Public_Transportation_Services.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL ITN TS 47-26

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

ISSUE DATE: Monday, April 20, 2026

LAST DAY FOR QUESTION: Friday, May 8, 2026 at 3:00 pm

OPENING DATE & TIME: Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 5:00 pm.

NOTE: PROPOSALS RECEIVED AFTER THE RESPONSE OPENING DATE & TIME WILL NOT

BE CONSIDERED

Okaloosa County, Florida solicits your company to submit a response on the above referenced goods or services.

All terms, specifications and conditions set forth in this solicitation are incorporated into your response. A response will not be accepted unless all conditions have been met. All responses must have an authorized signature in the space provided below. All responses must be submitted electronically by the time and date listed above.

Responses may not be withdrawn for a period of ninety (90) days after the response opening unless otherwise specified.

Public Transportation Services

NOTICE

RFP

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Notice is hereby given that the Board of County Commissioners of Okaloosa County, FL, will accept sealed proposals until 5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 for the Public Transportation Services. Interested respondents desiring consideration shall submit their response online at OpenGov through the link provided below:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/myokaloosa

Unless otherwise stipulated in the proposal description, all responses must be submitted using OpenGov only. No other means of submission of responses will be accepted. Responses will be accepted by OpenGov until 5:00 pm at which time all timely submitted responses will be opened and reviewed.

There will be a Non-Mandatory Pre-Proposal meeting at 10:00 am on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 located at

Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS) Airport located at 1701 Florida 85, Eglin AFB, FL 32542. *Please RSVP to

Purchasing Department*.

The County reserves the right to award to the highest ranked, responsive respondent(s) and to waive any irregularity or technicality in responses received. Okaloosa County shall be the sole judge of the responses and the resulting Agreement(s) that is in its best interest, and its decision shall be final.

For solicitation information, please contact:

DeRita Mason Purchasing Manager dmason@myokaloosa.com

(850) 689-5960

DeRita Mason Purchasing Manager

OKALOOSA COUNTY

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

PAUL MIXON, CHAIRMAN

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/myokaloosa

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Board of County Commissioners of Okaloosa County, FL, (hereby referred to as COUNTY) are seeking

ITN proposals for a qualified service operator/vendor (hereby referred to as OPERATOR) to provide public transportation services for demand response (door-to-door), non-emergency, and Transportation Disadvantaged services throughout the county and the surrounding area. The COUNTY is responsible for procurement and disposition of the transit vehicles to be operated by the OPERATOR. The OPERATOR will be responsible for full-service maintenance, daily inspections, cleaning and custodial maintenance of vehicles and any bus stops/shelters required for active routes.

PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE (ANTICIPATED)

RFP Advertised & Posted on Website: April 20, 2026

Pre-Proposal Meeting (Non-Mandatory): April 29, 2026, 10:00am

Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS) Airport located at 1701 Florida 85, Eglin AFB, FL

32542. *Please RSVP to Purchasing

Department*

Deadline for Questions: May 8, 2026, 3:00pm

RFP Response Due Date: May 20, 2026, 5:00pm

Selection Committee Meeting-Week of May

25, 2026:

-Week of May 25, 2026

Short List Announcement-May 29, 2026: May 29, 2026

Presentation by Vendors-Week of June 9, 2026:

Week of June 9, 2026

Negotiation period with Selected Vendors-

June 15-June26:

June 15-June26

ITA Recommendation-June 26, 2026: June 26, 2026

Board Approval of Selected Vendor-August

18, 2026:

August 18, 2026

GENERAL CONDITIONS

ADDENDUM

Except as provided in this section, respondents are prohibited from contacting or lobbying the County, County

Administrator, Commissioners, County staff, and Review Committee members, or any other person authorized on behalf of the County related or involved with the solicitation. All inquiries on the scope of work, specifications, additional requirements, attachments, terms and general conditions or instructions, or any issue must be directed via OpenGov.

All questions or inquiries must be received no later than Friday, May 8, 2026 at 3:00 pm. Any addenda or other modification to the solicitation will be issued by the County five (5) days prior to the date and time of closing, as a written addenda distributed to all prospective Respondents by posting to the County's OpenGov portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/myokaloosa/projects/257858.

PREPARATION OF RESPONSES

All response forms are included with the proposal documents. Additional copies may be obtained from the

County. The respondent shall submit originals and bid forms in accordance with the public notice.

