Q&A 1.docx

This document is a Question and Answer record for solicitation 04824 Transit Buses, issued by the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) on behalf of the Washington State Transit Bus Cooperative. The Q&A document addresses clarifications regarding vehicle specifications and eligibility across different bus categories. Key questions addressed include the acceptance of electric light and medium-duty buses with specific dimensions and seating capacities, the classification of vehicles between medium/light duty and heavy duty categories, and the process for obtaining Federal Transportation Authority (FTA) waivers. The document confirms that DES will consider vehicles as additional options under category 4 if they do not meet standard specifications for their intended category, and that vehicles exceeding medium/light duty parameters will only be accepted if bid under the appropriate heavy duty category. Nina Mesihovic, the Procurement Coordinator, is listed as the contact for any additional solicitation questions at 360-407-9404 or Nina.mesihovic@des.wa.gov.

Regarding FTA waivers and manufacturing requirements, the document clarifies that DES does not grant FTA waivers directly but will accept waivers requested from and granted by the Federal Transportation Authority if provided with the bid prior to the deadline, as specified in Section 1.12 of Exhibit D of the Contract. The document confirms that FTA waivers—including Public Interest Waivers, NonAvailability Waivers, and Price Differential Waivers—must be requested directly from the FTA and are not contingent on whether electric buses are assembled domestically with foreign-sourced materials. No changes to the original solicitation document resulted from the questions answered in this Q&A record.