229)467-2737 mpomirko@wilcoxcountygeorgia.com

The Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC) seeks proposals from qualified firms or organizations (public, private, non-profit) with experience in all aspects of public transportation administration, planning, management, operations and vehicle maintenance, and coordination with County, County, regional, state, and federal agencies.

The RFP includes the Terms and Conditions and Technical Specification defining the requirements of the Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC) and identifies all significant evaluation factors, listed in descending order of importance.

An evaluation committee will consist of representatives with sufficient technical expertise to adequately address and evaluate proposals received.

The RFP is publicly advertised and issued to all requesters.

Proposers must submit proposals in two (2) parts. The first part includes, but is not limited to technical and contractual proposal, including all required submittals. The second part includes, but is not limited to proposed price and cost data, including all required submittals. All information including the number and names of Proposers is kept confidential, within legal constraints. Each proposal part must be submitted in separate sealed envelopes and be clearly labeled as: Response to Transit RFP – Technical Proposal and Response to Transit RFP – Cost Proposal

Technical proposals should identify any proposed substitution or additional features with an explanation of the benefits they offer the county. It is expected that the cost impact of these benefits will also be reflected in the cost proposal. Price quoted will be for a firm-fixed per service hour cost rate to cover the administrative cost and for the service trips that are generated by the service demand.

This procurement shall conform to the procurement requirements of the Georgia State Purchasing Code, with emphasis on Sections 50-5-67 and 50-5-83.

This procurement process shall also conform to the procurement requirements of the Federal Transit Administration’s Third-Party Contracting Requirements Circular Number C.4220.1f. Per C.4220.1f, this is procurement by competitive proposal/request for proposal.

Public opening of bid of proposals will be held. The Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC) will open the proposals at Wilcox County Board of Commissioners Office, 103 North Broad Street, Abbeville, GA. 31001, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 6:00pm and will distribute the proposals to the evaluation committee for review.

mailto:mpomirko@wilcoxcountygeorgia.com

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The evaluation committee will evaluate the formal proposals received and rank them in order of preference. The evaluation committee may conduct interviews with those firms determined to be within the competitive range.

The Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC) reserves the right to award a contract on the basis of proposals submitted without negotiation, to reject any and/or all proposals, to re-advertise for proposals and to waive any informality in any proposal and to determine the most responsive proposal by its own criteria, as described within the specification.

Discussions will not disclose information contained in competing proposals.

A final ranking of candidates will be made and interview and negotiations held with those proposers determined to be within the competitive range.

PROSPECTIVE PROPOSERS MAY SUBMIT QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE

PROPOSAL. QUESTIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY, Tuesday April 8, 2025

5:00PM LOCAL TIME. QUESTIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING. EMAIL

SUBMISSION OF QUESTIONS IS PREFERRED. QUESTIONS SHOULD BE

DIRECTED TO:

Michael Pomirko County Manager

103 North Board Street Abbeville, GA. 31001

(229)467-2737 mpomirko@wilcoxcountygeorgia.com

Response to Questions:

A response to questions received in writing will be sent to all parties as an addendum to the RFP and posted to Wilcox County website. Only a written addendum to the RFP shall change the RFP language.

The Wilcox County shall not be responsible for oral interpretations.

ALL PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5:00PM, LOCAL TIME ON FRIDAY,

MAY 2, 2025. NO PROPOSALS SHALL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS TIME

AND DATE.

All correspondence and sealed proposals shall be directed to: (Michael Pomirko, County Manager, Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC), 103 North Broad Street, Abbeville, GA 31001). One original and four copies of the proposal should be submitted to Michael Pomirko for review. The county will not be responsible for any costs incurred by Proposers in response to this Request for Proposals

(RFP).

REQUESTS FOR EXCEPTIONS, DEVIATIONS OR APPROVED EQUALS TO THE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND/OR SPECIFICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED

TO MICHAEL POMIRKO NO LATER THAN 4:00PM LOCAL TIME, ON

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025.

Proposing firms must not be on the System of Award Management (SAM) list of ineligible firms. The successful Proposer will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws and regulations. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) shall be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals.

mailto:mpomirko@wilcoxcountygeorgia.com

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2. INTRODUCTION

The Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC) has chosen to initiate an RFP for the operation of rural public transit service, tentatively to begin operation on July 1, 2026. The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to secure the services of a transportation service provider to provide all operations of this service as generally described in this RFP (known as transit service), including service enhancement planning, in accordance with all Federal, State, and County policies, standards, and procedures. The proposed transit service will be designed to operate as a Demand Response Service for Wilcox County and the surrounding areas.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

General. The Wilcox County Board of Commissioners is seeking an outside TPO or firm to provide the operation of its public transportation service, Wilcox County Transit System, under the direction of the County Manager. The scope of this project includes the provision of (list everything expected from the third-party operator) EXAMPLE: all vehicle operators (drivers), maintenance and cleaning of vehicles, supervision of services, dispatching of vehicles, administrative and customer service functions, management oversight, and coordination with County personnel to support grants management functions, transit service enhancements or service modifications.

