IFB TRSD-U61 Transportation Big Bus Fiscal Years 2028-2030~1.pdf

Tantasqua Regional and Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland and Wales School Committees

Student Big Bus Transportation Bid

Fiscal Years 2028, 2029 and 2030

The Tantasqua Regional School Committee and School Committees for the towns of Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland, and Wales, the awarding authority, operating under Mass G.L. Ch 30B will receive bids for furnishing School Bus Transportation for the period beginning July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030.

Specifications:

a. School bus contracts are for three school years, renewable annually at the school committees' discretion. Each school year is considered to be 180 days.

b. Bids are for the transportation services of all Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland and Wales children to and from their homes to their respective elementary schools and/or Tantasqua Regional Junior and Senior High Schools.

c. In general, the school year calendar at both the elementary and secondary levels coincide, but all bidders should build at least three days into their bid where school days may be different, i.e., the elementary schools will be in session and Tantasqua Regional School District will not be in session or vice versa.

d. Bidders should realize the number of children transported, routes and bus stops, may change during the school year and from year to year. All bids should be quoted with this in mind. No additional monies will be paid as a result of route updates of this nature.

e. In any given year during the contract term, the school may need to increase or decrease the number of regular route buses by a maximum of 2 buses. Any increase/decrease will be at the unit prices specified in the original bid form.

f. No route bid whether elementary, secondary, 3:30 or 5:00 shall interfere with the timeliness as listed, i.e., 3:30 late bus will not be late due to an elementary route. It is up to the successful contractor to plan accordingly.

g. Routes will be prepared by the contractor (based on student lists provided to the successful bidder) and will be submitted to the Superintendent's Office by August l electronically of each year for final approval.

h. A current certificate of good standing from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue must be submitted along with a certificate of non collusion at the time of bid submission.

i. The contractor will provide a local telephone number to residents of Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland, and Wales. This telephone must be answered whenever school buses are in operation under the contract.

j. The contractor or his agent must be willing to appear for a conference with the School

Committee and/or the Central Office Administration as necessary or required.

k. Invoices will be submitted monthly for regular school bus transportation detailing the elementary portion and secondary portion with equal installments paid each month September through June. Invoices shall be submitted according to the following schedule to ensure payment within thirty (30) days:

i. Brimfield, by the third Monday of the month

ii. Brookfield, by the first Friday of the month

iii. Holland, by the first Friday of the month

iv. Wales, by the second Friday of the month

v. Tantasqua, by the second Thursday of the month

Rules for Award:

a. One contract for all regular route and late buses will be awarded to the responsive and responsible bidder with lowest three year aggregated cost per town. Therefore, multiple contracts may result.

b. The respective school committee reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids or any part thereof.

c. Each bidder shall include with the bid documents a reference list, recording contracts held and name address of the contact person. In order to be considered qualified and responsible, each bidder must provide evidence of holding school transportation contracts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for at least five (5) years.

d. No bid submittal shall be accepted from any contractor, company, or company principal who has in the past ten (10) years: (a)defaulted on a contract, or had a contract terminated for cause

e. All bids must be submitted on the forms supplied by the school department.

f. Bid prices and routes will remain firm for the first 6 months from bid opening.

g. Sealed bids will be accepted until Thursday, November 19th, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. in the

Superintendent's Office, 320A Brookfield Rd., Fiskdale, MA 01518 at which time and place they will be publicly opened and reviewed.

Scope of Services:

Tantasqua and the Union #61 School Districts participating in this proposal consist of four of the five member towns. They are Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland, and Wales. Building locations are:

School Building Name Grade Levels Served

Student Counts*

Buses***

Physcial Address

Brimfield Elementary School K – 6 240 6 22 Wales Road, Brimfield, MA

Brookfield Elementary School K – 6 200 5 One Central Street, Brookfield, MA

Holland Elementary School K – 6 185 4 28 Sturbridge Road, Holland, MA

Wales Elementary School K – 6 100 2 41 Main Street, Wales, MA

TRSD – Junior High School - Brimfield 7 – 8 245 6 320 Brookfield Road, Fiskdale, MA

TRSD – Junior High School – Brookfield 7 – 8 200 6 320 Brookfield Road, Fiskdale, MA

TRSD – Junior High School - Holland 7 – 8 145 4 320 Brookfield Road, Fiskdale, MA

