Fixed_Wing_Pilot_Training_PP24-284_(Addendum_#4_Revision).pdf

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION

RFQu-26-0124

FIXED WING PILOT TRAINING PP24-284

CITY OF PHOENIX

FINANCE CENTRAL PROCUREMENT

251 W WASHINGTON STREET

PHOENIX, AZ

85003

RELEASE DATE: January 8, 2026

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: January 15, 2026

RESPONSE DEADLINE: January 30, 2026, 2:00 pm

City of Phoenix

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION

RFQu-26-0124

Fixed Wing Pilot Training PP24-284

1. INTRODUCTION

2. INSTRUCTIONS

3. SCOPE OF WORK

4. EVALUATION PROCESS

5. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

6. SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

7. DEFENSE AND INDEMNIFICATION

8. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

9. SUBMITTALS

10. PRICING PROPOSAL

Request For Qualification #RFQu-26-0124 Title: Fixed Wing Pilot Training PP24-284

1. Introduction

1.1. Contact Information

CeeCee McGee

Finance Central Procurement

Email: ceecee.mcgee@phoenix.gov

Phone: (602) 262-4753

1.2. Schedule of Events

The City reserves the right to change dates, times, and locations, as necessary. The City does not always hold a Pre-Offer Conference or Site Visit. All times in the Schedule of Events are

Local Phoenix, AZ Time.

To request a reasonable accommodation or alternative format for any public meeting, please contact the Procurement Officer (CeeCee McGee) at (602) 262-4753/Voice or 711/TTY, or ceecee.mcgee@phoenix.gov, no later than two (2) weeks prior to the meeting.

Solicitation Issue Date: January 8, 2026

Pre-Offer Conference (Non-Mandatory): January 13, 2026, 12:00pm

WebEx Link Below https://cityofphoenix.webex.com/cityofphoen ix/j.php?MTID=m0959175c65bc93d52d9b5 c48d9a79508

Written Inquiries Due Date: January 15, 2026, 2:00pm

Offer Due Date: January 30, 2026, 2:00pm https://cityofphoenix.webex.com/cityofphoenix/j.php?MTID=m0959175c65bc93d52d9b5c48d9a79508

2. Instructions

2.1. Description – Statement of Need

The City of Phoenix invites sealed offers for fixed wing pilot training for a five-year contract commencing on or about March 1, 2026, in accordance with the specifications and provisions contained herein or the “Effective Date” which is upon award by City Council, conditioned upon signature and recording by the City Clerk’s department, as required by the Phoenix City Code, whichever is later.

This solicitation is available through the City’s Procurement Portal. For technical support issues related to the City's Procurement Portal, Offeror may use the support bubble on the bottom right, or email procurement-support@opengov.com for any assistance. For other issues related to this solicitation please contact the procurement officer listed under Contact Information.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement will terminate upon the earliest occurrence: by reaching the end of the term including any extensions exercised, or termination pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.

2.2. Preparation of Offer

All forms provided must be completed and submitted with the Offer. The signed and completed

Conflict of Interest and Transparency form must be included or your Offer may be deemed non-responsive.

It is permissible to copy Submittal forms if necessary. Erasures, interlineations, or other modifications of the Offer must be initialed in original ink by the authorized person signing the

Offer. No offer will be altered, amended or withdrawn after the specified offer due date and time.

The City is not responsible for Offeror’s errors or omissions.

All time periods stated as a number of days will be calendar days.

It is the responsibility of all Offerors to examine the entire solicitation and seek clarification of any requirement that may not be clear and to check all responses for accuracy before submitting an offer. Negligence in preparing an offer confers no right of withdrawal after due date and time. Offerors are strongly encouraged to:

A. Consider applicable laws and/or economic conditions that may affect cost, progress, performance, or furnishing of the products or services.

B. Study and carefully correlate Offeror’s knowledge and observations with the solicitation and other related data.

C. Promptly notify the City of all conflicts, errors, ambiguities, or discrepancies that Offeror has discovered in or between the solicitation and other related documents.

D. The City does not reimburse the cost of developing, presenting or providing any response to this solicitation. Offers submitted for consideration should be prepared simply and economically, providing adequate information in a straightforward and concise manner. The Offeror is responsible for all costs incurred in responding to this mailto:procurement-support@opengov.com solicitation. All materials and documents submitted in response to this solicitation become the property of the City and will not be returned.

E. Offerors are reminded that the specifications stated in the solicitation are the minimum level required and that offers submitted must be for products or services that meet or exceed the minimum level of all features specifically listed in this solicitation. Offers offering less than any minimum specifications or criteria specified are not responsive and should not be submitted.

F. Offer responses submitted for products considered by the seller to be acceptable alternates to the brand names or manufacturer’s catalog references specified herein must be submitted with technical literature and/or detailed product brochures for the

City’s use to evaluate the products offered. Offers submitted without this product information may be considered as non-responsive and rejected. The City will be the sole judge as to the acceptability of alternate products offered.

