RFP_COB_Street_Furniture_Program.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: (M.G.L. Ch. 30B)

COMPREHENSIVE STREET FURNITURE PROGRAM

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

MICHELLE WU, MAYOR; DION IRISH, CHIEF OF OPERATIONS;

EAMON SHELTON, COMMISSIONER

EV00017655

PROJECT SUMMARY:

The City of Boston seeks a qualified contractor to manage, maintain, expand, and modernize its advertising-supported Coordinated Street Furniture Program, including bus shelters, public toilets, information panels, digital displays, benches, and related public realm amenities. The new program is intended to improve comfort, accessibility, equity, real-time information, and maintenance across Boston’s streetscapes while increasing advertising revenue and strengthening City oversight.

IMPORTANT DATES:

EVENT DATE

RFP Issue Date Monday, September 7, 2026 at 10:00AM

Pre-Proposal Q&A Conference Call Location | Zoom/Teams link

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 11:00-12:00 PM Boston Time

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/zhh-gqmh-ihq Or dial: 6600-384-413 1(US) + PIN: 235 386 731 #

Proposal Due Date Wednesday, November 4 2026 at 12:00PM Boston Time

*See the full RFP schedule in Section 1.3.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Sheila McCarthy | pmdbidinfo@boston.gov All questions should be emailed with the RFP number (BAIS Event EV00017655) in the subject line.

You can access this RFP and related documents on the City of Boston Supplier Portal, via boston.gov/procurement.

mailto:pmdbidinfo@boston.gov https://www.boston.gov/departments/procurement

WHAT IS A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) AND HOW

DOES IT WORK?

What: An RFP is a document that explains what services the City of Boston needs and is looking to purchase from vendors (you!).

Why: The RFP explains what a vendor needs to do to compete for this opportunity, how they will be evaluated, and how the contract will be managed.

How:

● Read through the RFP carefully and decide if you want to compete for the contract.

● Register as a vendor on the Supplier Portal (if you aren’t already); you can access the Supplier

Portal via boston.gov/procurement, and get assistance by emailing Vendor.Questions@boston.gov or joining their office hours

● Put together your technical proposal and price proposal and be sure to keep them separate.

Failure to do so will disqualify your proposal.

● If you have questions, attend the information session on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 11:00-12:00 PM or email questions to pmdbidinfo@boston.gov by Wednesday, September 30, 2026 by 2:00PM.

● Submit your final technical and price proposals separately, as well as any other necessary forms. Do not include any price information in your technical proposal or presentation or the City will reject your entire proposal. Read the instructions carefully on how to submit each of these proposals. Be sure to leave plenty of time for submission.

RFP Structure:

Read sections I and II

Respond to sections III and IV

Follow the directions in section V http://boston.gov/procurement mailto:Vendor.Questions@boston.gov mailto:pmdbidinfo@boston.gov

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

1.1 BACKGROUND

1.2 CSFP INVENTORY AND HISTORICAL REVENUE

1.3 SCOPE OF SERVICES

1.4 CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE

1.5 CONTRACT TERM AND OTHER INFORMATION

1.6 LIVING WAGE ORDINANCE

1.7 WAGE RATES

1.8 RFP PROCESS AND TIMELINE

II. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

2.1 COVER LETTER

2.2 RESPONSE TO SCOPE OF SERVICES

2.3 OWNERSHIP DETAILS

III. HOW WE CHOOSE

3.1 MINIMUM EVALUATION CRITERIA

3.2 COMPARATIVE EVALUATION CRITERIA

3.3 RULE FOR AWARD OF CONTRACT

IV. PRICE PROPOSAL

4.1 PRICE PROPOSAL FORM AND SUBMISSION

4.2 PRICE PROPOSAL CONDITIONS

V. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

5.1 CHECKLIST FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSAL

5.2 SUBMITTING PROPOSAL VIA BOSTON’S SUPPLIER PORTAL

5.3 SUBMITTING PROPOSALS VIA MAIL / PHYSICAL DELIVERY

VI. APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

APPENDIX 2: CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

APPENDIX 3: INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

ATTACHMENTS:

DRAFT CITY ADVERTISING CONTENT POLICY

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I. INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

Read all Sections of the RFP

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

● By submitting a proposal, each proposer accepts the RFP specifications, Boston’s RFP terms and standard contract terms and conditions (found in Appendix 2).

By filing a proposal, the respondents represent, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that they have informed themselves of the RFP requirements. Failure to do so shall be at the respondent's risk.