TRSD – Junior High School - Wales 7 – 8 40 3 320 Brookfield Road, Fiskdale, MA TRSD – Senior/Technical High Schools

- Brimfield 9 - 12 165 **

319 Brookfield Road, Fiskdale, MA

TRSD – Senior/Technical High Schools

– Brookfield

9 - 12 130 ** 319 Brookfield Road, Fiskdale, MA TRSD – Senior/Technical High Schools

- Holland 9 - 12 100 **

319 Brookfield Road, Fiskdale, MA

TRSD – Senior/Technical High Schools

- Wales

9 - 12 75 ** 319 Brookfield Road, Fiskdale, MA

* Student Counts are as of October 1st, 2026 **Bus needs included in bus counts for TRSD - Junior High School

***Number of buses may be reduced due to ridership and/or budgetary concerns.

School Committee(s):

a. It is the purpose of the School Committee(s) to award a contract to a bidder who furnishes satisfactory evidence in the bid packet detailing their ability and experience in school bus transportation services, description of sufficient capital, demonstrated available through ownership or lease duly licensed school buses, and that they employ trained and properly certified and licensed drivers.

b. If, at any time during the contract, the School Committee determines the Contractor has substantially violated any of the provisions of the Contract, the Committee shall, after having provided the Contractor a hearing before the Committee, terminate this contract. Determination may be based on default in performance, nonconformity of performance, breach of the terms and conditions of the contract, bankruptcy, receivership or any other condition which significantly impairs or negatively alters the value of service under this contract.

c. The School Committee reserves the right to require a Performance Bond in the amount of 50% of the total contract. If such Bond is required and the contractor is unable to obtain such Bond, the School Committee may, at their discretion, withhold this amount from the monthly billing for each month during the first year of this contract. The School Committee reserves the right to renew this requirement annually. The cost of such a bond should be listed separately on the bid form.

d. The School Committee reserves the right to annually review and establish the bus routes in accordance with the current school transportation policy. All discrepancies and disputes over the location of bus stops and/or routes will fall under the jurisdiction of the School Committee.

School Bus Contractor Performance:

a. The contractor shall report immediately to the Superintendent of Schools or her agent, each and every accident or any other accident or circumstance which causes an unavoidable delay. Written report(s) must be submitted to the Superintendent of Schools or her agent, within twenty four (24) hours following an accident. Also, all drivers must be instructed to comply with school policy in the event of an accident, particularly in reference to proper examination of children involved.

b. The Contractor shall keep in force at all times during the terms of this contract, a policy or policies of insurance as specified in the General Laws of Massachusetts relating to school transportation. The Contractor shall carry public liability insurance covering each bus to at least $1,000,000/$5,000,000 limits and property damage coverage of not less than $2,000,000.

c. The Contractor(s) shall indemnify, defend and hold the School Committee harmless for any and all claims, loss, cost, expense or damage of any kind resulting from or arising out of performance of the contract by the Contractor, its officers, agents or employees.

Workers compensation coverage should comply with Massachusetts statutory requirements. A Certificate of Insurance must be submitted to the School Committee by the successful bidder and upon award of contract, shall name the School District as an Insured.

d. Buses shall be on the premises of the school building to deliver children in the morning not later than five (5) minutes before the start of the school day and not earlier than ten (10) minutes before the start of the school day. The school day schedule for the School Year 2027-28 will be provided to the successful vendor once approved by the School Committees.

e. The Contractor must provide for a school bus transportation coordinator to be assigned to the school district. The coordinator shall not be regularly responsible for any bus driving duties as part of their job assignment. The coordinator must be readily available to the district by telephone and have access to the base station for two way radio communication with all bus drivers.

f. The Contractor must arrange to have substitute bus service immediately available in the event of bus failure, and shall maintain an office and spare equipment in close proximity to the District during the periods of time buses are in operation.

g. The Contractor must garage the required fleet of buses, including spare buses, within the Towns of Brimfield, Brookfield, Holland, and Wales for the purpose of Motor Vehicle Excise Tax being paid to the towns that are members of the District. This requirement may be waived for the first six months of the contract.

h. The Contractor must agree to have buses and drivers available at the schools on a ninety minute notice in case of emergency.

i. The Contractor shall not assign or subcontract, or in any way transfer any interest in this contract, without prior consent of the School Committee or its designee.

j. The Contractor will submit its drug testing plan effective 07/01/2026 with submitted bids.