The following is a description of the key service policies and practices relative to the transit service to be provided:

A. Service Description. Services will be a demand response for all resident of Wilcox County, as approved by the Wilcox County Board of Commissioners.

B. Service Area. Serve all of Wilcox County and the surrounding areas, as designated by the Wilcox County Board of Commissioners.

C. Service Days and Hours. Program must be operated from 6:00a.m. To 6:00p.m. 12 hours per day for at least 260 days per year (5 days/weeks, 52 weeks/year), which will exclude holidays in accordance with policies and procedures set by Wilcox County and Georgia Department of Transportation.

D. Vehicles. The following vehicles will be provided to the successful Contractor by Wilcox County.

4424 2024 Ford StarCraft

SV/L

1FDEU6PG6PKB70602 11 2

4100 2019 Ford Transit V/L

1FMZK1CM3KKBO8511 6 2

4171 2022 Ford Champion

SV/L

1FDEE3FN4NDC06798 11 2

E. Customer Service and Communication Information. The Contractor shall provide for all telephone communications and radio communications between in-vehicle and the office. Contractor shall ensure that adequate staff is assigned to answering these phone lines in a professional and courteous manner and are able to give accurate information to the public about the service and to take, record, and transmit requests to accommodate people with disabilities. Translation service into Spanish and other languages must also be provided on request. A separate (TDD) or other accommodation for hearing impaired persons shall also be provided by the Contractor.

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Scheduling Software. The County shall provide for scheduling and dispatch software as mandated by Georgia Department of Transportation. The County will maintain a service agreement for maintenance of the scheduling and dispatching software. The County is responsible for providing hosting and for all services necessary to maintain the software and for mobile data tablets. The Contractor will be responsible for securing and maintaining Contractor staff computers.

F. Current Fares.

One Way Trip 0—10 Miles (in County) …………. $3.00 Over 10 Miles (in County) ………. $5.00

Outside County…………. $5.00+ $.50 per mile over 10 miles

Discounts Senior Citizens—50% off

(Any person 60 yrs. of age and over) Frequent Rider—50% off

G. Ridership and Operational Data. (

Table 1. These numbers are for planning purposes only and not a guarantee of any kind by the County of the number of hours or miles of service to be delivered by the TPO.

EXAMPLE: Table 1: Ridership and Operational Data

FY2024 Rides Service Hours Miles

Demand Response 4,889 4,007 63,563

TPO Responsibilities.

The TPO shall, under specific terms and conditions, provide services as directed by the Wilcox County Board of Commissioners (BOC). The TPO shall be responsible for the following:

The drivers must accept all trip requests related to him/her by the dispatcher so long as they are within his/her specified service area and within the specified service time. There shall be no right of refusal based on vehicles availability (except the passenger maximum load factor) or any consideration other than verifiable catastrophic mechanical failure of the vehicles in the fleet;

The vehicles must be on time, unless there are extenuating circumstances beyond the Contractor's or driver's control. A 95% on-time performance rate is required. Notification must be given by the Contractor to the passenger in the event of unavoidable delays;

For social service clients, drivers must wait five (5) minutes after the appointed pick-up time before a passenger can be considered a no-show. (A no-show is a passenger who is not at the appointed pick-up location at the scheduled time and who has not informed the Contractor in advance that he/ she would be absent)

Drivers shall offer assistance to all passengers as needed to board and depart from the vehicles;

secure all wheelchairs according to ADA requirements, and request that all passengers buckle their seatbelts;

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Drivers shall not smoke, eat or drink while passengers are in the vehicles, Drivers shall enforce with the passengers the policy of no smoking, eating, and drinking in the vehicles; the driver shall notify the supervisor if a passenger refuses to observe the policy.

Drivers shall maintain daily records of mileage, time, type and number of trips, and passenger types as required by GDOT and the County. These records shall be turned in to Contractor on a weekly basis.

Drivers shall inform supervisors of any passenger complaints. Thereafter, the supervisors shall complete passenger complaint forms and send copies to the County for record purposes or for any appropriate action if necessary. The complaint shall be filed with the County within one (1) week from the date of the occurrence.

The County, through the Contractor, shall inform the appropriate social services agency representative regarding any difficulties experienced in transporting an agency client, whether related to safety, behavior, or other reason;

Drivers and Contractor are prohibited from soliciting or accepting any tips or other forms of gratuity other than the approved fare from system riders.

The TPO shall, under specific terms and conditions, provide services as directed by Wilcox County. The Contractor shall be responsible for the following:

A. Day-to-day supervision of Transit Drivers. In addition, provide required training as prescribed by GDOT and/or other service agencies which Wilcox County elects to enter into a Purchase of Services agreement.