● Once awarded, the Contract will be governed by the terms and conditions listed in forms CM-10, CM-11, and CM-11 IT Supplemental Terms, which shall be incorporated by reference into this RFP. Please see Appendix 2 for a full list of forms that the selected vendor will be required to sign and submit during the contracting process if awarded the Contract. Proposers should review these forms before submitting your proposal. Failure to agree to the City of Boston standard contract terms and conditions will result in your Proposal being deemed non-responsive to the solicitation and therefore rejected.

The Website for this RFP and related documents is the City of Boston Supplier Portal, which you can access via boston.gov/procurement.

1.1 BACKGROUND

Having been in operation since 1998, the City of Boston’s Coordinated Street Furniture Program (CSFP) was one of the first in North America. Street furniture has contributed to making the City of Boston (“City”) one of the most walkable cities in North America. The current CSFP contract will expire on May 1, 2027, and the City seeks to identify an experienced business partner that shares its goal of building upon the success of the current program to enhance the experience of those who ride public transit, walk and bicycle, use ride hailing services, and generally wish to navigate or experience Boston.

With this Request for Proposals (RFP), the City of Boston, acting by and through the Property Management Department (PMD), invites qualified proposers to participate in a competitive process to manage its advertising-supported Coordinated Street Furniture Program. The City and the PMD encourage participation from small, local, minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses (SMWVBE).

Boston is a unique city because of its heritage, history, diverse population, vibrant and densely populated neighborhoods, and walkable streetscapes. As a hub for education, medicine, and innovation, the city’s economy is strong as is its culture with world-class arts and cultural facilities and organizations, and world-renowned professional sports franchises. Boston is a popular tourist destination with approximately 20 million annual visitors, three million of whom are international visitors.1 These factors contribute to the foundation of what is a solid local economy that has made Boston a robust market for out of home advertising (OOH).

According to data compiled by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), the Boston Designated Market Area (DMA) is the 11th largest in the country for its local OOH spend.

In the calendar year 2024, $136 million was spent on OOH in the Boston Market, 14.8% of the total $920 million spent locally on all forms of advertising.2

The lifestyle changes that resulted from the pandemic have raised awareness of the ability of street furniture to meet the needs of people who are now staying closer to home while conducting essential activities such as shopping, healthcare appointments, and recreation.

Advertisers are also aware of these changes which is verified by top performance of OOH categories related to urban mobility-transit, place-based, and street furniture.3

The City’s vision for the CSFP is to focus on the core mission of street furniture: providing shelter and increasing the comfort, accessibility, and overall appeal of the public realm and public transit system - and as a result, making public transportation a more attractive, accessible, and equitable option that results in higher transportation ridership across the Boston region. There are more than 2000 bus stops within the boundaries of the City, yet only around 20% of those stops have a shelter. The City provides 281 of those shelters and has faced challenges installing additional shelters due to a variety of site constraints. A goal for the program under the new contract is to address these challenges and expand coverage to around 50% by adding 500 new shelters based upon criteria specified later in this RFP.

The City also has a goal to increase overall program revenue and its share of those revenues.

According to the OAAA, digital was 35% of the total spent on OOH with a performance growth rate of 11.6% in the third quarter of 2025. Understanding that digital is leading OOH’s rapid and consistent revenue growth and that digital displays can offer multiple public benefits; the City is interested in opportunities to enhance its own ability to communicate with its residents and to increase advertiser interest through digital technology.

At the end of the current contract, the City will own the existing inventory of street furniture.

The City will take steps which impact two of the elements in the existing program-newsstands and public toilets. The three remaining (3) newsstands in the program will be removed prior to the end of the current contract. The six (6) Automated Public Toilets (APTs) will continue to be maintained under the new contract, with replacement at the City’s discretion based on usage and cost. The City will retain ownership of the current inventory over the term of the new program and will assume ownership of all new program elements at the end of the new agreement that results from this RFP.

The City is not requiring a Minimum Annual Guarantee or Fee, and, in doing so, the City is

1 Boston’s People and Economy 2 OAAA. “2024 OOH Facts and Figures: Ad Spend Performance” 3 OAAA. “OOH Revenue Hits All-Time Q3 High”, December 2, 2025 https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/file/2025/11/Boston%27s%20People%20and%20Economy.pdf https://oaaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2024-OOH-Ad-Spend-Performance-Facts-and-Figures-OAAA.pdf https://oaaa.org/news/ooh-revenue-hits-all-time-q3-high/ sharing risk in anticipation of greater reward. While the contractor will be responsible for all capital and operating costs, repaying itself from CSFP advertising revenue, revenue share proposals are expected to reflect that shared risk and the increasing value of OOH advertising.