Equipment:

a. All buses shall be constructed, equipped and maintained in conformance with all applicable laws, regulations and rules of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Federal Government and the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The attention of all concerned is particularly directed to the following sections of Chapter 90 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as amended:

i. Section 1 – Definitions Section 1A - School Bus Registration

ii. Section 7A - Inspection of School Buses

iii. Section 7B - Requirement as to Equipment and Operation

iv. Section 14 - Precaution for Safety

v. Section 17 - Speed Limits

b. All buses must have an effective two way radio communication with the base station. A portable type 2-way radio shall be provided to the District for emergency and monitoring use.

c. The Contractor shall see all buses are kept at all times in a condition of cleanliness interior and exterior including exterior washings. The District reserves the right to inspect the condition of the buses at any time.

d. Each bid shall contain a detailed list of buses to be furnished (School Bus Equipment Schedule) including the manufacturer, make, model, present mileage, seating capacity and registration. School buses assigned to primary home to school routing must be at least 2020 model year or newer. All buses must be at least 71 passengers (unless other passengers specified) Type I vehicles with stoparms, crossing arms and either gasoline or diesel powered engines. A School Bus Equipment Schedule must be submitted annually prior to August 20th each school year.

e. Written reports of conditions of buses as determined at the time of the periodic Registry of Motor Vehicles inspections shall be presented to the Associate Superintendent of Business and Finance upon request.

f. Each bus shall prominently display a number and Town Name 6" or larger, on the curbside of the bus, by which a vehicle can be easily identified.

g. Nothing in this bid will preclude the Tantasqua Regional School District and Union #61 School Districts from using its own vehicles for transportation purposes.

h. Vehicles will be equipped with snow tires December 1st to March 31st of each year.

Operators:

a. The School Committees reserves the right to accept or reject any and all drivers if it is deemed in the best interest of the Districts.

b. All drivers will be CDL certified. Copies of certifications to be forwarded to the District upon request.

c. The Contractor agrees to comply with all Massachusetts and Federal rules, regulations, and requirements in respect to certification and licensing of school bus operators.

d. The Contractor shall ensure all drivers have on file a report made by a registered physician, that they are of sound physical condition and capable of performing the duties of a school bus driver. Also all drivers shall comply with state requirements for tuberculin testing.

e. Drivers shall not be permitted to carry any person other than authorized personnel while carrying pupils.

f. There shall be no use of tobacco or vaping products by drivers while transporting children to and from school or on school grounds, or within 100 feet of any school bus.

g. Drivers will not take disciplinary action against any child. All violations of school regulations must be reported to the Principal of the respective school. Nothing herein shall prevent a driver from reprimanding a child for action that might cause harm to himself or others.

h. Drivers have no authority to put a pupil off the bus or to deny him transportation. This is an action that can be taken only by the school administration.

i. Drivers shall not leave a bus unattended when children are in the bus. In an emergency, the driver's first concern must be for the safety of the children.

j. The Contractor shall submit a list of all drivers, their driver's license numbers and bus assignment for each school year prior to August 20th.

k. The contractor will comply with the districts CORI & SAFIS policy and have all drivers submit CORI forms to be processed by Central office, forms will be supplied to the successful bidder and completed for submission by July 1, 2027.

Additional Bid Item(s) Extracurricular Trips Includes Athletic and Class Field Trips:

a. Trip pricing will consist of a rate for driver time and a mileage rate, or a flat fee per run

b. The contractor shall provide reasonable estimates of time and mileage of trips as requested by the appropriate school personnel.

c. Payments to the contractor for extracurricular trips based on mileage will be actual timed mileage to be provided to school personnel when the trip has been completed.

d. Extracurricular trip requests will be the sole discretion of the school personnel. Vendor is under no obligation to meet requests.

e. The bidder must indicate any restrictions it wishes to impose for such trips.

Miscellaneous:

a. No charge will be allowed for federal, state or municipal sales or excise taxes from which the School Committee or Department is exempt. Exemption certificates, if required, will be furnished on forms provided by the bidder.

b. Each bidder must submit a certificate of Non-Collusion as well as Certificate of Tax compliance.

c. Each bidder shall submit a bid deposit in the amount of $5,000.00.

d. The school committee reserves the right to cancel or reject all bids.