G. Prices will be submitted on a per unit basis by line item, when applicable. In the event of a disparity between the unit price and extended price, the unit price will prevail unless obviously in error.

2.3. Fixed Offer Price Period

All offers shall be firm and fixed for a period of 180 calendar days from the solicitation opening date.

2.4. Obtaining a Copy of the Solicitation and Addenda

Interested Offerors may download the complete solicitation and addenda from the City's

Procurement Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/202932. Any interested Offerors without internet access may obtain this solicitation by calling the

Procurement Officer or picking up a copy during regular business hours at the City of Phoenix, Finance Department, Central Procurement Division, 251 W Washington Street, 8th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85003. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to check the City's Procurement Portal, read the entire solicitation, and verify all required information is submitted with their Offer.

2.5. Exceptions

Offeror must not take any exceptions to any terms, conditions or material requirements of this solicitation. Offers submitted with exceptions may be deemed non-responsive and disqualified from further consideration in the City’s sole discretion. Offerors must conform to all the requirements specified in the solicitation. The City encourages Offerors to send inquiries to the

Procurement Officer rather than including exceptions in their Offer.

2.6. Inquiries

All questions that arise relating to this solicitation should be directed via City’s Procurement

Portal and must be received by the due date indicated in the Schedule of Events. The City will not consider questions received after the deadline.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/202932

No informal contact initiated by Offerors on the proposed service will be allowed with members of City’s staff from date of distribution of this solicitation until after city council awards the contract. All questions concerning or issues related to this solicitation must be presented in writing.

The Procurement Officer will answer written inquiries in an addendum and publish any addenda on the City’s Procurement Portal.

2.7. Addenda

The City of Phoenix will not be responsible for any oral instructions made by any employees or officers of the City of Phoenix regarding this solicitation. Any changes will be in the form of an addendum. The Offeror must acknowledge receipt of any/all addenda through the City's

Procurement Portal.

2.8. Licenses

If required by law for the operation of the business or work related to this Offer, Offeror must possess all valid certifications and/or licenses as required by federal, state or local laws at the time of submittal.

2.9. Certifications

By signature in the Offer section of the Offer and Acceptance page(s), Offeror certifies:

• The submission of the Offer did not involve collusion or other anti-competitive practices.

• The Offeror must not discriminate against any employee, or applicant for employment in violation of Federal or State Law.

• The Offeror has not given, offered to give, nor intends to give at any time hereafter, any economic opportunity, future employment, gift, loan, gratuity, special discount, trip, favor, or service to a public servant in connection with the submitted Offer.

2.10. Submission of Offer

Offers must be in possession of the Department on or prior to the exact time and date indicated in the Schedule of Events. Late offers will not be considered. The prevailing clock will be the

City Department’s clock.

Offers should be submitted electronically via the City’s Procurement Portal by clicking on “Draft

Response” via https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/202932. Offerors that are unable to submit electronically should contact the Procurement Officer to discuss the logistics of hard copy submittals. Offerors must be registered with OpenGov by signing up via https://procurement.opengov.com/signup. Vendor training guides can be found at: https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/article/ca6d1285-1e48-4a21-bb0d-715edb7794ed

Any original documents (such as bonds, guaranties, powers of attorney), if required by the solicitation, must be separately delivered to and received by the City on or prior to the exact time and date indicated in the Schedule of Events, with a clear indication of the Offer for which it is attributed.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/202932 https://procurement.opengov.com/signup https://opengov.my.site.com/support/s/article/ca6d1285-1e48-4a21-bb0d-715edb7794ed

It is the responsibility of the Offeror to ensure that the Offer is timely and to confirm that there are no technical reasons that any offer submitted electronically may be delayed. The date and time on the upload as received/stamped by the City’s Procurement Portal will provide proof of submission and verification whether the Offer was received on or prior to the exact time and date indicated in the Schedule of Events.

For assistance with submittals, vendors are welcome to use the OpenGov support chat (blue chat bubble in the bottom right corner) to connect with a member of OpenGov's support team who will be able to assist you with your submission.

Please DO NOT submit links to Google Docs, Dropbox Paper, or similar services. Your offer may be deemed non-responsive if your offer is supplied utilizing these services.

2.11. Withdrawal of Offer

At any time prior to the solicitation due date and time, an Offeror (or designated representative) may withdraw the Offer by clicking “Unsubmit Response” on the Offer submission via the City’s

Procurement Portal.

2.12. Offer Results

Offers will be opened on the offer due date, time and location indicated in the Schedule of

Events, at which time the name of each Offeror, and the prices may be read. Offers and other information received in response to the solicitation will be shown only to authorized City personnel having a legitimate interest in them or persons assisting the City in the evaluation.

Offers are not available for public inspection until after the City has posted the award recommendation on the City's Procurement Portal.