The City intends to prioritize street furniture as essential public realm infrastructure through equitably distributing program elements, providing shelter and comfort, and inclusive place-making where sidewalks and public plazas serve as focal points for the use of shared mobility while also promoting social and economic activity.

1.2 CSFP INVENTORY AND HISTORICAL REVENUE

The City’s current Street Furniture Program includes shelters, information panels, ad pillars, free standing digital urban panels, and public toilets supported by the sale of advertising space on all the elements. All program inventory data will be validated by the current contractor prior to the start of the next contract.

The City is adding its inventory of approximately 480 trash and recycling receptacles to the CSFP for the management of advertising sales. The City’s Department of Public Works will continue to empty and deep clean the receptacles. More detail on the contractor’s responsibilities can be found in Section 1.3.2. of this RFP.

Access a map with the locations of the current CSFP inventory, trash/recycling receptacles, and bus stops in Boston through this link - 2026 Boston CSFP Inventory.

Access the City’s Coordinated Street Furniture webpage through this link - Boston CSFP.

CURRENT BOSTON CSFP INVENTORY

Bus Shelters 281

City Information Panels w Maps 106

Digital Urban Panels 47

Telephone Pillars 42

Automated Public Toilets 6 Newsstands (will be removed prior to next contract and should not be considered in proposals) 3 https://arcg.is/1HazKm3 https://www.boston.gov/departments/property-management/coordinated-street-furniture

The current agreement that expires on May 1, 2027 requires the payment to the City of an escalating annual fixed fee, currently $1,500,000, plus an annual percentage fee of either 10% or 15% of gross annual revenues from advertising. The applicable percentage fee was determined by when the structures were introduced into the program. Historical payments made to the City are shown in the chart below.

1.3 SCOPE OF SERVICES

This section is very important. It outlines what we are asking for and gives an in-depth look at what we are expecting.

In Massachusetts Procurement Law, this is part of the “Purchase Description.”

1.3.1 Program Transition and Buildout

The City intends to accomplish an orderly transition from its current contract to the new CSFP contract. The selected vendor will plan and execute a seamless program transition to ensure the uninterrupted maintenance of the existing street furniture and sale of advertising.

The transition period will begin following the negotiation of a new agreement with the successful respondent to this RFP.

Within a reasonable amount of time following the procurement process, the City, the current contractor, and the selected vendor will meet to verify the existing program inventory. That inventory will include any and all street furniture installed and already in use, removed temporarily or permanently and warehoused, purchased and stored by the current contractor but not installed, which will be transferred to the selected vendor to assume the responsibilities of maintaining and managing the CSFP.

Advertising contracts that require ‘trade off’ between the current and new contract will be negotiated by the incumbent and the selected vendor based upon the period of the buy and the time that each party manages the sale of advertising on the program elements. In the case of disputes over the revenue, the City will make final judgment on the division of revenues.

The selected vendor will be required to develop a Transition and Buildout Plan that includes but is not limited to the following:

● A maintenance plan that confirms how the existing inventory will be maintained without interruption and at the levels detailed in this RFP

● An advertising sales plan that focuses on retaining existing advertisers and attracting new advertisers

● A rehab/replacement plan that presents the contractor’s plan for rebranding and refreshing the existing inventory

● A 10-year buildout or rollout plan for new bus shelters and shade structures that could achieve 50% or higher coverage of bus stops and responds to the City’s siting criteria in section 1.3.3.

● A 5-year replacement plan for all existing trash/recycling bins

● Suggested new program elements with supportive data that validates the return on the capital investment

1.3.2 Program Elements

The contractor will be responsible for planning, design, manufacture, installation, maintenance, and replacement or refurbishment of the CSFP’s street furniture as directed by the City. The contractor will provide all funding necessary for the delivery of these services;

however, the City may decide to identify and use other sources of capital funding for the purchase of certain program elements.

The existing CSFP inventory will be, at the commencement of the agreement that results from this RFP, the absolute property of the City. Any new program elements added to the CSFP will, at the City’s option, also become the absolute property of the City at the end of the term of the agreement that results from this RFP. The contractor shall retain ownership of all program elements during the Term of this Agreement. Upon the expiration of this Agreement, or in the event this Agreement is terminated by either Party prior to the end of the Term, ownership of the program elements shall, at the City's sole option upon notice given to the contractor of such election, vest in the City as of the date of notice, without any compensation of any type or description paid to contractor. The City will also have the option to decline ownership of any or all new program elements and require the contractor, at its own expense, to dismantle and remove all structures the City declines, and to restore their sites to their pre-installation condition. The City will also own all rights and interest in the design of any program element developed specifically for the City’s CSFP or designed specifically for the City.