All blanks in the documents shall be completed electronically in both words and numbers with the amounts extended, totaled and the proposal signed. A proposal price shall be indicated for each section, proposal item, alternative, adjustment unit price item, and unit price item listed therein, or the words “No Proposal”, “No

Change”, or “Not Applicable” entered. No changes shall be made to the phraseology of the form or in the items mentioned therein. In case of any discrepancy between the written amount and the numeric figures, the written amount shall govern. Any proposal which contains any omissions, erasures, alterations, additions, irregularities of any kind, or items not called for which shall in any manner fail to conform to the conditions of public notice inviting proposals may be rejected.

A response submitted by a corporation shall be executed in the corporate name by the president or a vice president or other corporate officer who has legal authority to sign.

A response submitted by a partnership shall be executed in the partnership name and signed by a partner (whose title must appear under the signature). The official address of the partnership shall be shown below the signature.

A response submitted by a limited liability company shall be executed in the name of the firm by a member and accompanied by evidence of authority to sign. The state of formation of the firm and the official address of the firm must be shown below the signature.

A response submitted by an individual shall show the respondent’s name and official address.

A response submitted by a joint venture shall be executed by each joint venture in the manner indicated on the response form. The official address of the joint venture must be shown below the signature.

All signatures shall be submitted electronically - All names shall be typed or printed below the signature.

The response shall contain an electronic acknowledgement of receipt of all Addenda.

The address and telephone number for communications regarding the proposal shall be listed in the vendor's profile.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/myokaloosa/projects/257858

If the respondent is an out-of-state corporation, the response shall contain evidence of respondent’s authority and qualification to do business as an out-of-state corporation in the State of Florida in accordance with Article

3. A state contractor license # for the State of Florida shall also be included on the proposal form. Respondent shall be licensed in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 489, Florida Statutes.

INTEGRITY OF SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS

Respondents shall use the original Solicitation documents provided by the Purchasing Department and enter information only in the spaces where a response is requested. Respondents may use an attachment as an addendum to the Proposal documents if sufficient space is not available. Any modifications or alterations to the original proposal documents by the respondent, whether intentional or otherwise, will constitute grounds for rejection of a proposal. Any such modifications or alterations that a respondent wishes to propose must be clearly stated in the respondent’s response in the form of an addendum to the original proposal documents.

SUBMITTAL OF RESPONSE

All responses shall be submitted electronically no later than Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 5:00 pm. All documents should be uploaded in the Vendor Questionnaire Section of this solicitation. The responses submitted should be one (1) completed document, unless otherwise specified within the document.

MODIFICATION & WITHDRAWAL OF RESPONSE

A response may be modified or withdrawn in the County's OpenGov portal prior to the date and time for the opening of responses.

If within 24 hours after responses are opened any respondent files a duly signed written notice with the County and promptly thereafter demonstrates to the reasonable satisfaction of the County that there was a material substantial mistake in the preparation of its response, that respondent may withdraw its response, and the response security may be returned. Thereafter, if the work is re-response, that respondent will be disqualified from

A. further purposing on the work, and

B. doing any work on the contract, either as a subcontractor or in any other capacity.

RESPONSES TO REMAIN SUBJECT TO ACCEPTANCE

All responses will remain subject to acceptance or rejection for ninety (90) calendar days after the day of the response opening, but the County may, in its sole discretion, release any response and return the proposal security/bid bond prior to the end of this period.

IDENTICAL TIE BIDS

In cases of identical procurement responses, the award shall be determined either by lot or on the basis of factors deemed to serve the best interest of the County. In the case of the latter, there must be adequate documentation to support such a decision.

CONDITIONAL & INCOMPLETE RESPONSES

Okaloosa County specifically reserves the right to reject any conditional response and responses which make it impossible to determine the true amount of the response.

CONTRACT FOR SERVICES

A copy of the County’s standard agreement for professional services such as the ones being procured herein is attached to this procurement. The selected respondent will be required to enter into the County’s standard agreement. It is the responsibility of the Respondent to raise any objections to the terms and conditions of the standard agreement at the time of submitting its response to this solicitation. Failure to do so will be considered a waiver of respondent’s right to raise it later in the process or during negotiations. In the evaluation and negotiation processes the County has the right in its sole discretion to consider any objections raised by

Respondent as part of the determination of most responsible and responsive proposer.

ADDITION/DELETION OF ITEM

The County reserves the right to add or delete any item from this solicitation or resulting contract when deemed to be in the County’s best interest.