The City will post a preliminary offer tabulation on the City's Procurement

Portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/202932 within five business days of the offer opening. The City will post the information on the preliminary tabulation as it was read during the offer opening. The City makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of any information on the preliminary tabulation. Once the City has evaluated the offers, the City will post an award recommendation on the City's Procurement Portal. By signing and submitting its

Offer, each Offeror agrees that this posting of the award recommendation to the City's

Procurement Portal effectively serves as the Offeror’s receipt of that notice of award recommendation. The City has no obligation to provide any further notification to unsuccessful

Offerors.

2.13. Special Requirements

The Offeror(s) must be a Certified pilot school, registered with the appropriate regulatory agency.

In order for an RFQu response to be considered, the Offeror shall comply with Phoenix City

Code, 1969, Chapter 18, Article V, as amended, Equal Employment Opportunity Requirements.

Any questions in regard to these requirements shall be directed to the Equal Opportunity

Department, (602) 262-6790.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/phoenix/projects/202932

2.14. Pre-Award Qualifications

Offeror must have been in operation a minimum of Three years. The Offeror’s normal business activity during the past Three years will have been for providing the goods or services in this solicitation.

Offeror must certified to provide pilot training in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations

(CFR), Title 14, Part 141

Upon notification of a recommended award, the Offeror will have 14 calendar days to submit a complete certificate of insurance in the minimum amounts and the coverages as required in the

Insurance Requirements of this agreement. Insurance requirements are non-negotiable.

2.15. Qualification Criteria

Statement of Qualifications shall relate specifically to the following items, listed in general order of importance, for evaluation and selection purposes:

A. Federal Aviation Administration Certification, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title

14, Part 141.

B. Minimum Three Years of Experience

C. Structured Training Per TCO's

D. Aircraft Requirements

E. Training in Metro Phoenix Area

F. Provision of Written Materials

G. Multi-Student Training Capability

H. Training Completion Timeframe

I. Required Flight Training Hours and Ground Training Hours

J. FAA Check-Rides Availability

K. Progress Monitoring and Reporting

L. Corrective Action Plan (CAP)

M. References

Refer to Section 4 - Evaluation Criteria for specific details

2.16. Evaluation and Selection

After evaluating all submissions, the City may ask some or all the firms that submitted a response to participate in interviews. Upon completion of the evaluation process, the City may assign a detailed scope of work to the selected candidate and negotiate fees for services.

RFQu responses should be concise, well-organized per the requested information, clearly written and limited to no more than twenty-five (25) (updated pursuant to Addendum No. 1) pages including resumes. The review process places considerable emphasis on the responsiveness of the RFQu response to the requirements outlined above. RFQu responses that are not written specifically in response to this request cannot receive serious consideration.

All RFQu responses will be evaluated based on the criteria listed above in the Qualifications

Section of this RFQu.

The firms under consideration for this RFQu, will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation by an Evaluation Committee and/or the Procurement Officer. The City reserves the right to request supplemental information that the Evaluation Committee deems necessary to make a selection. The Committee may be supplemented by outside professionals or professionals from other City departments who can provide additional expertise.

2.17. Agreement

The City will require the selected Offeror to participate in negotiations and to submit such cost, technical or other revisions of the submittals as may result from negotiations. The City shall draft all final contracts and documents that result from this RFQu.

The language contained in this RFQu and the Offeror's statement of qualifications will form the basis of any resulting Contract. However, this RFQu does not commit the City to enter a

Contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a submittal to this request or in subsequent negotiations, or to procure a contract for the project(s).

2.18. Certificates of Insurance

Upon notification of a recommended award, the Offeror will have 14 calendar days to submit a complete certificate of insurance in the minimum amounts and the coverages as required in the

Insurance Requirements of this solicitation. Insurance requirements are non-negotiable.

2.19. Award of Contract

Unless otherwise indicated, award(s) will be made to responsive, responsible Offeror(s) who are regularly established in the service, or providing the goods, contained in this solicitation and who have demonstrated the ability to perform in an acceptable manner.

A. Factors that may be considered by the City include:

1. Technical capability of the Offeror to accomplish the scope of work required in the

Solicitation. This may include performance history on past and current government or industrial contracts; and,

2. Demonstrated availability of the necessary manpower (both supervisory and operational personnel) and necessary equipment to accomplish the scope of work in the Solicitation; and,

3. Safety record; and,

4. Offeror history of complaints and termination for convenience or cause.

B. Notwithstanding any other provision of this solicitation, the City reserves the right to: (1) waive any immaterial defect or informality; or (2) reject any or all offers or portions thereof; or (3) reissue a solicitation.

C. A response to a solicitation is an offer to contract with the City based upon the terms, conditions, and specifications contained in the City’s solicitation. Offers do not become contracts until they are executed by the Chief Procurement Officer or Department

Director. A contract has its inception in the award, eliminating a formal signing of a separate contract. For that reason, all of the terms, conditions and specifications of the procurement contract are contained in the solicitation, and in any addendum or contract amendment.