The City considers the existing inventory to be in good condition. The City expects the selected vendor to operate the current inventory to guarantee uninterrupted advertising revenues. However, the City welcomes proposals to replace the current inventory if the upfront capital investment by the contractor delivers enhanced features and maximizes City revenue. Respondents are encouraged to assess the condition of the existing inventory prior to submission of their proposals. Based on their assessments, respondents should propose to rehabilitate, refurbish or replace the existing inventory, with the cost being the responsibility of the contractor. Failure to fully account for costs to complete such work based on their assessments, will not absolve respondents of this responsibility. The City will consider the cost of those options and their impact on its revenue share prior to approving changes to the existing inventory. If the respondent proposes to replace shelters, the shelters that are removed may be relocated to locations identified by the City and the regional transit service provider, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

The City requires that existing and new shelters provide real time transit and travel information preferably through the addition of ePaper screens or similar devices that deliver high quality user information. Delivery of real-time information, such as next bus arrivals, can be coordinated with bus stop signage that may be attached to shelters to increase the visibility of the bus stop. The screens may be mounted on shelters or incorporated into larger digital screens that are retrofitted into existing shelters or installed with new shelters. The City prefers the use of solar, rechargeable battery, or other non-utility source for the delivery of power to screens and the use of cellular, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for network connectivity. At a minimum, the screens will provide MBTA service information and, in Back Bay locations and wherever applicable, Logan Express airport shuttle service information.

The City’s focus is on expanding the number of shelters within its boundaries to enhance the experience for those riding MBTA services. As a result, respondents should present a phased plan to increase the number of shelters in the City that responds to constrained sites where the current bus shelter designs could not be installed. This can be in the form of a specific field-tested shelter design that has successfully been implemented in other Cities where a smaller or custom footprint is required, or in a conceptual design specific to the City of Boston that uses specific sites as a basis for a new, compact and appropriate design. The respondent’s plan should also be guided by the criteria for locating shelters detailed later in this RFP.

The current city information panels, free-standing digital urban panels, and telephone pillars are all in good condition; however, respondents may propose to upgrade or repurpose these structures, convert static displays to digital, repurpose or replace underutilized features (ex.

public telephones), and/or relocate the existing inventory.

The City acknowledges that the CSFP must adapt to changes in lifestyles but also to the needs of advertisers. The addition of new program elements that increase safety and comfort for transit riders, add functionality for the user, or make the program more attractive for and more accessible to a wider base of advertisers is desired by the City. In addition to the existing inventory, other elements that the City would consider adding to the new CSFP include:

● Smaller shelters to accommodate narrow sidewalks

● Alternative shade structures for sites where a shelter cannot be installed

● Interactive information kiosks

● Urban panels

● Bike Parking Shelters

● 5G storage / parcel lockers

● Larger format digital displays

● Public Wi-Fi that expands the City’s Wicked Free Wi-Fi program

The City intends to collaborate with the contractor on its approach to adding new program elements. The contractor may be allowed to demonstrate new program elements that increase the functionality and sustainability of the program as well as revenues. The types and total number of program elements will be determined with input from the contractor after an assessment of the capital and operating costs of the new elements and their ability to generate revenue. All new program elements should be designed with the City’s goals in mind - and demonstrably further the City’s intent to improve the public realm, provide accessible and useful street furniture, and generally improve the ease and user experience of riding public transit in the City of Boston.

The City reserves the right to request that a limited number of non-ad supported new program elements, such as shade structures, be installed and maintained through the CSFP at a pre-negotiated, fixed unit price that does not exceed the number of negotiated units per year. Additionally, the City reserves the right to independently procure, install, and maintain its own non-ad supported new program elements within the right-of-way, directly or through third party vendors, to address transit equity, areas of high priority climate risk, or locations where ad-supported street furniture is deprioritized by the contractor. The City does not intend to enter into agreements that diminish the sale of advertising space on the CSFP inventory.

The design of new program elements must contribute to the program’s core mission - to provide shelter, safety and comfort to the public; its goals to increase transit ridership and provide timely public safety and health messaging; and reflect the City’s brand in a way that is easily identifiable as Boston. The CSFP has a large and broad constituency who use the shelters for protection from the elements including riders of the MBTA, those who bicycle and walk for their commutes, older adults, people with disabilities, and people using ride hailing services. Advertisers are an important constituency as well. The design of all program elements should also attract more advertisers to the program to increase revenue.

