ICS SY27_28 Bus RFP.pdf

Request for Proposal:

SY27/28 Student Transportation Services

Introduction International Community School (ICS) is requesting proposals from vendors with a proven history of providing quality student transportation to schools in the State of Georgia.

International Community School Overview ICS is an International Baccalaureate public charter school in DeKalb County, Georgia serving 550 students in grades K-5 with a staff of over 70. ICS was strategically designed in 2002 to bring together refugee, immigrant, and local children in an academically challenging and nurturing environment. Today, students and staff represent more than 30 nationalities and speak over 25 languages. Our mission is to provide a rigorous and holistic education in an intentionally diverse community of mutual learners.

Project Description and Details The majority of ICS’ students live in the Clarkston and Stone Mountain areas, while ICS is located in Decatur. As such, safe, consistent transportation is essential to making sure that our students are able to get to school — and back home — every day. With this in mind, ICS is seeking a partner to provide ICS’ daily bus service to school each morning and from school each afternoon, as well as buses for field trips on an as-needed-basis. This includes providing vehicles; conducting vehicle maintenance; and hiring, training, and supervising regular and substitute drivers.

ICS currently operates 3 routes serving approximately 200 students 180 days per school year between early August and late May. These routes and student zip codes can be provided upon request; routes are subject to change each year to meet the needs of the existing student body. Morning routes should arrive at the ICS campus (2418 Wood Trail Ln, Decatur, GA 30033) at 7:45am. Afternoon buses should arrive at campus at approximately 2:50pm to depart at approximately 3:15pm. Routes typically take 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete, depending on traffic.

SY27/28 Student Transportation Services RFP

Bus Requirements

Current routes assume each bus has a capacity of 70 passengers. Buses must:

● Be in a safe, clean condition

● Meet all applicable local, state, and federal requirements

● Display up-to-date evidence of passing GA DOT safety inspection

● Meet Georgia registration and equipment requirements to serve as a school bus

● Have capability of two-way communication with dispatch

● Provide live-tracking technology that allows for ICS and parents to monitor bus and/or student location

● Provide heat and air conditioning

Driver Requirements

Drivers must:

● Meet all local, state, and federal requirements

● Pass a local and national criminal background check

● Pass a pre-employment drug screen

● Have a satisfactory driving record

● Ideally have previous experience working with students ages 5 to 11

● Ideally have experience working with non native English speakers

Insurance Requirements

The vendor must obtain and maintain all required inspections, maintenance records, certifications, licenses, and permits per legal requirements. The vendor must maintain liability insurance in an amount not less than one (1) million dollars.

Proposal Process and Requirements

1. All interested vendors may schedule a 30-minute discovery call with Lexie Linger, Director of Operations and Finance, prior to submitting their proposal. Please schedule this call by emailing lexie.linger@icsgeorgia.org no later than October 16, 2026 at 5:00pm. Late requests will not be accepted. This step is optional.

2. Alternatively, interested companies may submit written questions and requests for clarification to Lexie Linger at lexie.linger@icsgeorgia.org. Written questions and mailto:lexie.linger@icsgeorgia.org requests must be received no later than October 16, 2026 at 5:00pm. Late requests will not be accepted. This step is optional.

3. Proposals are due by November 2, 2026 at 5:00pm; late proposals will not be accepted. Please submit your proposal to Lexie Linger, Director of Operations and Finance, at lexie.linger@icsgeorgia.org with the subject line: Bus Proposal. Please include the following information. Proposals should be attached in the email as a PDF and should be no longer than 15 pages.

a. Introduction: Include a brief introduction of your company and highlight your experience and/or qualifications.

b. Scope of Services Summary: Share a summary of your proposed scope of services including route planning, daily transit, field trip transit, fleet management, driver management, and any other services you may offer.

c. Financial Soundness: Please provide your company financial report for the most recent fiscal year. If no report is available, please share an explanation of unavailability and an equivalent alternative financial documentation.

d. Pricing: In addition to sharing your standard pricing, this section should clarify one-time versus recurring costs, outline any assumptions or exclusions in your pricing, and include payment terms (please note ICS’ standard is net 30 on all invoices). Proposals should also detail minimum service guarantees (e.g., define a “late” bus), and what recompense is provided when minimum service levels are not met.

e. References: Please share 3 references. Include the company name as well as a direct contact (name, title, email address, and phone number) and the nature of the services the vendor provides.