2.20. Solicitation Transparency Policy

Commencing on the date and time a solicitation is published, potential or actual Offerors or respondents (including their representatives) shall only discuss matters associated with the solicitation with the Mayor, any members of City Council, the City Manager, any Deputy City

Manager, or any department director directly associated with the solicitation (including in each case their assigned staff, except for the designated Procurement Officer) at a public meeting, posted under Arizona Statutes, until the resulting contract(s) are awarded to all offers or responses are rejected and the solicitation is cancelled without any announcement by the

Procurement Officer of the City’s intent to reissue the same or similar solicitation.

As long as the solicitation is not discussed, Offerors may continue to conduct business with the

City and discuss business that is unrelated to the solicitation with the City staff. Offerors may not discuss the solicitation with any City employees or evaluation panel members.

Offerors may discuss their proposal or the solicitation with the Mayor or one or more members of the Phoenix City Council, provided such meetings are scheduled through the Procurement

Officer, and are posted as open meetings with the City Clerk at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled meetings. The City Clerk will be responsible for posting the meetings. The posted notice shall identify the participants and the subject matter, as well as invite the public to participate.

With respect to the selection of the successful Offerors, the City Manager and/or City Manager's

Office will continue the past practice of exerting no undue influence on the process. In all solicitations of bids and proposals, any direction on the selection from the City Manager and/or

City Manager's Office and Department Head (or representative) to the proposal review panel or selecting authority must be provided in writing to all prospective Offerors.

This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all Offerors, assure that contracts are awarded in public, and protect the integrity of the selection process. OFFERORS THAT

VIOLATE THIS POLICY SHALL BE DISQUALIFIED. After official Notice is received by the City for disqualification, the Offeror may follow the Protest process, unless the Solicitation is cancelled without notice of intent to re-issue.

“To discuss” means any contact by the Offeror, regardless of whether the City responds to the contact. Offerors that violate this policy will be disqualified until the resulting contract(s) are awarded, or all offers or responses are rejected and the solicitation is cancelled without any announcement by the Procurement Officer of the City’s intent to reissue the same or a similar solicitation. The City interprets the policy as continuing through a cancellation of a solicitation until Council award of the contract, as long as the City cancels with a statement that the City will rebid the solicitation.

2.21. Protest Process

Offeror may protest the contents of a solicitation no later than seven days before the solicitation deadline when the protest is based on an apparent alleged mistake, impropriety or defect in the solicitation. Protests filed regarding the solicitation may be addressed by an amendment to the solicitation or denied by the City. If denied, the opening and award will proceed unless the City determines that it is in the City’s best interests to set new deadlines, amend the solicitation, cancel or re-bid.

Therefore, unless otherwise notified by a formal amendment, the Protester must adhere to all solicitation dates and deadlines, including timely filing of an offer, regardless of filing a protest.

Offeror may protest an adverse determination issued by the City regarding responsibility and responsiveness, within seven days of the date the Offeror was notified of the adverse determination.

Offeror may protest an award recommendation if the Offeror can establish that it had a substantial chance of being awarded the contract and will be harmed by the recommended award. The City will post recommendations on the City’s Procurement Portal to award the contract(s) to an Offeror(s). Offeror must submit award protests within seven days after the posting of the award recommendation, with exceptions only for good cause shown, within the

City’s full and final discretion.

All protests will be in writing, filed with the Procurement Officer identified in the solicitation and include the following:

• Identification of the solicitation number;

• The name, address and telephone number of the protester;

• A detailed statement describing the legal and factual grounds for the protest, including copies of relevant documents;

• The form of relief requested; and

• The signature of the protester or its authorized representative.

The Procurement Officer will render a written decision within a reasonable period after the protest is filed. The City will not request City Council authorization to award the contract until the protest process is complete. All protests and appeals must be submitted in accordance with the

City’s Procurement Code, (Phoenix City Code, Ch. 43) and any protests or appeals not submitted within the time requirements will not be considered. Protests must be filed with the

Procurement Officer.

2.22. Public Record

All Offers submitted in response to this solicitation will become the property of the City and become a matter of public record available for review pursuant to Arizona State law. If an

Offeror believes that a specific section of its Offer response is confidential, the Offeror will isolate the pages marked confidential in a specific and clearly labeled section of its Offer response. An Offeror may request specific information contained within its Offer is treated by the

Procurement Officer as confidential provided the Offeror clearly labels the information

“confidential.” To the extent necessary for the evaluation process, information marked as

“confidential” will not be treated as confidential. Once the procurement file becomes available for public inspection, the Procurement Officer will not make any information identified by the

Offerors as “confidential” available to the public unless necessary to support the evaluation process or if specifically requested in accordance with applicable public records law. When a public records request for such information is received, the Procurement Officer will notify the

Offeror in writing of any request to view any portion of its Offer marked “confidential.” The

Offeror will have the time set forth in the notice to obtain a court order enjoining such disclosure.

If the Offeror does not provide the Procurement Officer with a court order enjoining release of the information during the designated time, the Procurement Officer will make the information requested available for inspection.