The principles that must influence the design of new program elements are the following:

● Flexibility and Adaptability: The pandemic changed lifestyles, especially the use of transit. New street furniture must be developed to be flexible, adapting its functionality to changing user and marketplace needs. New technologies are also influencing travel, shopping, and work habits. The design of new program elements must be adaptable to deploy or integrate these technologies to attract both users and advertisers.

● Design Aesthetics: New CSFP elements must be designed thoughtfully to withstand local weather conditions at their extreme, to be cost-effective and efficient to install and maintain, to be modular to address site constraints and neighborhood needs and desires, and to reflect Boston’s unique character. Elements of the new CSFP will reside in the public realm for decades so they must be attractive and contribute to Boston’s streetscapes and identity.

● Sustainability: New program elements must be designed and manufactured using materials that are durable and conserve natural resources. Environmental factors: sun, heat, snow, ice and wind, must be taken into consideration in the choice of materials, as well as the need to withstand vandalism, graffiti and etching. To mitigate extreme heat and ensure passenger comfort, the roofs of all new bus shelters must provide ample shade. The City does not consider translucent or transparent roof materials as those that provide adequate shade. As described in further detail below, the City is seeking to expand its green roofs program on existing and new bus shelters but also encourages other materials that address extreme heat and air quality. Shelters, digital displays, and other elements requiring power should be built to limit power draw, use energy efficient LED lighting, and have Energy Star ratings or similar certifications of energy efficiency. The City expects digital displays to be self-monitoring and reporting and automatically adjust the brightness of displays to the levels of ambient light.

● Universal Design and Accessibility: The City requires that all program elements are developed, designed, and installed under the Universal Design principles to serve all people. All program elements will be designed, manufactured, and installed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design and the United States Access Board’s Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG).

● Technology: Any technologies deployed on program elements or through the CSFP must enhance the experience for the user and contribute to the City’s digital infrastructure. The contractor may propose the deployment of sensors to capture pedestrian and vehicular counts to provide anonymized localized data to improve the delivery of city services and support advertising sales. Sensors to capture air quality and other environmental data may also be proposed. The City is aware of the importance of deploying 5G and emerging generations of wireless cellular service to support network delivery and autonomous vehicle operations. Respondents are encouraged to consider adding storage space for this technology and propose revenue generating opportunities for the lease or use of that space. Supporting C-2V2X, vehicle to other vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure (shelters, kiosk, etc.); is also of interest to the City. Respondents should propose other technologies that expand the functionality of the CSFP while creating other sources of revenue for the program for the City’s consideration. Any technology deployed shall be interoperable with existing City of Boston DOT and DoIT traffic management protocols. All proposed edge-computing devices or sensors comply with DoIT's current hardware and cybersecurity standards to prevent unauthorized network access.

● City Branding: The City has developed a Brand Strategy that provides the foundation for all City communications. The City intends to utilize the CSFP to increase the equity of the City’s brand potentially through the design and color of CSFP elements and especially using the program’s digital network to deliver City messaging that contributes to that brand equity.

The following discussion details specific requirements for certain program elements or components:

Bus Shelter Program

The City of Boston is committed to providing bus riders with safe, comfortable, accessible, and highly functional places to wait for transit. Bus shelters are a core component of this vision and of the City’s broader efforts to improve the rider experience, strengthen access to the MBTA (and shuttle) bus network, and make transit a more attractive and reliable option for people traveling throughout Boston. As of the release of this RFP, the City has more than 281 bus shelters in the CSFP program. Through the CSFP, the City seeks to significantly expand this inventory, with a goal of installing over 500 additional shelters over the term of the agreement.

The contractor will be responsible for maintaining the City’s existing bus shelter inventory and should propose a comprehensive approach to upgrading existing shelters as they are repaired, replaced, or otherwise substantially improved. Upgrades should incorporate modern amenities and technologies that improve the customer experience, accessibility, comfort, durability, and overall quality of the bus stop environment. The City expects the contractor to work collaboratively with the City and MBTA to identify opportunities to modernize existing shelters and to ensure that investments in the shelter program support broader City and MBTA transit goals. The Vendor should also consider lighting as a core element of shelter design to ensure both safety and sufficient visibility for the shelter.