APPLICABLE LAWS & REGULATIONS

All applicable Federal and State laws, County and municipal ordinances, orders, rules and regulations of all authorities having jurisdiction over the projects and services shall apply to the solicitation throughout, and they will be deemed to be included in the contract the same as though they were written in full therein. Further, from time to time the County may be eligible to obtain State of Federal grant funding for some of the services provided hereunder the requirements of the grants will be applicable to the services rendered.

DISQUALIFICATION OF RESPONDENTS

Any of the following reasons may be considered as sufficient for the disqualification of a respondent and the rejection of its response:

A. Submission of more than one response for the same work from an individual, firm, agency, or corporation under the same or different name.

B. Evidence that the respondent has a financial interest in the firm of another respondent for the same work.

C. Evidence of collusion among respondents. Participants in such collusion will receive no recognition as respondents for any future work of the County until such participant has been reinstated as a qualified respondent.

D. Uncompleted work which in the judgment of the County might hinder or prevent the prompt completion of additional work if awarded.

E. Failure to pay or satisfactorily settle all bills due for labor and material on former contracts in force at the time of advertisement of responses.

F. Default under previous contract.

G. Listing of the respondent by the Federal Government on its barred/suspended vendor list.

AWARD OF CONTRACT

Okaloosa County Review - Okaloosa County appointed selection committee, shall review all responses and will participate in the recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. The Board of County

Commissioners shall make final determination on any award of Contract.

The contract shall be awarded to the responsible and responsive respondent(s) whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the County, taking into consideration the price and other criteria set forth in the request for proposals. The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or to waive any irregularity or technicality in proposals received. The County shall be the sole judge of the proposal and the resulting negotiated agreement that is in its best interest and its decision shall be final.

Okaloosa County reserves the right to waive any informalities or reject any and all proposals, in whole or part, to utilize any applicable state contracts in lieu of or in addition to this proposal and to accept the proposal that in its judgment will best serve the interest of the County.

Okaloosa County specifically reserves the right to reject any conditional proposals and proposals which make it impossible to determine the true amount of the proposal.

AWARD OF CONTRACT

Okaloosa County Review - Okaloosa County designated Staff will review all bids and will participate in the

Recommendation to Award.

The County will award the bid to the responsive and responsible vendor(s) with the lowest responsive bid(s), and the County reserves the right to award the bid to the respondent submitting a responsive bid with a resulting negotiated agreement which is most advantageous and in the best interest of the County, and to reject any and all bids or to waive any irregularity or technicality in bids received. Okaloosa County shall be the sole judge of the bid and the resulting negotiated agreement that is in its best interest and its decision shall be final. The

County reserves the right to award to multiple vendors.

Okaloosa County reserves the right to waive any informalities or reject any and all bids, in whole or part, to utilize any applicable state contracts in lieu of or in addition to this bid and to accept the bid that in its judgment will best serve the interest of the County.

Okaloosa County specifically reserves the right to reject any conditional bids and will normally reject those which made it impossible to determine the true amount of the bid. Each item must be bid separately and no attempt is to be made to tie any item or items to any other item or items.

PAYMENTS

The respondent shall be paid upon submission of invoices and approval of acceptance by Okaloosa County

Board of County Commissioners, Finance Office, 101 E James Lee Blvd, Rm 108 Crestview, FL 32536, for the prices stipulated herein for services rendered. All invoices must show the Contract #. Invoices for fees or other compensation must be submitted in sufficient detail to demonstrate compliance with the terms of this procurement and resulting contract.

DISCRIMINATION

An entity or affiliate who has been placed on the discriminatory vendor list may not submit a response on a contract to provide goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a proposal on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit responses on leases of real property to a public entity, may not award or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity.

PUBLIC ENTITY CRIME INFORMATION

Pursuant to Florida Statute 287.133, a respondent may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity; and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017 for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months following the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The award hereunder is subject to the provisions of Chapter 112, Florida Statutes. All respondents must disclose with their responses the name of any officer, director, or agent who is also a public officer or an employee of the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners, or any of its agencies. Furthermore, all respondents must disclose the name of any County officer or employee who owns, directly or indirectly, an interest of five percent (5%) or more in the firm or any of its branches.

Note: For respondent's convenience, this certification form is available in the Vendor Questionnaire

Section of this solicitation.