2.23. Right to Disqualify

The City reserves the right to disqualify any Offeror who fails to provide information or data requested or who provides materially inaccurate or misleading information or data. The City further reserves the right to disqualify any Offeror on the basis of any real or apparent conflict of interest that is disclosed by the Offer submitted or any other data or information available to the

City. This disqualification is at the sole discretion of the City. By submission of a solicitation response, the Offeror waives any right to object now or at any future time, before any agency or body including, but not limited to, the City Council of the City or any court as to the exercise by the City of such right to disqualify or as to any disqualification by reason of real or apparent conflict of interest determined by the City. The City reserves the right to replace the disqualified

Offeror.

2.24. Contract Award

The City reserves the right to award a contract by individual line items, by group, all or none, or any other combination most advantageous to the City. The City reserves the right to award multiple contracts.

2.25. Determining Responsiveness and Responsibility

Offers will be reviewed for documentation of minimum qualifications, completeness, and compliance with the Solicitation requirements. The City reserves sole discretion to determine responsiveness and responsibility.

Responsiveness: Nonresponsive Offers will not be considered in the evaluation process. The solicitation states criteria that determine responsiveness, and the solicitation includes terms and conditions that if included or excluded from Offers (as the case may be) will render an Offer nonresponsive.

Exceptions, conditions, reservations, or understandings are presumed to be unacceptable, and an Offer that includes unacceptable exceptions, conditions, reservations, or understandings may be rejected as nonresponsive. Alternatively, the City in its sole discretion may instruct in writing that any Offeror remove the conditions, exceptions, reservations or understandings. If the Offeror fails to do so in writing, the City may determine the Offer to be nonresponsive.

Responsibility: To obtain true economy, the City must conduct solicitations to minimize the possibility of a subsequent default by the Contractor, late deliveries, or other unsatisfactory performance that may result in additional administrative costs. It is important that the Offeror be a responsible Contractor. Responsibility includes the Offeror’s integrity, skill, capacity, experience, and facilities for conducting the work to be performed.

The Procurement Officer will review each Offer to determine if the Offeror is responsible. The

City’s determination as to whether an Offeror is responsible will be based on all information furnished by the Offeror, interviews (if any), and information received from Offeror’s references, including information about Offeror’s history, terminations for convenience or cause, contract breach lawsuits or notices of claim and any other sources the City deems appropriate. Award of the Contract resulting from the solicitation will not be made until any necessary investigation, which each Offeror agrees to permit by submitting its Offer, is made by the City as it deems necessary. A review of responsibility may occur up to contract award.

The Offeror’s unreasonable failure to promptly supply information about an inquiry with respect to responsibility may be grounds for a determination of non-responsibility with respect to such

Offeror.

2.26. Evaluation of Competitive Sealed Offers

The City will use its discretion in applying the following processes to this solicitation. Any ties in scoring will be resolved with a best and final price request and the lowest price will prevail.

2.27. Detailed Evaluation of Offers and Determination of Competitive Range

During deliberations, the Evaluation Panel will reach a consensus score for each evaluation criterion except price. The Procurement Officer will score the price, which will be added to the overall consensus score. The overall consensus scores will determine the Offerors’ rankings and which offers are within the Competitive Range, when appropriate.

2.28. Offers Not Within the Competitive Range

The City may notify Offerors of Offers that the City determined are not in the Competitive

Range.

2.29. Discussions with Offerors in the Competitive Range

The City will notify each Offeror whose Offer is in the Competitive Range or made the ‘short list’ and provide in writing any questions or requests for clarification to the Offeror. Each Offeror so notified may be interviewed by the City and asked to discuss answers to written or oral questions or provide clarifications to any facet of its Offer. The Offerors in the competitive range may be required to provide a demonstration of their product.

Demonstrations - Offerors in the competitive range may be invited to construct a hands-on sample or presentation of their solution at the City of Phoenix. In addition, each finalist may prepare and deliver a presentation of their proposed solution based on the script developed by the evaluation panel. The City may also require a hands-on lab demonstration designed specifically for the evaluation panel. The results of the surveys will be tabulated and delivered to the evaluation team for the final review and solution selection session(s).

If an Offer in the Competitive Range contains conditions, exceptions, reservations or understandings to or about any Contract or Solicitation Scope requirement, the City may discuss or negotiate the conditions, exceptions, reservations or understandings during these meetings. But the City in its sole discretion may reject any and all conditions, exceptions, reservations and understandings, and the City may instruct any Offeror to remove the conditions, exceptions, reservations or understandings. If the Offeror fails to do so, the City may determine the Offer is nonresponsive, and the City may revoke its determination that the Offer is in the Competitive Range.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the City will not provide any information, financial or otherwise, to any Offeror about other Offers received in response to this solicitation. During discussions with Offerors in the Competitive Range, the City will not give Offerors specific prices or specific financial requirements that Offerors must meet to qualify for further consideration.

The City may state that proposed prices are too high with respect to the marketplace or otherwise unacceptable. Offerors will not be told of their relative rankings before Contract award.

2.30. Best and Final Offers (BAFO)

A BAFO is an option available for negotiations. Each Offeror in the Competitive Range, which is determined in the City’s sole discretion, may be afforded the opportunity to amend its Offer and make one BAFO.