Real time transit arrival information will be a standard feature of the Bus Shelter Program. All new bus shelters installed through the CSFP shall include real time arrival information for MBTA and other transit services when available, such as Logan Express. The contractor should also propose an approach for installing real-time arrival information at existing shelter locations as shelters are upgraded, replaced, or substantially rehabilitated. Real-time information should be clearly visible and accessible to riders and should use reliable technology that can be maintained and updated over the life of the agreement. The contractor should coordinate with the City and MBTA regarding data, technology, placement, accessibility, and other requirements associated with real-time information.

Boston’s streets and sidewalks vary considerably in width, ridership demand, surrounding land use, and physical constraints. The City therefore expects the shelter program to include a family of shelter designs capable of responding to different conditions while maintaining a consistent, recognizable identity. At a minimum, respondents should propose three general shelter types: a small-profile or micro-shelter designed for narrow or constrained sidewalk environments; a standard shelter comparable in scale to the shelters commonly found on City streets today; and a high-capacity shelter intended for higher-ridership bus stops where sidewalk width and other site conditions can accommodate a longer shelter and greater passenger capacity.

The City will collaborate with the contractor and MBTA to identify and prioritize locations for new shelters and shelter upgrades. Location decisions may consider factors including ridership and passenger volumes, equity, accessibility, exposure to extreme heat and weather, nearby destinations, transfer activity, available sidewalk space, existing street furniture, and anticipated changes to the MBTA bus network. The overall shelter program should provide a balanced geographic distribution of investment, including both neighborhood locations where shelters can meaningfully improve the rider experience and higher-revenue locations in Downtown and other major commercial districts. Examples of locations where new shelters are desired include the Route 23 corridor along Washington Street in Dorchester, where constrained sidewalk conditions may make small-profile shelters particularly appropriate; Warren Street in Roxbury, where high passenger volumes at key stops may warrant larger shelters; and the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, where planned MBTA bus network changes are expected to create new opportunities to better serve passenger demand.

While MBTA bus service is the backbone of Boston’s surface transit network, the City recognizes that riders are served by a broader network of public, community, and private transportation services. The contractor should work with the City to identify opportunities for shelters and related passenger amenities to support other services where appropriate, including Massport Logan Express, community-based Link shuttle services, institutional and employer shuttles, and other publicly accessible transportation services. Shelter design, placement, wayfinding, and real-time information should, where feasible, accommodate locations served by multiple operators and help create a more seamless experience for riders.

The City’s goal is to ensure that investments made through the Bus Shelter Program support the full range of transportation options available to people traveling in Boston, rather than limiting improvements solely to stops served by the MBTA.

The City reserves the right to add bus shelters purchased or installed through other funding sources or partnerships to the contractor’s maintenance inventory during the term of the agreement. This may include shelters funded by the MBTA, City capital programs, developers, grants, institutions, or other public or private partners. Respondents should propose pre-established rates and terms for incorporating such shelters into the maintenance program so that additional shelters can be efficiently added without requiring separate maintenance agreements or contract renegotiation. Where appropriate, these shelters may also include advertising opportunities to be managed or supervised by the selected contractor in coordination with the City.

To support effective implementation, the City anticipates establishing a regular Bus Stop Program working group involving the City, contractor, and MBTA, with other partners participating as appropriate. The working group may review the shelter priority pipeline, accessibility needs, proposed designs, upcoming City capital projects, MBTA service changes, planned installations and relocations, technology needs, and other issues affecting delivery of the program. This coordination structure is intended to ensure that shelter investments are aligned with transit operations and planned street improvements throughout the term of the agreement.

Respondents are encouraged to propose additional shelter features, technologies, materials, and design approaches that advance the City’s goal of creating America’s best bus stops and provide a welcoming, intuitive, and high-quality experience for transit riders throughout Boston. Respondents shall identify the minimum number of new sheltered bus stop locations they commit to delivering during the initial contract term and provide an anticipated annual buildout schedule. Progress toward the approved buildout schedule will constitute a program performance criterion.

Digital Displays and Content Management System (CMS)

The City is aware that digital displays can generate multiples of static revenues; as a result, the City is expecting that new shelters introduced into the CSFP would have digital displays to take advantage of advertiser demand for digital. The City will also consider requests from the contractor to convert existing static displays to digital at key locations according to the City’s Digital Display Distribution Strategy, detailed later in this section.

The number of digital displays will be decided collaboratively between the City and the contractor. It is the City’s preference that new shelters be installed with digital displays when pedestrian and vehicular volumes can support digital. The conversion of existing shelters to digital will be guided by historic occupancy rates and the potential for location-based advertising opportunities.