B. Implementation of such service expansions or improvements as may be recommended by Contractor and approved by County, or as may otherwise be agreed upon between the parties from time to time.

C. Fleet Management. Vehicle maintenance will be performed in accordance with Wilcox County maintenance policy. Any lift repairs shall be made within (5) business days. Vehicles shall be subject to inspections by GDOT representatives. DOT inspections will occur on an annual basis and in accordance with the Vehicle Monitoring Form. The Contractor shall submit the invoices of any work to the County for subsequent submission to the GDOT expenses in the Format provided in Exhibit I. These invoices shall be part of the Monthly Reports. The payment for these repairs and component replacements shall be made by the Contractor and charged to the current Section 5311 Program Budget. Vehicles utilized for the Section 5311 Program shall be parked overnight and on weekends at places to be designated by the County. Mechanics must meet all requirements for a safety-sensitive employee described in the County’s Zero Tolerance

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Policy

D. Staffing and Supervision. The Contractor shall be responsible for hiring and properly training all personnel necessary to successfully complete the project including drivers, maintenance personnel, dispatchers, and supervisors. Costs for all personnel, including drivers, supervision and management, and other necessary staff, shall be included in the Contractor’s proposed cost per unit. To ensure the highest quality of service the County requires that the Contractor meets the minimum staffing requirement included in Table 2. The Contractor shall hire and properly train an On-site Office Manager located in the County facility, who has overall responsibility for managing the transit service program efficiently and effectively. The Contractor’s Office

Manager shall be regularly accessible to County Transit Administrator to deal with daily

P a g e | 6 operational issues and to resolve policy issues. The On-site Office Manager shall be the point of contact for communication between the County Transit Administrator and the Contractor regarding aspects of the service and its management. The Contractor shall maintain a Supervisor on-duty and accessible during all hours that transit service is in operation. The Contractor shall also provide an emergency contact person to the County for unforeseen circumstances outside normal service operating hours. Telephone information lines shall also be staffed by knowledgeable and courteous customer information personnel The Contractor shall be responsible for provision of service in a safe, efficient, and effective manner.

Dispatching shall be carried out in a manner which maximizes the productivity of service, while meeting the standards for service quality established by the County. In assigning drivers to transit service, the Contractor shall ensure that all transit service drivers meet the minimum requirements to comply with GDOT and FTA.

The County shall have no liability or obligation to the Contractor or the Contractor’s employee who by reason of his/her motor vehicle record or any other reason is removed from the

County’s.

EXAMPLE: Table 2: Minimum Staffing Requirements

Minimum Staffing Requirements

Position Responsibility Minimum Required

Management

General Manager Primary contact for the County, Responsible for management of Operations and Maintenance managers

Operations Manager

Responsible for day-to-day management of Dispatchers and drivers

Maintenance Manager

Responsible for Day-to-day management of vehicle and facility maintenance not provided by the County.

Must be SAE Certified

Non-management Staff

Mechanic (must be SAE certified mechanics) 2

Porter/Utility 1

Dispatcher/Scheduler 3

Driver Needs of the Business

E. TPO Driver Responsibilities, The primary responsibility of the Contractor’s drivers shall be the safe operation of vehicles and safe transport of transit service customers. The Contractor shall take all necessary steps to ensure that drivers and other Contractor employees are properly trained and proficient with respect to all elements of safety in the operation of vehicles and transport of passengers. Driver responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Conducting a proper pre-trip inspection of the vehicle prior to leaving the Contractor’s facility and documenting the inspection.

• Wearing seat belts at all times while vehicles are in operation.

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• Ensuring that passengers are encouraged to wear seat belts where available at all times while vehicles are in operation.

• Using the highest degree of care in loading, unloading, and securing all wheelchairs, scooters and other passenger accessibility devices.

• Properly assisting all passengers with safe entry and exit from the vehicle.

• Driving safely and displaying proper respect and courtesy to other motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians.

• Obeying and following all traffic laws and regulations at all times.

• Not driving any transit service vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

• Reporting all vehicle or passenger accidents immediately to the Contractor’s dispatcher.

• Not leaving the scene of any vehicle or passenger accident without the permission of proper authorities and/or the Contractor’s dispatcher.

• Utilizing all safety and emergency equipment properly and at appropriate times.

• Having valid driver’s license and Department of Transportation (DOT) medical exam in possession at all times while operating Contractor’s vehicle.

• Reporting road calls to the Contractor’s dispatcher promptly.

• Treating all passengers and the general public with courtesy and respect at all times.

• Respect all of the transit system and use best efforts to keep tensions low and ensure safety at all times when dealing with difficult users or situations.

• Having good knowledge of the service area to ensure efficient and effective service.