If an Offeror’s BAFO modifies its initial Offer, the modifications must be identified in the BAFO.

The City will evaluate BAFOs based on the same requirements and criteria applicable to initial

Offers. The City will adjust appropriately the initial scores for criteria that have been affected by offer modifications made by a BAFO. Based on the criteria defined in the solicitation as weighted, the City will then perform final scoring and prepare final rankings.

The Evaluation Panel will recommend the Offer that is the best value and most advantageous to the City based on the evaluation criteria.

The City reserves the right to make an award to an Offeror whose Offer is the highest rated, best value, and most advantageous to the City based on the evaluation criteria, without conducting written or oral discussions with any Offeror, without negotiations, and without soliciting BAFOs.

3. Scope of Work

3.1. Objective

The Contractor providing fixed wing pilot training must be dedicated to flight training requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the CFR 14, Parts 141 in fixed wing aircraft as stated: eCFR :: 14 CFR Part 141 -- Pilot Schools (FAR Part 141)

3.2. Contractor Requirements

Outlined are the responsibilities, deliverables, and expectations for the selected Contractor(s) to ensure the successful execution of flight training, which include but are not limited to:

• Contractor must be certified, comply, and provide flight training in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 14, Part 141. Any deviations from this requirement will be deemed as unacceptable and unsatisfactory

• Contractor must submit references confirming at least three years of services in this solicitation

• Contractor will provide a structured training style according to the FAA Part 141 approved Training Course Outlines (TCOs).

• Contractor must conduct all training in a single engine aircraft capable of accommodating a minimum of 2 students, plus the instructor.

• Contractor must be able to train in technologically advanced aircraft (TAA), which includes an electronic flight information system (EFIS), and at a minimum, primary flight display, for students training for instrument rating certificates, commercial pilot certificates, certified flight instructor (CFI) and certified flight instructor -instrument (CFII) certificates.

• Contractor must provide flight training in the Phoenix Metropolitan area (defined as the core city, including any geographically neighboring cities).

• Contractor must provide all required written materials including, but not limited to, flight manuals, handbooks, logbooks, test preparations, etc.

• Contractor must be able to accommodate more than one student at a time.

• Contractor must provide the use of a fixed wing aircraft for all training flight hours which meets instrument and commercial training requirements including equipment and documentation.

• Contractor must provide all required training flight hours in order to meet certification requirements.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-H/part-141

• Contractor must provide all ground training hours needed to meet certification requirement mandated by the Flying Manual (FM).

• Contractor must provide all required Flight Management (FM) check rides. Each check ride which is an FAA practical exam and must be conducted by one of the following:

An On-Staff Pilot Examiner (OPE) – an examiner employed by the contractor or flight school who is a representative of the FAA with exam authority to issue FAA Certificates and Ratings. or

A Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) – an examiner authorized by the FAA to conduct official certification tests.

• All inspections, maintenance and repair of training aircraft must be conducted according to FAA maintenance regulations ensuring aircraft used for training is airworthy and properly maintained.

3.3. Background/Desired Capabilities

• Contractor must own, or have operational control over, the fleet and have adequate aircraft to provide training seven days a week including backup aircraft or alternate scheduling, to avoid student delays

• Contractor must maintain a parts inventory to ensure prompt fleet service and minimal turnaround time for overhauls. Contractor must ensure there is minimal training disruptions and maintain program schedules

• The City may ask Contractor to submit a list of Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs) including their FAA certification numbers and summary of flight instruction experience which includes years of experience, total flight hours

• Contractor must confirm ability to provide FAA-compliant maintenance logs and procedures.

3.4. Criteria for Acceptance

• Contractor must be FAA certified and be in compliance with FAA standards.

• Contractor must be able to provide all services and training described in sections above.

• In the event that a student's fails to complete the entire training for any reason (i.e. quits or fails to meet standards), the Police Department agrees to pay only for actual materials used, ground instruction received, and actual flight hours accumulated at the time of separation from the training course. Contractor to provide a log of these charges and forward to Police Department with the invoice.

3.5. Deliverables

Certification Deliverables

All pilot certificates must be for Airplane Single Engine Land (ASEL)

Contractor will provide a training program that ensures student(s) are successful and obtain

FAA certification.

Certificates sought as part of this scope include but are not limited to:

Item Description Unit of Measure Annual

Estimated

1. Private Pilot Certificate Per Certificate 2

2. Commercial Pilot Certificate Per Certificate 2

3. Instrument Rating Certificate Per Certificate 2

4. Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate Per Certificate 2

5. Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) Certificate Per Certificate 2

3.6. Training Timeline Accountability and Penalties

Training Timeline Accountability and Penalties

1. Training Completion Deadlines

The Vendor shall ensure that each enrolled student completes the training program within the following maximum timeframes, unless otherwise approved in writing by the City of Phoenix:

• Private Pilot Certificate: 20 weeks

• Commercial Pilot Certificate: 20 weeks

• Instrument Rating Certificate: 12 weeks

• CFI/CFII Certificates: 16 weeks each

Failure to meet these deadlines without documented justification (e.g., weather delays, medical leave) may result in penalties as outlined below.