RECYCLED CONTENT INFORMATION

In support of the Florida Waste Management Law, respondents are encouraged to supply with their response any information available regarding recycled material content in the products response. The County is particularly interested in the type of recycled material used (such as paper, plastic, glass, metal, etc.) and the percentage of recycled material contained in the product. The County also requests information regarding any known or potential material content in the product that may be extracted and recycled after the product has served its intended purpose.

Note: For respondent's convenience, this certification form is available in the Vendor Questionnaire

Section of this solicitation.

REORGANIZATION OR BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS

Responses will not be considered from respondents who are currently involved in official financial reorganization or bankruptcy proceedings.

INVESTIGATION OF RESPONDENT

The County may make such investigations, as it deems necessary to determine the stability of the respondent to perform the work and that there is no conflict of interest as it relates to the project. The respondent shall furnish to the Owner any additional information and financial data for this purpose as the County may request.

CONE OF SILENCE

The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners has established a solicitation silence policy (Cone of

Silence Clause) that prohibits oral and written communication regarding all formal solicitations for goods and services (formal bids, Request for Proposals, Requests for Qualifications) issued by the Board through the

County Purchasing Department. The period commences from the date of advertisement until award of contract.

All communications shall be directed to the Purchasing Department.

Note: For respondent's convenience, this certification form is available in the Vendor Questionnaire

Section of this solicitation.

COMPLIANCE WITH FLORIDA STATUTE 119.0701

The Respondent shall comply with all the provisions of section 119.0701, Florida Statutes relating to the public records which requires, among other things, that the Respondent:

A. Keep and maintain public records;

B. Provide the public with access to public records on the same terms and conditions that the public agency would provide the records;

C. ensure that public records that are exempt or confidential and exempt from public records disclosure requirements are not disclosed except as authorized by law; and

D. Meet all requirements for retaining public records and transfer, at no cost, to the public agency all public records in possession of the respondent upon termination of the contract.

PROTECTION OF RESIDENT WORKERS

The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners actively supports the Immigration and Nationality Act

(INA) which includes provisions addressing employment eligibility, employment verifications, and nondiscrimination. Under the INA, employers may hire only persons who may legally work in the United

States (i.e., citizens and nationals of the U.S.) and aliens authorized to work in the U.S. The employer must verify the identity and employment eligibility of anyone to be hired, which includes completing the

Employment Eligibility Verifications. The respondent shall establish appropriate procedures and controls so no services or products under the Contract Documents will be performed or manufactured by any worker who is not legally eligible to perform such services or employment. Okaloosa County reserves the right to request documentation showing compliance with the requirements.

Respondents doing construction business with Okaloosa County are required to use the Federal Government

Department of Homeland Security’s website and use the E-Verify Employment Eligibility Verifications System to confirm eligibility of all employees to work in the United States.

SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE

The County may, at any time, without cause, order Respondent in writing to suspend, delay or interrupt the work in whole or in part for such period of time as the County may determine, or to terminate all or a portion of the Contract for the County’s convenience. Upon such termination, the Contract Price earned to the date of termination shall be paid to Respondent, but Respondent waives any claim for damages, including loss of profits arising out of or related to the early termination. Those Contract provisions which by their nature survive final acceptance shall remain in full force and effect. If the County orders a suspension, the Contract price and Contract time may be adjusted for increases in the cost and time caused by suspension, delay or interruption. No adjustment shall be made to the extent that performance is, was or would have been so suspended, delayed or interrupted by reason for which Respondent is responsible; or that an equitable adjustment is made or denied under another provision of this Contract.

FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE/DELIVERY

In case of default by the respondent, the County after due notice (oral or written) may procure the necessary supplies or services from other sources and hold the respondent responsible for difference in cost incurred. Continuous instances of default shall result in cancellation of the contract and removal of the respondent from the proposal list for duration of one (1) year, at the option of the County.

AUDIT

If requested, respondent shall permit the County or an authorized, independent audit agency to inspect all data and records of respondent relating to its performance and its subcontracts under this contract from the date of the contract through three (3) years after the expiration of contract.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY; NON-DISCRIMINATION

Respondent will not discriminate against any employee or an applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, familial status or handicap.

NON-COLLUSION

Respondent certifies that it has entered into no agreement to commit a fraudulent, deceitful, unlawful or wrongful act, or any act which may result in an unfair advantage over other respondents. See Florida Statute

838.22.

UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS/PATRIOT’S ACT

The knowing employment by respondent or its subcontractors of any alien not authorized to work by the immigration laws is prohibited and shall be a default of the contract. In the event that the respondent is notified or becomes aware of such default, the respondent shall take steps as are necessary to terminate said employment with 24 hours of notification or actual knowledge that an alien is being employed. Respondent’s failure to take such steps as are necessary to terminate the employment of any said alien within 24 hours of notification or actual knowledge that an alien is being employed shall be grounds for immediate termination of the contract. Respondent shall take all commercially reasonable precautions to ensure that it and its subcontractors do not employ persons who are not authorized to work by the immigration laws.

FINANCIAL STABILITY

In the case of Federal and/or Florida State funded procurements, prior to awarding this contract, the top respondents will be required to submit to a soft credit pull for purposes of the County's Risk Assessment consideration; objections by any respondent will disqualify them from consideration. Bad credit indicating you are a high risk may impact your application. Responses will not be considered from respondents who are currently involved in official financial reorganization or bankruptcy proceedings.

CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING FOR STATE OF FLORIDA

Florida Statute 607.1501 requires that all vendors who wish to do business in the State of Florida be licensed to do business through the Department of State of Florida and be in good standing with the State of Florida. As such, to do business with Okaloosa County a vendor must provide a Certificate of Good Standing with their bid/proposal package to the County. For more information on doing business in the State of Florida, please refer to the Florida Department of State. The website to register is https://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz.

Vendors shall upload a copy of their certification in the Vendor Questionnaire section of this solicitation.

https://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz

BYRD ANTI LOBBYING (31 U.S. C. 1352)

The Certification regarding Lobbying executed by Contractor and attached as part of Attachment “A” to the

Agreement is hereby acknowledged and made part of the Agreement by reference.

Note: For respondent's convenience, this certification form is available in the Vendor Questionnaire

Section of this solicitation.

WORK HOUR AND SAFETY STANDARDS (40 U.S.C. 3701-3708)

The Certification regarding Work Hours and Safety Standards executed by Contractor and attached as part of

Attachment “A” to the Agreement is hereby acknowledged and made part of the Agreement by reference.

SYSTEM OF AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM.GOV)

If grant funded, all vendors must be registered in SAM in order to do business with the County. In order to be considered for the project, the vendor must be registered prior to submitting a bid/proposal with the

County. Failure to show proof of SAM.gov registration at time of submitting a bid/proposal may deem the vendors bid/proposal unresponsive. You can register for SAM at the below link: https://sam.gov/content/home. Note it can take some time for a vendor to get registered for the System of

Award Management and as such it is important to start the process as soon as possible to qualify as a responsive vendor.

SUBCONTRACTING

The Contractor shall comply with this requirement and ensure its subcontracts issued under this Agreement, if any, impose this requirement, in writing, on their subcontractors.

For fixed-price (vendor) subcontracts, the following provisions shall apply: The Contractor may award, on a competitive basis, fixed-price subcontracts to consultants/contractors in performing the work described in the

SCOPE OF WORK/SERVICES. Invoices submitted to County for fixed price subcontracted activities shall be supported with a copy of the subcontractor’s invoice and a copy of the tabulation form for the competitive procurement process (e.g., Invitation to Bid, Request for Proposals, or other similar competitive procurement document) resulting in the fixed-price subcontract. The Contractor may request approval from the County to award a fixed-price subcontract resulting from procurement methods other than those identified above. In this instance, the Contractor shall request the advance written approval from County of the fixed price negotiated by

Contractor. The letter of request shall be supported by a detailed budget and Scope of Services to be performed by the subcontractor. Upon receipt of the County’s approval of the fixed-price amount, the Contractor may proceed in finalizing the fixed-price subcontract.

If the procurement is subject to the Consultant’s Competitive Negotiation Act under section 287.055, F.S. or the

Brooks Act, the Contractor must provide documentation clearly evidencing it has complied with the statutory or federal requirements.

SECTION 287.05701, FLORIDA STATUES

Pursuant to section 287.05701, Florida Statutes, the County will not request any documentation of or consider a proposer’s social, political or ideological interests when determining if the proposer is a responsible proposer.

The County will not give a preference to a proposer based upon the proposer’s social, political, or ideological interests.

https://sam.gov/content/home.

UNITED STATES-PRODUCED IRON AND STEEL (s. 255.0993, Fla. Stat.)

Any iron or steel product permanently incorporated into the project must be produced in the United States.