• Collecting proper fares from all passengers.

• Notifying the Contractor’s dispatcher prior to leaving a scheduled pickup if the customer is a no-show.

• Legibly recording actual pickup and drop-off times on the daily driver manifest as well as actual mileage, no shows, cancellations, and any other pertinent data.

• Wearing official uniforms in a neat and appropriate manner.

• Properly identifying themselves to customers upon request.

• No eating, drinking, smoking or playing loud music while operating a vehicle.

• Providing for customer comfort by keeping the vehicle interior at comfortable temperatures at all times.

• Not entering any customer’s home or other private residence at any time.

• Turning the vehicle engine off and removing the keys from the ignition and carrying them on the driver’s person in the event the driver has to leave the vehicle.

• Allowing ambulatory passengers to use the wheelchair lift upon request of the passenger.

F. Marking of Transit Vehicles. Vehicle marking is normally the responsibility of GA DOT.

However, in the event Wilcox County was to receive a vehicle by a transfer from another 5311

Program, it would be the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure the vehicle was properly marked.

G. Fare Collection. The Contractor is responsible for the collection, accounting, and safeguarding of proper fare revenues from all passengers.

H. Billing. The Contractor shall invoice the County monthly. All invoices shall be timely and

P a g e | 8 correct. Contractor shall use Exhibit H for billing purposes. Service Trips (ST) are to be documented for each route/service. Fare revenue collected by the Contractor for the month will then be deducted from the base reimbursement. Maintenance and technology costs shall be included in the billing unit rate.

Documentation of Service Provided and Maintenance of Financial and Operating Records.

The Contractor shall be responsible for completing and submitting to the County certain forms as designated by the county including, but not limited to: monthly operating data, and any other reasonable data as requested by the County according to requirements of the Federal Transit

Administration’s (FTA’s) National Transit Database. Such data shall be submitted to the County as follows:

Monthly Operating and Financial Data.

No later than ten (10) days following the end of a calendar month, the Contractor shall deliver to the

County, monthly operating & financial data including the following for each service mode: total passenger trips carried, total miles, total hours, total road calls, total collision accidents, missed trips, hours operated along with an invoice, and a profit and loss statement for services provided under the resulting contract.

National Transit Database Data.

The Contractor shall collect passenger mile data in designated sampling years per the Federal Transit

Administration National Transit Database (NTD) requirements and submit it to the County within 60 days following the end of the calendar year. The Contractor shall collect any other financial or operating data as required by the NTD.

Vehicle Maintenance Records.

The Contractor shall fully document in a timely manner all vehicle preventative maintenance activities, vehicle corrective repairs, vehicle accessibility equipment repairs and preventative maintenance, and vehicle cleaning. The Contractor shall allow the County to review such records immediately upon request.

Drug and Alcohol Testing Records and Data.

The Contractor shall fully document all testing records in full compliance with the current Federal

Transit Administration (FTA) regulations for drug and alcohol testing. This shall include records for pre-employment, random, post-accident, self-reporting, reasonable suspicion, and follow-up testing.

Such records shall be maintained in accordance with FTA regulations and the Contractor shall allow the County to review such records immediately upon request. The Contractor shall report drug and alcohol testing data to the County a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis as may be required by the

U.S. DOT or FTA.

Training Records.

The Contractor shall maintain records of all employee training and allow the County to review such records immediately upon request. The Contractor shall preserve and make available all

P a g e | 9 such records listed above during the term of the agreement and for a period of three (3) years from the date of final payment. Administrative costs relating to recordkeeping and data collection shall be at the Contractor’s expense.

Records which relate to litigation or the settlement of claims arising out of the performance of the resulting agreement, or costs under the resulting agreement as to which exception has been taken by the auditors, shall be retained by the Contractor until such litigation, claims, or exceptions have reached final disposition.

J. Right of Entrance on TPO Occupied Property, The Contractor shall permit and allow any and all duly authorized County employees or representatives to enter upon any part of the

Contractor’s occupied property or facilities for the purpose of inspecting facilities and equipment, inspecting and/or auditing financial or operating records, and for other matters relevant to the project upon from the County of its intent to make such entry. No notice shall be required for on-road vehicle inspections to be conducted by the County. The Contractor shall instruct its drivers to allow County personnel and official representatives to have right of entry on vehicles upon showing proper identification.

K. Training. The Contractor shall be responsible for properly training all personnel necessary to successfully complete the project including drivers, dispatchers, and supervisors. The required training will include; HIPPA training for all personnel that meets or exceeds HIPPA privacy regulations. All training costs shall be at the expense of the Contractor. At a minimum, all

Contractor employees shall be trained as follows:

Prior to operating any vehicles for the County’s transit service, each Contractor driver shall complete the following training: basic class in first aid; driver sensitivity training with respect to meeting the needs of persons with disabilities; passenger assistance techniques or comparable training; drug and alcohol awareness training, blood-borne pathogens training; National Safety

Council defensive driving course or comparable class as approved by the County in advance.