Date: October 26, 2026 TRSD and Union #61 School Committee(s) Fiskdale, MA Kristen Leo Business & Finance Director

Town of Brimfield School Bus Transportation

Bid Form

Company Name:

Address:

Brimfield Elementary School District:

Route Bus

Year Bus Model

# of Passengers

1 Year Bid Price

3 Year Bid Price

Total Bid Amount

Total Brimfield Elementary Bid Pricing

*Bidders may submit a flat rate for each of three years or incremental increases for each of the three years. Award determined based on grantd total amount of the three years.

Town of Brookfield

Brookfield Elementary School District:

Year Bus Model

# of Passengers

1 Year Bid Price

3 Year Bid Price

Total Bid Amount

Total Brookfield Elementary Bid Pricing

*Bidders may submit a flat rate for each of three years or incremental increases for each of the three

Town of Holland

Holland Elementary School District:

Year Bus Model

# of Passengers

1 Year Bid Price

3 Year Bid Price

Total Bid Amount

Total Holland Elementary Bid Pricing

*Bidders may submit a flat rate for each of three years or incremental increases for each of the three

Town of Wales

Wales Elementary School District:

Year Bus Model

# of Passengers

1 Year Bid Price

3 Year Bid Price

Total Bid Amount

Total Wales Elementary Bid Pricing

*Bidders may submit a flat rate for each of three years or incremental increases for each of the three

Town of Brimfield

Regional School District:

Year Bus Model

# of Passengers

1 Year Bid Price

3 Year Bid Price

Total Bid Amount

**Late Run (a)

3:30 pm Tu, W, Th

**Late Run (b) 5:00 pm

M, Tu, W, Th, F (Also serves

Holland & Wales)

Total Regional Bid Pricing

Total Brimfield Elementary Bid Pricing

Total Brimfield Bid Pricing

*Bidders may submit a flat rate for each of three years or incremental increases for each of the three years. Award determined based on grantd total amount of the three years.

**Late runs will be consolidated based upon ridership and/or budgetary concerns.

Town of Brookfield

Year Bus Model

# of Passengers

1 Year Bid Price

3 Year Bid Price

Total Bid Amount

**Late Run (b) 5:00 pm

M, Tu, W, Th, F

Total Brookfield Elementary Bid Pricing

Total Brookfield Bid Pricing

*Bidders may submit a flat rate for each of three years or incremental increases for each of the three years. Award

**Late runs may be consolidated based upon ridership and/or budgetary concerns.

Town of Holland

Year Bus Model

# of Passengers

1 Year Bid Price

3 Year Bid Price

Total Bid Amount

Total Holland Elementary Bid Pricing

Total Holland Bid Pricing

*Bidders may submit a flat rate for each of three years or incremental increases for each of the three years. Award

Town of Wales

Year Bus Model

# of Passengers

1 Year Bid Price

3 Year Bid Price

Total Bid Amount

Total Wales Elementary Bid Pricing

Total Wales Bid Pricing

*Bidders may submit a flat rate for each of three years or incremental increases for each of the three years. Award

Tantasqua Regional and Union 61 School Districts Extra Curricular Trip(s)

Basic Trip:___________________________________________________________________

Price per mile: ______________________________________________________________

If service restricted to any community, please indicate:

1.

2.

3.

References

Please list five business references, with addresses, phone numbers, and contact people:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Certificate of Noncollusion

The undersigned certifies under penalty of perjury that this bid or proposal has been made and submitted in good faith and without collusion or fraud with any other person. As used in this certification, the word "person" shall mean any natural person, business, partnership, corporation, union, committee, club, or other organization, entity, or group of individuals.

Name of person signing bid or proposal

Signature of person signing bid or proposal

Name of business

Date

Affidavite of Tax Compliance

The undersigned certifies under penalty of perjury that any person contracting with a govermental body must certify in writing that he or she has complied with state tax laws, reporting of employees and contractors, and withholding and remitting of child support.

(M.G.L. c. 62C, 49A)

Printed Name of Signatory for bid or proposal

Signature of Signatory for bid or proposal

Name of business

Date