REQUIRED SUBMISSION ITEMS

SCOPE OF WORK

Public Transportation Service

Okaloosa County (hereby referred to as COUNTY) is seeking ITN proposals for a qualified service operator/vendor (hereby referred to as OPERATOR) to provide public transportation services for demand response (door-to-door), non-emergency, and Transportation Disadvantaged services throughout the county and the surrounding area. The COUNTY is responsible for procurement and disposition of the transit vehicles to be operated by the OPERATOR. The OPERATOR will be responsible for full-service maintenance, daily inspections, cleaning and custodial maintenance of vehicles and any bus stops/shelters required for active routes.

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Responses to this ITN must not only clearly demonstrate the OPERATOR’s understanding of the COUNTY’s current system and needs, but must also include recommended innovations and improvements which may include, but are not limited to, the introduction of new technologies to include cashless payment systems and real-time vehicle/route tracking, operational changes to include analysis of services, equipment, vehicle changes, or any other modifications the respondent believes will provide an efficient, cost-effective, and reliable

TD transportation network. OPERATOR will provide assistance with identification, application, management and adherence with transportation-related grants by any legal agency in order to fund the services.

EVALUATION AND SCORING CRITERIA

The proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Analysis and Recommendations

Respondents must clearly demonstrate their understanding of the COUNTY’s current system. The OPERATOR should utilize the latest in industry technologies and methods to analyze the area’s needs based on demographics and geographical challenges. The analysis should also include how innovations and improvements which may include, but are not limited to, the introduction of new technologies, operational changes, equipment and vehicle changes, or any other modifications the respondent believes can provide an efficient, cost-effective, and reliable transportation network. Provide how you would deliver an assessment for optimized fixed routes and/or microtransit services for consideration under the new contract award in

FY27 or may be reserved for future consideration and incorporation into the TDSP.

Points Based 20 (20% of Total)

2. Implementation Approach

Provide a detailed description of how the requested demand response and Transportation

Disadvantaged services will be provided.

Describe the timeline to implement recommendations from section 1.7.1 and if all services will be in place at contract start or whether a phased approach is necessary.

Implementation should include the total number and types of vehicles required to optimize performance at the least cost. Implementation of the service(s) described in section 1.7.1 should be reflected in the proposed hourly rates for Demand Response and Transportation

Disadvantaged Services, understanding the

CONTRACTOR responsibilities in Section

1.3.2.

Points Based 30 (30% of Total)

3. Similar Experience and References

Describe prior experience providing the like scope of work and contractual model for paratransit, demand response, and fixed/microtransit services. Provide a detailed summary of similar services performed for up to three (3) similar transit agencies in the last five (5) years for the provision of public transportation services. Information should include the names of the entities (City, County, etc.), contract amount, project description, administration responsibilities, and whether the service was ultimately performed within budget. Respondents are reminded they must state the levels of service provided to any entity listed. Describe the Respondent’s specific experience working with government agencies to maximize the use of agency resources and improve public transit services to the public.

Include a list of references that your firm (and staff) is currently providing or has provided for similar services within the last five (5) years.

OPERATOR must demonstrate a satisfactory record of performance, including positive references from other recent clients. A satisfactory record of performance shall include delivery of services within budget, having an acceptable on‐time performance, positive customer feedback, and a consistently cooperative relationship with the contract purveyor.

Points Based 10 (10% of Total)

4. Management/Organization Resources

Provide a detailed profile of your organization that includes an organization chart, number of years in business, home office location, and any other information to be considered in the evaluation of your organization’s ability to render services to the COUNTY. Describe the experience and expertise of management staff that will be assigned to the COUNTY. Include copies of their resumes, certifications, and information concerning the specific program knowledge that will be brought to the

COUNTY in the performance of the scope of work. Staff members who will be assigned to management positions must have at least one year of experience in these roles. If subcontractors are to be used, a description must be provided of each person or firm and the work to be done by each subcontractor.

Describe the methods used to monitor and evaluate driver screening, selection, and training; sensitivity and first aid training for employees; and pre/post-trip training and quality assurance methods for ensuring timely identification of defects and repairs to promote safety.

Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

5. Quality Assurance

OPERATOR should demonstrate their success in ensuring compliance with federal and state requirements, as well as making sure excellent customer service is provided to riders. Describe methods for tracking driver requirements, such as training and license requirements, and preventative maintenance schedules to ensure timely inspections and repair activities.

Describe these methods in detail, as well as methods for how customer complaints, commendations, and route deviation requests will be monitored and reported.

Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

6. Financial Capacity

Include the latest financial audit of the

OPERATOR prepared by an independent auditor or Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

If the OPERATOR is not required to conduct an audit, please state the reason an audit is not required and provide financial statements prepared by an independent accounting agency.

Because of the schedule for reimbursement of operating costs, the

OPERATOR must have a 45‐day cash reserve based on the estimated proposed annual budget.

Provide documentation of the reserve and its designation for use only in the COUNTY's transit system. The COUNTY will evaluate the

OPERATOR’s overall financial capacity and assess any liabilities currently facing them. If selected, the OPERATOR must procure and maintain insurance at its own cost and expense for the duration of the agreement.

Points Based 10 (10% of Total)

PRICE PROPOSAL

Line Item Description Quantity Unit of

Measure Unit Cost Total

NA N/A 0 0

TOTAL

VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE

Okaloosa County, Florida solicits your company to submit a response for referenced goods or services listed in this RFP. All terms, specifications and conditions set forth in this RFP are incorporated into your response. A response will not be accepted unless all conditions have been met. All responses must be submitted by an authorized representative. All responses must be submitted electronically by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Responses may not be withdrawn for a period of ninety (90) days after the response opening unless otherwise specified.

Vendor Information

Sam.gov Unique Entity Identifier

Enter your Sam.Gov Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.

Cage Code

Enter your Cage Code

Required Certifications

RFP Acknowledgement*

I certify that this bid is made without prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any other respondent submitting a bid for the same materials, supplies, equipment or services, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. I agree to abide by all terms and conditions of this bid and certify that I am authorized to sign this bid for the respondent.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

Drug-Free Workplace Certification*

RESPONDENT CERTIFIES that it has implemented a drug-free workplace program. In order to have a drug-free workplace program, a business shall:

A. Publish a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violations of such prohibition.

B. Inform employees about the dangers of drug abuse in the workplace, the business’s policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace, any available drug counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs, and the penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations.

C. Give each employee engaged in providing the commodities or contractual services that are under quote a copy of the statement specified in subsection A.

D. In the statement specified in subsection A, notify the employees that, as a condition of working on the commodities or contractual services that are under quote, the employee will abide by the terms of the statement and will notify the employer of any conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, any violation of Chapter 893, Florida Statutes, or of any controlled substance law of the United States or any state, for a violation occurring in the workplace no later than five (5) days after such conviction.

E. Impose a sanction on, or require the satisfactory participation in, drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program if such is available in employee’s community, by any employee who is convicted.

F. Make a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of this section.

As the person authorized to sign this statement, I certify that this firm complies fully with the above requirements.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

Federal E-Verify Compliance Certification*

In accordance with Okaloosa County Policy and Executive Order Number 11-116 from the office of the

Governor of the State of Florida, Respondent hereby certifies that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s

E-Verify system will be used to verify the employment eligibility of all new employees hired by the Respondent during the contract term, and shall expressly require any subcontractors performing work or providing services pursuant to the contact to likewise utilize the U.S. Department of Homeland Securities E-Verify system to verify the employment eligibility of all new employees hired by the subcontractor during the contract term; and shall provide documentation such verification to the COUNTY upon request.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

Cone of Silence Certification*

The Board of County Commissioners have established a solicitation silence policy (Cone of Silence) that prohibits oral and written communication regarding all formal solicitations for goods and services (ITB, RFP, ITQ, ITN, and RFQ) or other competitive solicitation between the bidder (or its agents or representatives) or other entity with the potential for a financial interest in the award (or their respective agents or representatives) regarding such competitive solicitation, and any County Commissioner or County employee, selection committee member or other persons authorized to act on behalf of the Board including the County’s Architect, Engineer or their sub-consultants, or anyone designated to provide a recommendation to award a particular contract, other than the Purchasing Department Staff.

The period commences from the time of advertisement until contract award.

Any information thought to affect the committee or staff recommendation submitted after bids are due, should be directed to the Purchasing Manager or an appointed representative. It shall be the Purchasing Manager’s decision whether to consider this information in the decision process.

Any violation of this policy shall be grounds to disqualify the Respondent from consideration during the selection process.