Upon hiring, provide reasonable suspicion for drugs and alcohol training for all Dispatchers and supervisors.

L. Insurance Requirements. The Contractor shall be required to maintain at its expense at all times during the duration of the resulting contract the following insurance coverage:

• Workers Compensation and Employer’s Liability. Workers Compensation and Employer’s

Liability Insurance shall be maintained at the minimum levels required by the State of Georgia.

• Comprehensive General Liability. The Contractor shall provide and maintain comprehensive general liability coverage for bodily injury (including but not limited to sexual abuse or molestation) and property damage of $3,000,000 combined single limit for any one occurrence.

• Automobile Liability. The Contractor shall provide and maintain automobile liability coverage for all revenue and non-revenue vehicles used in the project for bodily injury and property damage to a combined single limit of $1,000,000 for any one occurrence.

• Collision and Comprehensive. The Contractor shall provide and maintain collision and comprehensive physical damage coverage on all revenue and non-revenue vehicles used by

Contractor or under Contractor’s care, custody or control. Coverage shall be in an amount acceptable to the County but in no event less than replacement cost coverage that would be

P a g e | 10 sufficient to replace damaged or totaled vehicles with vehicles of the same or similar functionality.

• All insurance coverage required to be maintained or provided by the Contractor must be with

Insurance companies licensed and admitted by the State of Georgia. All comprehensive general liability, automobile liability, collision and comprehensive policies must name GDOT and the

County as additional insureds. Certificates of insurance for all the above-listed coverages shall be submitted to the County on an annual basis and when carriers or coverage limits change.

• All insurance costs shall be at the expense of the Contractor. Failure to maintain all insurance coverages for the duration of the project as listed above may result in immediate termination of contract.

All insurance costs shall be at the expense of the TPO. Failure to maintain all insurance coverages for the duration of the project as listed above may result in immediate termination of contract.

M. Accident/Incident Reporting. All accidents involving a transit service vehicle or that result in any personal injury to passengers, drivers or the general public or that result in damage to transit service or other vehicles and/or other property, regardless of severity, shall be reported verbally or by phone or fax or electronic mail to the County Transit Director immediately. A complete written report in compliance with applicable state and federal requirements shall be forwarded to the County Transit Administrator providing details within forty-eight (48) hours of the accident.

The Contractor shall make its employees available to the County for interview as part of the

County’s effort to determine if the accident was preventable. All requests for information from the media concerning accidents or incidents shall be the responsibility of the County. Contractor shall cooperate with the County for participation in media releases and information as directed by the County.

All other incidents or occurrences which happen in the course of service operations involving passengers, altercation, odd behavior, threats, or disputes must be reported verbally by phone, fax or electronic mail to the County Transit Administrator immediately.

N. Performance Monitoring. The County shall periodically monitor Contractor’s performance relative to on-time performance, preventative maintenance adherence, missed passenger trips, availability of safety and accessibility equipment on vehicles, adherence to recordkeeping requirements, customer complaints, vehicle appearance, driver appearance, completion of daily manifests by drivers, functionality of vehicle heating and air conditioning, availability of vehicle communications equipment, and other performance categories. Such monitoring shall be used by the County to determine if the Contractor is meeting performance standards included in this RFP and resulting contract. Upon mutual agreement, at any point during the term of the contract, incentives may be offered for exceeding the performance standards and penalties may be assessed for poor performance. The terms and conditions of the performance incentives and penalties shall be mutually agreed upon and implemented with a contract addendum.

O. Safety and Security. The Contractor shall establish and manage all aspects of a safety and security program including, policies, administration and procedures, personnel and training, safety reporting, and safety training. The Contractor shall document and report security expenditures, manage and account for identifying security problems, employee selection, P a g e | 11 training, public awareness, audits and drills, document control, access control and homeland security as it pertains to 49 USC Chapter 53, Federal Transit Act, Section 5311(D)(1), Security

Expenditures; 49 CFR Part 630. “Uniform System of Accounts and Records and Reporting”; 49

CFR Part 659, and “Rail Fixed Guideway Systems, State Safety Oversight”, as appropriate.

P. Drug and Alcohol Testing. The Contractor shall establish and maintain effective procedures for pre-employment, random, self-reporting, post-accident, reasonable suspicion and follow-up drug and alcohol testing of all safety sensitive employees in full accordance with regulations as promulgated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, FTA, and/or GDOT, as amended. This shall also include regulations relative to the Drug Free Workplace Act.