The City developed a Digital Display Distribution Strategy to guarantee a consistent placement of digital in areas that could sustain the medium and to ensure that the devices are appropriate to the character of the location. Boston has many historic districts, scenic streets, and neighborhoods with community character whose charm may be jeopardized by digital displays. As a result, the City has established the following criteria for the locating of digital displays:

1. Proper Zoning: locations with Commercial, Industrial, Institutional and Overlay Districts zoning designations. Any program element in a historic district or zoning designation requiring special permitting or prohibiting digital signage will abide by all additional requirements therein.

2. Significant vehicular, pedestrian, transit, active and shared-ride transportation volumes: locations or thoroughfares with Average Daily Traffic Counts (ADT), vehicular and pedestrian, as collected by Boston DOT or MassDOT, that are high or moderate in relation to other city thoroughfares. Major MBTA and Logan Express service stops, South and North Stations.

3. Place or Location Based/Proximity to Trip Generators: college campuses, hospitals, employment, activity and retail centers.

4. Contextual Environments: locations with significant exposure to heat, rain, snow, etc.

as well as locations with pedestrian safety concerns.

5. Community-Focused: large minority populations, low-income households, and zero-vehicle households to provide access to city services and emergency messaging. CSFP elements located in community/neighborhood settings will respond to increasing demand from local advertisers.

The City expects the digital network to display transit rider, public safety, and health messaging in addition to commercial messaging. The primary display of real-time transit information will be through ePaper screens; however, the City anticipates that real-time information will also be displayed on digital displays at major transit stops in the City’s downtown core. The network of digital displays will also be used to provide emergency messaging to the public, such as evacuations and Silver and Amber Alerts. As a result, all signs in the network will be integrated with the City of Boston’s Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations center through the digital network’s Content Management System or

CMS.

Digital displays will be allowed to display looped content at a minimum rate of 15 seconds per spot. Full motion video or animation may be considered in pedestrian only zones but will not be allowed on inventory on roadways with motor vehicle or bicycle activity. Sound and audio features are prohibited unless used to respond to Universal Design or emergency messaging.

The contractor will collaborate with the City on the design of the display units, especially in the case of interactive features, to ensure that all units are compliant with ADA, PROWAG, and Title VI as applicable. All digital displays must be self-monitoring and reporting to a Content Management System (CMS) to allow for the timely maintenance of all devices to be in working order at least 95% of the time.

Throughout the next contract, the contractor must keep the digital displays up to date replacing them on a timely schedule to ensure that the display quality and technology is current with industry standards for pixel quality and back-office security.

The digital network that results from the expansion of the CSFP shall be controlled by a network Content Management System (CMS) that manages the substance of commercial messaging, ensuring adherence to the City’s Advertising Policy, schedules the display of commercial and public information messaging, and reports all program commercial and public service advertising that is displayed on the CSFP digital network. An essential requirement of the CMS will be the ability to transform what has been a ‘static media’ environment into a fluid ‘media hub,’ which services multiple platforms and devices with asynchronous data at the same time. The contractor will be required to provide City access to such a system/software solution for the display of City messaging especially emergency messaging.

The CMS will also track and monitor all CSFP inventory and components, including status, lifecycles, and maintenance, deliver via API or other to the City’s Asset Management Program Cartegraph, ArcGis or other in a format that integrates per direction from the City of Boston Analytics Team’s specifications. Additional detail is provided under Reporting Requirements.

Green Roofs Program

In 2024, the City of Boston began a demonstration of green roofs on 30 bus shelters along the MBTA’s Route 28, one of the City’s busiest free fare bus routes. The green roofs provide direct shade, help reduce local flooding, and decrease local temperatures on hot days. The roofs are covered in drought tolerant plants that sit upon a waterproof liner atop the shelters’ frames.

The City anticipates retaining current inventory and expanding the program as further described below.

The City has a Memorandum of Understanding with the current contractor that allows the installation and maintenance of the green roofs by a third-party vendor. The City has an agreement with a third-party vendor for maintenance of the roofs through May 2027. The current annual cost of the maintenance for 30 established Green Roofs is $10,000.

The City is committed to retaining the current 30 Green Roofs and expanding the program.

The contractor shall be responsible for maintaining the current roofs and any additional Green Roofs as part of the CSFP, and should propose an approach and cost for this work.

