RFI__1_Shuttle_Services.pdf

Contracts • OC Fair & Event Center • 32nd District Agricultural Association 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 • (714) 708-1719 • ocfair.com

April 23, 2026

To: All Potential Bidders

From: Kelly Vu, Business Services Supervisor

Re: RFI #1, Q & A, IFB #:

The purpose of this RFI (Request for Information) is to transmit “Questions and Answers” regarding the technical components of the IFB Shuttle Services. All terms and conditions of the original IFB notice remain unchanged.

Questions and Answers

Questions:

1. The IFB states and online states the fair is 23 days but the fair dates are July 17-Aug 16 which is 31 days. Please clarify.

Answer: There are 23 days of the Fair over the 31 days period. The Fair closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. Please refer to the IFB page 13, Part IV, History and General Information, see below.

Also, IFB page 16, Scope of Work, Section D, Locations, OC Fair Locations/Requirements. It stated “This shuttle program will operate all twenty-three (23) days of the OC Fair.

2. ADA vehicles. In the IFB it states one is required and in another states two. Please clarify this as well.

Answer: Two ADA vehicles is required.

3. Can the District please provide its estimated budget for this RFP?

Answer: To clarify. This bid is an IFB (Invitation For Bid), not RFP (Request For Proposal).

There’s no engineer estimate; however, the District will make a determination if the lowest responsive bid price is significant higher than expected.

4. Will this IFB result in a single-award or multiple-award contract?

Answer: Yes

5. Could the District share which vendors have previously been awarded this contract?

Given that this is a low-bid procurement, should we assume school buses have primarily been utilized? If charter bus providers have been awarded in the past, could you please share those company names?

Answer: It is LAZ Parking California, LLC

6. General Requirements - Section 11: The IFB notes that an additional on-site PM coordinator is required from 3:00 PM to 1:00 AM daily. Would a driver-designated lead, as referenced in Section 10, be acceptable in lieu of this requirement?

Answer: Yes

7. On average, would the District be able to share how many trips each route completes?

Based on the service window of 5:00 AM to 2:00 AM, this appears to require a two-driver operation per vehicle. Any historical data the District can provide would be helpful in developing accurate and competitive pricing.

Answer: Route frequency and trips daily fluctuate. One driver per shuttle, with varying amounts of shuttle on route is what we have seen historically.

8. Can the Prime Contractor be a Transportation Management Company (TMC) that provides planning, coordination, dispatch, route optimization, reporting, and operational oversight services, while subcontracting licensed vehicle operators to meet transportation requirements?

Answer: No.

9. The IFB indicates that the Primary Bidder must possess a valid TCP and other applicable transportation licenses. Can the District clarify whether a Prime Contractor that provides overall transportation management and oversight, while utilizing appropriately licensed subcontractors for vehicle operations, would satisfy this requirement?

Answer: No. The Primary bidder must meet the minimum qualification.

10. The Scope of Work is written assuming the Contractor owns and operates buses. Would the District accept alternative delivery models where the Contractor manages a network of transportation providers to deliver the required service levels?

Answer: No.

11. The IFB requires the Contractor to provide a “comprehensive operational plan.” Can the District confirm expectations regarding:

1. Planning vs. execution responsibilities.

2. Required level of detail pre-award vs. post-award.

Answer: This question is unclear. Please refer to the IFB page 25, Part VII, section C for Technical Requirements

12. Can the District clarify whether roles such as dispatch, routing, on-site management, and reporting are evaluated as part of the Contractor’s staffing plan, or if evaluation is strictly limited to vehicle operations? The route is already established. Driver and shuttle management is expected to be managed by bidder.

Answer: OCFEC Parking Supervisor to be contacted with any issues.

13. Would the District consider alternative service delivery strategies that optimize:

1. Fleet size

2. Routing efficiency

3. Cost savings

While maintaining or improving service levels?

Answer: No.

14. Does the District expect or allow the use of:

1. Real-time dispatch systems

2. GPS tracking

3. Rider demand monitoring

4. Reporting dashboards

Answer: No.

15. Given that service hours and volumes are estimates and not guaranteed, how does the District expect contractors to:

1. Scale resources

2. Manage cost risk

3. Handle underutilization

Answer: Busy time fluctuate daily. We ask the shuttles during hours requested which is 5am to 2am.

16. The description of the route for each of the shuttle locations are all the same. Can the District clarify a need for three different shuttles from each location or just one shuttle and route stopping at each location?

1. Each location has this listed (page 16 - 17):

Answer: We ask that there are multiple shuttles to be on route to stop at each location.

ORANGE COAST COLLEGE LOT “E” – MERRIMAC WAY

Contractor to provide transportation from Lot E off Merrimac Way at Orange Coast College to the OC Fair, then Davis Magnet School turnaround. This shuttle program will operate all twenty-three (23) days of the OC Fair.

ORANGE COUNTY FAIR LOT “E” – ARLINGTON DRIVE (GATE 3 ½)

Contractor to provide transportation from Lot E off Merrimac Way at Orange Coast College to the OC Fair, then Davis Magnet School turnaround. This shuttle program will operate all twenty-three (23) days of the OC Fair.