As an employer, the Contractor is responsible for meeting all applicable requirements and procedures of the U.S. DOT and FTA and for all actions of its officials, representatives, and agents. The Contractor’s good faith use of a service agent is not a defense in an enforcement action initiated by a DOT agency in which Contractor non-compliance may have resulted from a service agent’s conduct. All costs associated with compliance with all aspects of drug and alcohol testing regulations and the Drug Free Workplace Act are the full responsibility of the

Contractor.

Q. Driver Uniforms. The Contractor shall ensure that all its drivers are required to wear a neat and clean uniform, the design of which shall be approved by the County. Costs for all uniform items shall be at the expense of the Contractor.

R. Customer Complaints. The Contractor shall report customer complaints to the County’s

Transit Administrator within forty-eight (48) hours of receipt, including the date and time of complaint, name of person lodging the complaint and their contact information, and the nature of the complaint. The Contractor shall thoroughly investigate each complaint and provide a written response to the County no later than seventy-two (72) hours from receipt of complaint. The

Contractor shall endeavor to resolve substantiated complaints so as to avoid repeat complaints of a similar nature. In the event of complaints of an especially serious or grievous nature, the

County may require written documentation of complaint resolution from the Contractor including investigation findings, and steps taken to correct any problems resulting from actions of the

Contractor’s employees. The Contractor shall forward in writing to the County within forty-eight

(48) hours any complaints it may directly receive from a transit service customer along with a description of its action(s) to resolve the complaint. Failure to resolve substantiated complaints to the reasonable satisfaction of the County may subject Contractor to liquidated damages.

S. Missed Service. The Contractor is responsible for successfully completing and carrying out all scheduled service in a timely manner. The Contractor shall report to the County Transit

Administrator scheduled service missed for any reason. Decisions about suspension of service in bad weather or for other emergency reasons shall be done in consultation with the County Transit

Administrator and confirmed in writing. Excessive missed service may subject Contractor to poor performance penalties.

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T. Incidental Use and Storage of Transit Service Vehicles. The Contractor is prohibited from using transit service vehicles for any purpose other than transit service. Transit service vehicles shall only be stored at the County approved facility or at a maintenance subcontractors’ facility in the event of subcontracted maintenance to be performed.

U. Complaint Resolution. The Contractor is responsible for receiving customer complaints regarding the provision of transit service and responding back to the customer upon investigation by the Contractor. In unusual cases, the county may assume responsibility for complaint resolution. The Contractor is required to report all complaints to the County’s Transit

Administrator within 24 hours of receipt of the complaint. All Title VI and ADA complaints must be forwarded to the County’s Title VI and ADA Officer for investigation.

W. Performance Standards. It is the intention of the County to provide a high-quality transit service within the transit service area. Performance standards have been established that will be monitored by the County during the duration of the project. For performance not delivered in accordance with standards as specified in the following tables, the County will incur additional expense, loss of confidence by system users, negative public image for the program, and other damages. For this reason, compliance with the performance standards shall be monitored. The

County shall have sole discretion in determining whether performance standards have been met or not met. Failure to meet and/or maintain performance standards shall be considered prior to executing any of the contract renewal options. Continued poor performance by the Contractor may result in early termination of the contract.

EXAMPLE: Table 3: Categories of Performance Standards

Category Number

Category Type

Performance Standard Penalty/Incentives

Preventative Maintenance

Preventative maintenance inspections and repair must be completed on time with the manufacturer’s recommended minimum scheduled service. On time maintenance shall be completed on time 90% of time

Failure to maintain at least a 90% on time performance may result in termination of equipment lease agreement and excessive failure to maintain equipment safety after given notice of necessary corrective action may result in contract termination

Accessibility and Safety Equipment

TPO shall maintain all vehicles with all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required accessibility equipment including wheelchair lifts, adequate numbers of securement devices, and all standard safety equipment. Such equipment shall be well maintained and functional at all times.

Failure to maintain at least a 90% on time maintenance and repair may result in termination of equipment lease agreement, and excessive failure to maintain equipment safety after given notice of necessary corrective action may result in contract termination

Repeat Substantiated Complaints

No repeat substantiated customer complaints on the same service issue.

Repeat substantiated complaints may result in the County requesting staff associated with the complaint be terminated or reassigned.

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Reporting Requirement

TPO must promptly report all incidents of vehicle or passenger accidents, road calls, and service interruptions.

Failure to report may result in the County requesting staff associated with the incident be terminated or reassigned. Repeat offenses may result in termination of contract.

TPO

Contacts

Inability by Wilcox County staff to reach TPO’s dispatcher or supervisor within fifteen (15) minutes during times when service is scheduled or operating.

TPO shall submit a corrective action plan identifying the issue that caused the delay in response and how the issue will be resolved.

Data Requirements

TPO must submit monthly operating data as outlined in RFP to Wilcox County not later than 12 calendar days following end of month

Failure to submit date by the 12th without prior County approval will result in delay of payment of the monthly invoice until the data is submitted.

