7.1.1

MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

RFP#: 117-26

COMMBUYS # BD- 27-1206-40000-40000-

132456

WORKFORCE SCHEDULING & HOS

COMPLIANCE SOFTWARE AND

IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT SERVICES

Date Issued: September 1, 2026

RFP: 117-26 - 1 - COMMBUYS #: BD- 27-1206-40000-40000-132456

Project Name: Workforce Scheduling & HOS Compliance Software and Implementation Support Services Revision: 9/1/2026

Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Objectives

1.2 Contract Duration

2. SCOPE OF WORK

2.1 Functional Areas

2.2 Current Application Environment

2.3 Desired Business Outcomes

2.4 Number of Users

2.5 Project Management and Administration

2.6 Additional Services

3. BIDDERS INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCUREMENT PROCESS

3.1 Bidders’ Conference

3.2 Procurement Method

3.3 RFP Calendar and Delivery Instructions

3.4 Pre-Bid Conference

3.5 Dissemination of Confidential Information

3.6 Examination of RFP

3.7 Rules of Contact

3.8 Clarifications of Specifications, Questions and Answers

3.9 RFP Addendum

3.10 MBTA Standard Contract and Terms & Conditions

3.11 Confidentiality / Public Information Act Disclosure Requests

3.12 Business Conduct

3.13 Collusion

3.14 Prices

3.15 Acceptance Period

3.16 Eligible Entities

3.17 Pre-Contractual Expenses

3.18 Tax Exemption

3.19 Insurance

4. SUBMISSION OF RESPONSE

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Revision: 9/1/2026

4.1 Response Submissions

4.2 Technical Proposal Organization Guidelines

4.3 Content For Tabs 1 – 14

4.4 Price Proposal

4.5 Power of Attorney

4.6 Acceptance of Response

4.7 Incomplete Response

5. MBTA POLICIES

5.1 Small, Minority, Women, and Other Disadvantaged Businesses

6. SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION

6.1 Response Opening and Confidentiality

6.2 Responsiveness Review and Basis of Award

6.3 Evaluation and Notification

6.4 Pass/Fail Evaluation

6.5 Technical Response and Supplier Diversity Evaluation Criteria

6.6 Price Response Evaluation

6.7 Basis of Award: Best – Value Proposal

6.8 Successful Bidder

6.9 MBTA Reserved

6.10 Appeal / Protest Procedures

7. CONTRACT STRUCTURE

8. MBTA Standard Contract Instructions (Section 8.0)

8.1 MBTA Standard Terms & Conditions Instructions (Section 8.1)

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Standard Contract

8.1 Standard Terms and Conditions

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Revision: 9/1/2026

Attn: Bidder/s Request for Proposals (RFP) # 117-26 RFP Description: Workforce Scheduling & HOS Compliance Software and Implementation Support Services

Dear Prospective Bidder:

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (“MBTA” or “Authority”), a corporate and a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, existing pursuit to Mass. Gen. Laws, ch 161A (as amended) invites Bidders to participate in the competitive bid 117-26. The Scope of Work is outlined below in Section 2. The MBTA may at its own discretion award contract(s) to one or multiple Bidders.

All formal communication with the MBTA during the bidding period shall be only through the MBTA’s designated point of contact.

The MBTA’s designated point of contact for this solicitation will be:

Kate Randall Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 10 Park Plaza, Room 2810 Boston, MA 02116 Email: krandall2@mbta.com

The RFP shall be launched through COMMBUYS and proposals must be submitted electronically no later than 10/13/2026 2:00 PM, in full compliance with this RFP including but not limited to Section 3, Bidders Instructions and Procurement Process. This RFP shall remain in force until the execution of the Contract, or until modified or cancelled by the MBTA.

Respectfully, Kate Randall

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

RFP # 117-26

COMMBUYS Bid # BD- 27-1206-40000-40000-132456

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Revision: 9/1/2026

1. INTRODUCTION

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (“MBTA” or “Authority”) is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide a configurable Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Workforce Scheduling and Hours of Service Compliance solution.