4. The top three candidates will be invited to a 45-minute panel discussion with operations and administrative staff. Please be prepared to introduce any staff who will be working directly and consistently with ICS should your company be selected.

Additional information will be provided to those candidates prior to the panel discussion.

5. Lexie Linger will also conduct reference checks for the top three candidates and may ask to schedule a site visit to the garage.

6. Please note Lexie Linger, Director of Operations and Finance, is the sole point of contact for this RFP. Contact with any representative of ICS other than Lexie Linger will result in disqualification.

Criteria for Selection Based on the proposals and panel interviews, the panel will identify the top three candidates. They will present these candidates to ICS’ Board of Directors for final review and approval. The panel and Board will evaluate candidates on the following criteria:

Total Possible Points Criteria

Proposal: Formatting & Content

● “Poor” shall mean the vendor did not meet the formatting and content requirements of the written proposal. A “poor” rating equals 0 points.

● “Fair” shall mean the vendor met most but not all of the requirements. A “fair” rating equals 1 point.

● “Good” shall mean the vendor met the requirements. A “good” rating equals 3 points.

● “Exceptional” shall mean the vendor exceeded the requirements. An “exceptional” rating equals 5 points.

Panel Interview: Attendees & Content

● “Poor” shall mean the vendor did not meet the requirements of the panel interview. A “poor” rating equals 0 points.

● “Fair” shall mean the vendor met most but not all of the requirements. A “fair” rating equals 3 points.

● “Good” shall mean the vendor met all requirements. A “good” rating equals 5 points.

● “Exceptional” shall mean the vendor met most but not all of the requirements. An “exceptional” rating equals 10 points.

Reference Check

● Poor” shall mean either no references were provided or the references gave poor reviews. A “poor” rating equals 0 points.

● “Fair” shall mean the references gave fair reviews. A “fair” rating equals 5 points.

● “Good” shall mean references gave good reviews. A “good” rating equals 10 points.

● “Exceptional” shall mean references gave exceptional reviews. An “exceptional” rating equals 15 points.

Experience

● A vendor with no Georgia experience receives a base of 0 points

● A vendor with Georgia experience receives a base of 10 points

● The vendor with the most years of experience receives an additional 10 points

● All other vendors receive an additional 1 point for each year of experience with a maximum of 9 points

Service Capability

● “Poor” shall mean the vendor did not present a plan that meets ICS’ needs. A “poor” rating equals 0 points.

● “Fair” shall mean the vendor presented a plan that meets most but not all of ICS’ needs. A “fair” rating equals 5 to 10 points.

● “Good” shall mean the vendor presented a plan that meets ICS’ needs. A “good” rating equals 11 to 15 points.

● “Exceptional” shall mean that the vendor presented a plan that meets and exceeds ICS’ needs. An “exceptional” rating equals 16 to 20 points.

Cost

● The vendor with the lowest cost receives 30 points.

● The vendor with the second-lowest price receives 20 points.

● The vendor with the third-lowest price receives 10 points.

● All other vendors receive 5 points.

Timeline

October 16, 2026 Requests for a discovery call or written clarification / questions due

October 26, 2026 Responses to questions posted

November 2, 2026 Proposals due

November 13, 2026 Vendors notified of final candidates via email

November 30, 2026 Board review of final candidates

November 4, 2026 Final candidates notified of Board review via email

Costs This Request for Proposal does not obligate ICS to pay any incurred costs of any kind whatsoever that a vendor or any third parties may have in connection with their Response.

Intellectual Property All accepted responses shall become the property of ICS and will not be returned.

Liability ICS shall not be liable to any vendor, person, or entity for any losses, expenses, costs, claims, or damages of any kind arising out of, by reason of, or attributable to, the vendor responding to this RFP; or as a result of the use of any information, error, or omission contained in this RFP document or provided during the RFP process.