The contractor may propose other optional roof treatments that may achieve the same purpose as the current green roofs. Prior to installation, alternative treatments shall be evaluated and approved by the City as being consistent with currently deployed solutions and climate resilience goals.

The City reserves the right to reclaim maintenance responsibility for the Green Roofs, in whole or in part, and perform it directly or through a third party of its choosing, if it determines this can be done more effectively or at lower cost.

The City has identified areas with extreme heat risk in Boston. The City will collaborate with the contractor on the identification of locations where the Green Roofs Program may be expanded on existing inventory and on new shelters. The City is requesting that respondents include green roofs in the CSFP to achieve a 20% target across the total bus shelter inventory.

The City is aware that other methods, materials, and technologies have also proven to be successful in cooling bus shelters, such as using ventilation, passive shading, solar-powered and climatic cooling, and natural shade. The City encourages respondents to propose these and other options that address extreme heat, air quality, and a healthier environment for all.

Shade Structures

The City requests that respondents provide unit pricing and conceptual designs for 40 standalone shade structures at bus stops and other appropriate public locations where a traditional or compact shelter may not be feasible or necessary. These structures should provide meaningful protection from sun and extreme heat while maintaining accessible pedestrian paths and complementing the surrounding streetscape. The City may, at any point during the term of the contract, exercise the option to install said standalone shade structures at the agreed-upon price.

Shade structures may incorporate seating, lighting, wayfinding, real-time transit information, green infrastructure, or other amenities, and may include advertising or sponsorship opportunities consistent with City requirements. Respondents should propose designs that balance revenue potential with a high-quality public realm and identify locations where shade structures could most effectively improve rider and pedestrian comfort. The optional costs and revenue associated with these shade structures will not be factored into the comparative price evaluation for the contract award, but the City reserves the right to exercise these options to purchase pursuant to MGL ch. 30B, s. 12.

Automated Public Toilets

There are six (6) automated public toilets (APTs) in the CSFP. These are located at the Navy Yard, the Aquarium, Dry Dock, Dudley, Long Wharf, and Congress. Depending on weather temperatures, APTs are open from around late April to November. Average monthly usage over the past two years was generally around 370 visits but the APT at the Aquarium had an average of 941 visits.

The City is not requiring respondents to propose additional toilets but is requiring the continued maintenance of these APTs under the next contract. The City is interested in proposals for replacement public toilets, especially options that have fewer site requirements and lower capital and maintenance costs. The City will evaluate the usage of public toilets and the cost and feasibility to replace them at the end of their useful lives.

City of Boston Sidewalk Bench Program

The CSFP will include support for the City of Boston Bench Program. This non-advertising program element involves the maintenance and replacement of City-owned benches within the public right-of-way. The contractor will be responsible for routine maintenance, repair, and replacement of benches that are substantially damaged. There are approximately 120 benches being installed in 2026 and 2027 and approximately 100 installed as part of an Age Friendly Bench program in 2019 - see the map linked here.

The City will entertain proposals for additional benches beyond the 120 in this program that may include advertising or sponsorship opportunities. If bidders propose additional benches, they should provide capital and maintenance costs as well as revenue projections in their Price Proposals. The 120 benches in the City’s current bench program will remain non-advertising throughout the contract term. The optional costs and revenue associated with these additional structures will not be factored into the comparative price evaluation for the contract award, but the City reserves the right to exercise these options to purchase pursuant to MGL ch. 30B, s. 12.

Trash Receptacles

The City of Boston has previously deployed 480 trash bins across the City, some of which are solar powered, internet connected compacting trash receptacles. The City of Boston’s Department of Public Works empties the receptacles and deep cleans them periodically and will continue to do so during the term of the contract that results from this RFP.

The successful respondent will be responsible for the replacement of all existing receptacles with new dual-stream trash and recycling receptacles that meet the City’s standards and the performance requirements of this RFP. Replacement units must be ruggedized and have secured lids that limit the size of objects that can be disposed of to prevent the disposal of household trash. Trash receptacles shall be rated as rodent proof and not susceptible to intrusion by animals typically found in the City of Boston, such as racoons, squirrels, and skunks.

All replacements will be completed at the contractor’s expense no later than the end of the fifth Contract Year. Each respondent must include in its proposal a detailed replacement schedule identifying the number of units to be installed during each Contract Year, the https://www.boston.gov/departments/age-strong-commission/age-friendly-boston/age-friendly-benches#map--318771 proposed sequencing and prioritization of locations, and how service will be maintained during the transition. The final schedule shall be subject to City review and approval.

Respondents can propose to place an ad panel or panels on the…