DAVIS MAGNET SCHOOL LOT

Contractor to provide transportation from Lot E off Merrimac Way at Orange Coast College to the OC Fair, then Davis Magnet School turnaround. This shuttle program will operate all twenty-three (23) days of the OC Fair.

17. Can the District clarify the anticipated hour of operations and about of operational days for OFFSITE LOCATION(S)?

Answer: No offsite locations a getting planned at this time.

18. Can the District provide expected daily ridership volumes during peak fair operations at each of the locations?

Answer: Peak hours varies daily but morning peak we can expect from 7am to Noon, and evening 6pm to close.

19. Can the District provide historical data on:

1. Passenger demand

2. Peak load times

3. Shuttle routes and utilization.

Answer: Peak hours varies daily but morning peak we can expect from 7am to Noon, and evening 6pm to close.

20. Can the District provide defined service levels (frequency, wait times, capacity targets)?

Answer: Each location during peak times, shuttle will fill fairly quickly.

21. Does the District have routes and stops that are predefined, or is the contractor expected to design them?

Answer: Locations are predefined.

22. What coordination exists with:

Answer: OCFEC handles this. Should any changes need to happen, the parking supervisor will be in contact the shuttle management that is onsite.

1. Local law enforcement

2. Traffic management agencies

23. Since award is based primarily on lowest cost, how will the District factor quality and experience?

Answer: Please refer to IFB page 15, Minimum Qualification. Bidders must meet the minimum qualification and able to fulfill the Statement of Work in order to submit a proposal. The award will be made to the lowest responsive bid.

24. Will the District allow access to:

1. Historical plans

2. Previous contractor insights

Answer: This question is unclear. However, the previous contract can be obtained by submitting an email requesting public request, email cpra@ocfair.com.

25. Are school buses being considered for this opportunity?

Answer: No, school buses are too large and are not acceptable.

26. Would the 32nd District Agricultural Association consider permitting the use of school buses with a capacity of 39-43 adults / 65 children?

Answer: No. School busses are too large.

27. Would the 32nd District Agricultural Association consider permitting the use of lift equipped school buses with 1-WC and 12-13 ambulatory adults?

Answer: No

28. Does the 32nd District Agricultural Association intend to award to a single contractor?

Answer: Yes

29. Is DVBE participation a requirement?

Answer: Disable Veteran Business Enterprise is not a requirement; however, there’s a DVBE incentive for evaluation purpose. Please refer to IFB page 6, section G.

30. Demand & Throughput - Can the District provide historical daily ridership volumes, peak hour demand, and average load factors for each route?

Answer: Peak times are 7am to Noon, evening 6pm till close. Shuttles are full during peak times

31. Dispatch Model Flexibility - Is the Contractor permitted to dynamically adjust fleet size and frequency based on real-time demand conditions?

Answer: Ridership demands fluctuate daily. We ask shuttles to be ready during hours requested.

mailto:cpra@ocfair.com

32. Standby Definition - How does the District define “adequate standby vehicles”? Are these billable hours or expected to be included in base hourly rates?

Answer: This should be included in the hourly rate

33. Deadhead / Staging - Are staging, deadhead, and repositioning hours billable?

Answer: This question is unclear and seemed not to pertain to this bid.

34. Break / Driver Compliance - How should bidders account for driver breaks and DOT compliance within continuous 5:00 AM–2:00 AM operations?

Answer: We ask that shuttles are available for routes 5am to 2am. Drivers breaks need to be scheduled by the provider.

35. Fleet Type Flexibility - Are bidders permitted to use a mix of vehicle types (cutaways, shuttles, motorcoaches) to optimize capacity and cost?

Answer: No. Motorcoaches are too large. Shuttles with ADA are required.

36. Offsite TBD Location - Can the District provide more clarity on the likelihood, duration, and expected demand profile of the TBD offsite location?

Answer: At this time, there are no plans for an offsite location.

37. Technology / Reporting - Will the District accept automated digital trip logs, passenger counts, and reporting dashboards in lieu of manual reporting?

Answer: Trip logs with rider counts are not required.

38. Contract Structure - Is the District open to alternative pricing models that may reduce total program cost (e.g., blended hourly + efficiency-based pricing)?

Answer: No. Bidders must use the Financial Proposal Bid Form as provided. We ask for a flat fee.

40. Branding Rights (Important) - Given exclusive branding rights, is the District open to co-branded rider communication tools (apps, SMS updates, etc.)?

Answer: No

41. Would it be possible to receive bus counts and schedules used in previous years?

Answer: We did not have an actual schedule. The shuttle service started at 5 am and was on route on an as needed basis until 2 am. Onsite 12 shuttles were here during peak times, up to 10 shuttles were on route.

This RFI will be incorporate as part of the Agreement. If you intend to submit a bid in response to this IFB, you must confirm receipt of this RFI #1. You can confirm by sending an email to kvu@ocfair.com or ifb@ocfair.com.

-End RFI #1-mailto:kvu@ocfair.com mailto:ifb@ocfair.com