Respondent hereby certifies to comply with this policy.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

Indemnification and Hold Harmless Certification*

Respondent certifies that they shall indemnify and hold harmless COUNTY, its officers and employees from liabilities, damages, losses, and costs including but not limited to reasonable attorney fees, to the extent caused by the negligence, recklessness, or intentional wrongful conduct of the CONTRACTOR and other persons employed or utilized by the CONTRACTOR in the performance of this Agreement.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

LOBBYING - 31 U.S.C. 1352, 49 CFR Part 19, 49 CFR Part 20*

The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

A. No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of an agency, a Member of

Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.

B. If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for making lobbying contacts to an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard

Form--LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions [as amended by

"Government wide Guidance for New Restrictions on Lobbying," 61 Fed. Reg. 1413 (1/19/96). Note:

Language in paragraph (2) herein has been modified in accordance with Section 10 of the Lobbying

Disclosure Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-65, to be codified at 2 U.S.C. 1601, et seq.)]

C. The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all subrecipients shall certify and disclose accordingly. This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by 31U.S.C. § 1352 (as amended by the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995).

Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than

$10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

[Note: Pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 1352(c)(1)-(2)(A), any person who makes a prohibited expenditure or fails to file or amend a required certification or disclosure form shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than

$10,000 and not more than

$100,000 for each such expenditure or failure.] The Contractor certifies or affirms the truthfulness and accuracy of each statement of its certification and disclosure, if any. In addition, the Contractor understands and agrees that the provisions of 31 U.S.C. A 3801, et seq., apply to this certification and disclosure, if any.

☐ Please confirm

Government Debarment and Suspension Certification*

A. By clicking "Please Confirm" below, the prospective lower tier participant is providing the certification set out in accordance with these instructions.

B. The certification in this clause is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was entered into. If it is later determined that the prospective lower tier participant knowingly rendered an erroneous certification, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal

Government, the department or agency with which this transaction originated may pursue available remedies, including suspension or debarment.

C. The prospective lower tier participant shall provide immediate written notice to the person(s) to which this proposal is submitted if at any time the prospective lower tier participant learns that its certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances.

D. The terms "covered transaction," "debarred," "suspended," "ineligible," "lower tier covered transaction,"

"participant," "person," "primary covered transaction," "principal," "proposal," and "voluntarily excluded," as used in this clause, have the meanings set out in the Definitions and Coverage sections of the rules implementing Executive Orders 12549, at Subpart C of OMB 2 C.F.R. Part 180 and 3000.332.

You may contact the department or agency to which this proposal is being submitted for assistance in obtaining a copy of those regulations.

E. The prospective lower tier participant agrees by submitting this form that, should the proposed covered transaction be entered into, it shall not knowingly enter into any lower tier covered transaction with a person who is debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this covered transaction, unless authorized by the department or agency with which this transaction originated.

F. The prospective lower tier participant further agrees by submitting this form that it will include this clause titled "Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion -

Lower Tier Covered Transactions," without modification, in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions.

G. A participant in a covered transaction may rely upon a certification of a prospective participant in a lower tier covered transaction that is not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction, unless it knows that the certification is erroneous. A participant may decide the method and frequency by which it determines the eligibility of its principals. Each participant may, but is not required to, check the System for Award Management (SAM) database.

H. Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be construed to require establishment of a system of records in order to render in good faith the certification required by this clause. The knowledge and information of a participant is not required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings.

I. Except for transactions authorized under paragraph (E) of these instructions, if a participant in a covered transaction knowingly enters into a lower tier covered transaction with a person who is suspended, debarred, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the department or agency with which this transaction originated may pursue available remedies, including suspension and/or debarment.

The following statement is made in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552(a), as amended).

This certification is required by the regulations implementing Executive Orders 12549, Debarment and

Suspension, and OMB 2 C.F.R.

Part 180, Participants' responsibilities. The regulations were amended and published on August 31, 2005, in 70

Fed. Reg. 51865-51880.

The prospective lower tier participant certifies, by submission of this proposal, that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any Federal or State department or agency;

Where the prospective lower tier participant is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to this proposal.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

Scrutinized Company Certification*

Proposer certifies that it is not:

A. listed on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List, created pursuant to section 215.4725, Florida Statutes, B. engaged in a boycott of Israel, C. listed on the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with

Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List, created pursuant to section 215.473, Florida

Statutes, or

D. engaged in business operations in Cuba or Syria.

Pursuant to section 287.135(5), Florida Statutes, the County may disqualify the bid proper immediately or immediately terminate any agreement entered into for cause if the bid proposer is found to have submitted a false certification as to the above or if the Contractor is placed on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott

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