Customer Service/ADA Paratransit Eligibility

TPO must have knowledgeable staff available to the public by telephone or in person at all times of service operation.

Failure to have staff available and meet ADA eligibility determination deadlines may result in financial penalties equal to the number of service hours staff was not available during hours of operation. Delays in processing of ADA eligibility applications will result in a $20.00 per day penalty for each day beyond the processing deadline date.

Inappropriate Use of Vehicles

TPO shall not use vehicle marked or signed with transit service markings for purposes other than transit service without the approval of County.

Unauthorized use of County vehicles shall result in request for termination of TPO staff involved in the unauthorized use up to and including termination of contract if it is substantiated the unauthorized use was directed by TPO management staff.

Demand Response Productivity

TPO shall be accountable for productivity below 2.0 passengers per service hour.

Failure to meet productivity Standards for 3 consecutive months shall require submission of a corrective action report. Continued poor performance may result in non-renewal of the contract. The TPO is eligible for a bonus of 1% of Demand Response portion of the Monthly invoice if Demand Response performance Exceeds 3.5 trips per hour.

14 Staffing levels TPO shall be responsible for maintaining proper staffing levels

Failure to provide adequate Quantity and Quality of staff as identified in this proposal may result in contract termination.

Facility Maintenance

TPO shall be responsible for facility janitorial maintenance to include general office janitorial and janitorial maintenance of bus shelters.

Failure to provide adequate janitorial maintenance as identified in this proposal may result in a penalty of 2% of the Fixed Route portion of the monthly invoice.

X. Fuel. The Contractor is responsible for all fuel purchases. Fueling stations shall be located within

P a g e | 14 the service area to limit unnecessary travel that could impact on time performance.

Z. Local Matching Funds The subrecipient will secure the required local match and provide a list of sources and amounts that will be used to match the FTA operating grant. Farebox revenues must be collected and reported to the subrecipient and the subrecipient must deduct farebox proceeds from the monthly expenses invoiced in order to arrive at the Net Operating Deficit. When/if the TPO is the entity receiving purchase of service revenues directly from DHS or DCH contracts, all revenues must be turned into the subrecipient (agency passing through the federal dollars to the TPO) since the revenues were derived from the use of federal assets, or the drivers were paid with federal funds, and/or a combination of either of these instances.

(Define who is responsible for securing the FTA grant match) EXAMPLE: The TPO is responsible for securing the FTA grant required local match contribution for the County’s public transit program. The TPO must certify as its ability to secure the required local match and provide a list of sources and amounts that will be used to match the FTA grant.

4. COUNTY(Subrecipient) RESPONSIBILITIES

The County shall be responsible, with the cooperation of the TPO, for developing and establishing all policies related to the provision and operation of transit service. Additional responsibilities of the County include the following:

A. Transit Administrator. The County shall appoint a Transit Administrator who shall serve as the TPO’s point of contact and the person responsible for overseeing the TPO’s performance. The Transit Administrator shall be responsible for addressing all media inquiries, etc. pertaining to the service.

B. Marketing. The County is responsible for all marketing and promotion of transit service. This includes development, production and distribution of all literature and other promotional materials. The TPO shall cooperate with the County’s marketing activities.

The County shall also provide at its expense a continually updated website with general information about the transit service complete with information on routes, fares, and policies.

The County shall also complete the design and professional production of a transit system map and schedule for the transit service.

C. Citizen Participation. The County is responsible for planning and conducting all citizen participation meetings and/or public hearings associated with the evaluation of service quality and the development of service improvements. The TPO’s On-Site Manager shall attend these meetings and/or public hearings and participate in them as appropriate.

D. Payment of Invoices. The County review monthly invoices submitted by the TPO to ensure accuracy of requested reimbursement. Adjustments may be made by the County based on monthly audits of data included in daily manifests and service reports. The County shall pay approved TPO invoices, as adjusted, within thirty (30) days of receipt from the TPO.

F. Performance Monitoring. The County is responsible for monitoring the performance of the

TPO and the TPO’s employees in the provision of transit service. Such performance monitoring shall be used to determine compliance with performance standards and performance norms as well as the assessment of continued contracting opportunities.

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5. RFP SCHEDULE - Table 4 shows the estimated schedule for procurement, award, and implementation of transit services.