2. Progress Monitoring

The Vendor shall submit monthly progress reports to the Phoenix Police Department’s designated contract manager. These reports must include:

• Student attendance and flight hours logged

• Ground instruction hours completed

• Upcoming milestones and any delays encountered

3. Corrective Action Plan

In the event of a cumulative of three (3) missed deadlines/training from any City student, the

City will inform the Contractor in writing. The contractor must submit a Corrective Action Plan

(CAP) within 5 business days, detailing:

• Root cause of the delay

• Steps to mitigate further delays

• Revised timeline for completion

Failure to submit or adhere to the CAP may result in additional penalties or contract termination.

3.7. Training Availability

To ensure fairness in evaluating training delays, the following conditions shall be recognized as justifiable exceptions to training timeline penalties, provided they are documented and reported in the bi-weekly progress reports:

A. Circumstances Outside the Control of the Vendor

A. The following conditions shall be recognized as justifiable exceptions to the required training timelines, provided they are documented and reported to the City of Phoenix within 24 hours of occurrence:

1. Adverse Weather Conditions

Unsafe weather at the departure, destination, or enroute locations that prevents safe flight operations.

2. Airport or Airspace Closures

Temporary or extended closures issued by the FAA or other regulatory authorities.

3. FAA-Mandated Aircraft Grounding

Any FAA-issued grounding of the aircraft type used in the training program.

4. Medical Leave or Emergency

Documented medical emergencies or health-related absences of the student or instructor.

5. Acts of God or Natural Disasters

Events such as earthquakes, floods, wildfires, or other natural disasters that impact training operations.

6. Government-Imposed Restrictions

Restrictions or shutdowns imposed by federal, state, or local authorities that affect flight training operations.

7. Other Unforeseen Events

Any other event beyond the Vendor’s reasonable control, subject to written approval by the City.

The Vendor must notify the City of Phoenix in writing within 24 hours of any such delay and provide supporting documentation upon request.

B. Circumstances Within the Control of the Vendor

The following are not considered valid justifications for training delays and may result in penalties as outlined in Section 3.7.3:

A. Aircraft Unavailability

Failure to provide an aircraft for a scheduled flight, regardless of reason (e.g., maintenance, scheduling conflicts).

B. Instructor Unavailability

Lack of available Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs) due to staffing shortages, scheduling errors, or internal conflicts.

C. Flight Cut Short Due to Scheduling Conflicts

Premature termination of a student’s flight to accommodate another student’s scheduled session.

D. Lack of Backup Aircraft

Inability to provide a substitute aircraft when the scheduled aircraft is grounded.

E. Administrative or Scheduling Errors

Delays caused by internal mismanagement, poor planning, or clerical mistakes.

F. Failure to Maintain Aircraft

Delays resulting from preventable maintenance issues or failure to maintain a serviceable fleet.

G. Failure to Submit Required Documentation

Delays due to missing or late submission of required logs, reports, or progress updates.

Repeated occurrences (three or more within a 30-day period) may be considered a breach of contract. In all cases, the Vendor is expected to take reasonable steps to mitigate the impact of any delay on the student’s training schedule.

3.8. Instructor and Student Assignment

The City of Phoenix reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to:

A. Withdraw any student from the training program at any time if it is determined that the training being provided is not meeting the expected standards of quality, progress, or safety.

B. Request a change of instructor assigned to any student if the City determines that the instructional methods, communication, or overall effectiveness of the instructor is not conducive to the student’s successful completion of the training program.

The Contractor shall comply with such requests within five (5) business days of written notice from the City and shall ensure that any replacement instructor meets or exceeds the qualifications outlined in the original proposal. The City shall not be liable for any additional costs incurred due to such changes.

3.9. City’s Authorized Department Representative

Glen R Ellefritz (602)534-9188

4. Evaluation Criteria

In accordance with the Administrative Regulation 3.10, Competitive Sealed Offers shall be made to the responsive and responsible Offeror(s) whose Offer is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the City based upon the evaluation criteria listed below.

The evaluation factors are listed in the relative order of importance and more details are provided in Scope of Work. The Weight (Points) for each Evaluation Criteria are the maximum points that may be assigned for that Criteria. The following evaluation criteria will be used to evaluate all Offers:

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. FAA Part 141 Certification

Offeror must provide certification from the FAA confirming your pilot training school is certified under FAA CPR 14, Part 141.

(Section 2 – Instructions, Item 2.14 and

Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

Contractor Requirements)

Pass / Fail 1 (7.7% of Total)

2. Minimum Three Years of Experience

Offeror must submit “References Form" confirming you have been providing services in this solicitation for a minimum of three-years.