Table 4: RFP Schedule

Estimated Date RFP Milestone Tuesday, April 1, 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP) issued

Tuesday, April 8, 2025 Deadline for all Questions pertaining to the Request for Proposal 5:00PM, local time

Tuesday, April 15, Request for Exceptions, Deviations, or Approved Equals Due to Wilcox County Board of Commissioners by 5:00PM, local time

Thursday, April 17, Responses Issued to Prospective TPOs on Requests for Exceptions, Deviations, or Approved Equals at 4:00 PM, local time

Friday, May 2, 2025 Proposals Due to:

Wilcox County Board of Commissioners, 103 North Broad Street Abbeville GA. 31001 by 5:00 PM, local time

Tuesday, May 6, 2025 Open Proposals – Commissioners Meeting 103 North Broad Street Abbeville GA. 31001 6:00 PM, local time

Tuesday, May 20, Interviews may be held at Commissioners Meeting Room 103 North Broad Street Abbeville GA. 31001 5:30PM, - local time

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 Selection of TPO (contract award)

Tuesday, June 27, TPO commence operations

6. DEVIATIONS, APPROVED EQUALS, AND EXCEPTIONS

Requests for deviations, approved equals or exceptions to the Request for Proposals and/or Scope of Work must be received by, the County in writing, using the attached "Deviation, Approved Equal, Exceptions Request Form" (see Exhibit C), by Friday, May 2, 2025 5:00PM, local time. Any such request must be fully supported with technical data or other pertinent information as evidence to support that such exception is equal or superior to the specification requirement. The County shall notify in writing those firms submitting such requests of their specific acceptance or rejection, item by item, by Monday, May 5, 2025 at 5:00PM. If formal requests for deviations, approved equals, or exceptions are not received in writing by the due date, submitted proposals will be interpreted to comply with and meet exactly the Wilcox County RFP and Scope of Work.

7. INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

Proposals shall contain information that is relevant and demonstrates the Proposer’s capabilities to successfully provide transit service and undertake the project.

Proposers are responsible for meeting all terms and conditions described in the Scope of Work and in this Request for Proposals (RFP). Proposals shall contain font sizes not less than 11 font and may

P a g e | 16 contain; cover letter, tabs, resumes, and forms. Proposers should provide this information in the order described below. For a proposal to be accepted as responsive, it must fully describe how the Proposer proposes to meet all of the terms and conditions described in the Scope of Work as well as include the following specific items:

A. Description of Firm Qualifications, Proposals shall include a description of the organization or firm including its legal status, authority and or licenses to operate. The description shall include the major business functions, history, and organizational structure including location of firm’s headquarters and major offices, management organization with names and locations of managing director(s) for this project. The description shall include a list of current and past clients for which similar transit services have been provided. Such client list shall include references, including the client organization name, address, contact person, telephone number, number of vehicles operated for client, etc. The Proposer’s responsibilities for the client (i.e. vehicle operations, vehicle maintenance, scheduling/dispatching, etc.)

and years that service was provided should also be identified.

B. Experience with Transit Operations. The Proposer shall describe its experience in bus transit systems and its capabilities to undertake a similar project with the Wilcox County Board of Commissioners. Reference information from a minimum of three (3) current contracts should be provided as well.

C. Description of Personnel to be Assigned, Proposals shall include a description of experience and qualifications of the supervisory personnel assigned to manage the project successfully detailing the positions and the number of employees in each position. In addition, the proposal shall identify by name and describe the experience and qualifications for the individual assigned locally to manage and assist in managing the project. A resume for each person having a supervisory role must be included.

D. Track Record with Safe Transit Operations Proposals shall include a description of the safety history of the Proposer with respect to the provision of contracted bus transit services.

E. Industry Awards and/or Certifications. Proposals shall include a description of any relevant transit industry awards and/or certifications given to the Proposer’s firm or key personnel identified for this project.

F. Description of the Proposed Financial, Management, and Technical Resources. Proposals shall include a description of the firm or organization’s financial resources and history of financial stability. Proposer shall demonstrate financial stability by providing financial statements and/or audits including an income statement and balance sheet, supplemented, if necessary, by evidence of credit line or other resources to demonstrate financial capacity to successfully undertake the project. In addition, the proposal shall include a description of its management plan indicating how it proposes to successfully manage the project, including technical resources. Proposals shall also include a description of the required insurance coverages to be provided, as described elsewhere in this request for proposal. Such description shall include the name of the insurer, A.M. Best rating, and limits of insurance.

H. Description of the Proposed Staffing, Training, Start-up, and Implementation Plan. The Proposer shall submit a staffing plan detailing how it proposes to locate and hire vehicle drivers, mechanics, and other non-supervisory personnel to carry out the project successfully. The staffing plan shall identify and describe the number of vehicle operators, mechanics, dispatchers and any other personnel necessary to carry out the project. The Proposer shall submit a training plan to be used to ensure that the employees in each of the positions are properly trained in the performance of their duties with emphasis on safety, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, and good customer service. A brief description of the proposed training content and schedule shall be included. In addition, the Proposer shall address refresher training including frequency and content. The proposal shall also include an overall project schedule including milestones and proposed completion dates. This project schedule shall identify and describe the key milestones and activities required to assure progress toward successful start-up and on-going implementation of the project.

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I. Description of the Proposed Vehicle Maintenance Plan.