(Section 2 – Instructions, Item 2.14 and

Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

Contractor Requirements)

Pass / Fail 1 (7.7% of Total)

3. Structured Training Per Training Course

Outlines (TCO's)

Offeror must submit FAA approved

Training Course Outlines (Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

4. Aircraft Requirements

Offeror must submit documentation confirming the use of single-engine fixed-wing aircraft capable of accommodating minimum of two (2) students + one (1) instructor, that meets FAA requirements for instrument and commercial training. In addition, documentation that Aircraft is technologically advanced (TAA) and equipped with EFIS and a Primary Flight

Display (PFD).

(Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

Pass / Fail 1 (7.7% of Total)

5. Training in Metro Phoenix Area

Offeror must submit address(es) of training facilities and documentation confirming location(s) are within the Phoenix

Metropolitan Area (Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

Contractor Requirements)

Pass / Fail 1 (7.7% of Total)

6. Provision of Written Materials

Offeror must submit samples of flight manuals, handbooks, logbooks, and test prep materials.

(Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

Contractor Requirements)

Pass / Fail 1 (7.7% of Total)

7. Multi-Student Training Capability

Offeror must submit documentation showing maximum student enrollment capacity which includes the ability to accommodate more than one student at a time and current enrollment figures. Include facility and resource capacity plans.

(Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

Contractor Requirements)

Pass / Fail 1 (7.7% of Total)

8. Training Completion Timeframe

Offeror must submit a training schedule or program outline confirming that completion timeframes align with Section 3 – Scope of

Work, Item 3.6, subsection 1.

9. Required Flight Training Hours and

Ground Training Hours

Offeror must submit course syllabus showing total flight hours per certificate.

Offeror must submit syllabus or schedule showing ground training hours per certificate.

(Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

Contractor Requirements)

Pass / Fail 1 (7.7% of Total)

10. FAA Check-Rides Availability

Offeror must submit list of on-staff or designated pilot examiners (OPE/DPE).

(Section 3 – Scope of Work, Item 3.2 –

Contractor Requirements)

Pass / Fail 1 (7.7% of Total)

11. Progress Monitoring and Reporting

Offeror must submit Monthly progress reports template sample according to the requirements identified in Section 3 –

Scope of Work, Item 3.6, subsection 2 –

Progress Monitoring.

12. Corrective Action Plan (CAP)

Offeror must submit template demonstrating compliance with Section 3 –

Scope of Work, Item 3.6, Subsection 3 –

Corrective Action Plan

13. References

Offeror must submit professional reference letters from three (3) clients or preferably government clients (not including the City of Phoenix) for which you have provided similar services in the past 36-months.

The reference letter must include the:

a. Organization Name

b. Name and Title of the Contact Person

c. Address

d. Phone Number

e. Email Address

f. Details of services and overall experiences

The City reserves the right to contact these references and discuss the client’s level of satisfaction with the Offeror’s services.

5. Standard Terms and Conditions

5.1. Definition of Key Words Used in the Solicitation

Shall, Will, Must: Indicates a mandatory requirement. Failure to meet these mandatory requirements may result in the rejection of Offer as non-responsive.

Should: Indicates something that is recommended but not mandatory. If the Offeror fails to provide recommended information, the City may, at its sole option, ask the Offeror to provide the information or evaluate the Offer without the information.

May: Indicates something that is not mandatory but permissible.

For purposes of this solicitation, the following definitions will apply:

“A.R.S.” Arizona Revised Statute

“Buyer” or “Procurement Officer” City of Phoenix staff person responsible for the solicitation.

The City employee or employees who have specifically been designated to act as a contact person or persons to the Contractor, and responsible for monitoring and overseeing the

Contractor's performance under this contract.

"City" The City of Phoenix

"Contractor" The individual, partnership, or corporation who, as a result of the competitive process, is awarded a contract by the City of Phoenix.

"Contract” or “Agreement" The legal agreement executed between the City of Phoenix, AZ and the Contractor.

“Days” Means calendar days unless otherwise specified.

“Chief Procurement Officer” The contracting authority for the City of Phoenix, AZ, authorized to sign contracts and amendments thereto on behalf of the City of Phoenix, AZ.

“Employer” Any individual or type of organization that transacts business in this state, that has a license issued by an agency in this state and employs one or more employees in this state.

Employer includes this state, any political subdivision of this state and self-employed persons. In the case of an independent contractor, employer means the independent contractor and does not mean the person or organization that uses contract labor. (A.R.S. 23-211).

“Offer” Means a response from a Supplier, Contractor, or Service Provider to a solicitation request that, if awarded, binds the Supplier, Contractor, or Service Provider to perform in accordance with the contract. Same as bid, proposal, quotation or tender.

“Offeror” Any Vendor, Seller or Supplier submitting a competitive offer in response to a solicitation from the City. Same as Bidder or Proposer.

“Solicitation” Means an Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for

Quotations (RFQ), Request for Qualifications (RFQu) and request for sealed Offers, or any other type of formal procurement which the City makes public through advertising, mailings, or some other method of communication. It is the process by which the City seeks information, proposals, Offers, or quotes from suppliers.

“Suppliers” Firms, entities or individuals…