The purpose of this procurement is to modernize workforce scheduling, workforce assignment, employee availability management, overtime administration, vacancy management, fatigue management, and Hours of Service (HOS) compliance processes across multiple MBTA departments. The Authority seeks a solution that improves operational efficiency, workforce visibility, compliance monitoring, schedule management, and reporting capabilities while reducing manual process and disparate scheduling tools currently used throughout the organization.

The selected solution will support a diverse set of operational environments and workforce groups with varying business rules, labor agreements, scheduling methodologies, and staffing requirements. Initial stakeholder groups/end-users include (but are not limited to):

• Operations Control Center (OCC). The Operations Control Center monitors all MBTA subway lines and bus routes. The OCC also enacts all vehicle scheduling and monitors routes to ensure vehicles are running on time.

• Vehicle Maintenance (VM). Vehicle Maintenance performs inspections, preventative maintenance, emergency repairs, vehicle system upgrades, vehicle overhauls, component overhauls, and more, on the MBTA's bus and rail vehicles.

• Engineering & Maintenance. E&M is the primary custodian of the physical infrastructure that constitutes the transit system. Sub departments include Maintenance of Way (MOW), Power Systems Maintenance (PSM), Signals & Communications (SCM), and Transit Facilities Maintenance (TFM)/Stations

• Operations Training School. The Operations Training Department is home to the many skilled Instructors that provide training for all of the MBTA's frontline staff, including bus, light rail, and heavy rail operators, and more.

• Capital Programs Support (CPS). The Capital Programs Support groups ensure compliance by providing support staffing and services on capital projects throughout the MBTA and 3rd party projects.

The MBTA operates within a highly unionized and safety-critical environment consisting of multiple bargaining units, complex workforce scheduling practices, and operational functions that directly support public transportation service delivery. The Authority is subject to oversight by state and federal regulatory agencies, including the Massachusetts Depart of Public Utilities (DPU) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Workforce scheduling, employee assignment, fatigue management, Hours of Service (HOS) compliance, and staffing practices must align with evolving labor agreements, regulatory requirements, and operational policies.

The RFP is comprised of the following documents:

• RFP 117-26, and Form Enclosures including:

o Enclosure 1 – Bid Cover Letter o Form A – Pre-Award Bidder Evaluation Data Form o Form B – Small Business Attestation Form

• Attachments

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Revision: 9/1/2026 o Attachment 1 – Technical Proposal Form o Attachment 2 – Functional and Technical Requirements o Attachment 3 – Cost Worksheet o Attachment 4 – Cost Narrative o Attachment 5 – Minimum Insurance Requirements o Attachment 6 – MBTA Cloud Computing Terms o Attachment 7 – MBTA Accessibility Requirements

1.1 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The MBTA has identified several objectives associated with this solicitation package.

Project Objectives

No. Objective

1 Modernize (and standardize where applicable) workforce scheduling practices across participating departments.

2 Improve the Authority’s ability to manage workforce assignments, employee availability, overtime administration, and HOS compliance.

3 Reduce reliance on manual processes, spreadsheets, and department-specific scheduling tools.

4 Establish a scalable platform capable of adapting to evolving labor agreements, fatigue management policies, operational requirements, and regulatory obligations.

5 Improve workforce visibility, reporting capabilities, and operational decision-making.

Implement a flexible solution that can be configured by MBTA administrators or augmented by MBTA software engineers without requiring any custom software development by the vendor.

1.2 Contract Duration

The MBTA anticipates awarding a contract with an initial term of five (5) years.

The Authority reserves the right, as its sole discretion, to exercise up to two (2) additional options periods of two (2) years, resulting in a maximum contract term of nine (9) years.

Respondents shall provide a proposed implementation timeline, including major project phases, estimated durations, key milestones, and anticipated go-live activities.

The proposed timeline should include, at a minimum:

• Project initiation and planning

• Solution design and configuration

• Integration development and testing

• Data migration activities

• User acceptance testing

• Training and change management

• Production deployment and go-live support

• Post-implementation stabilization support

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Revision: 9/1/2026

The MBTA anticipates that the software subscription fees for production use will commence upon successful production deployment and go-live of the solution rather than contract execution.

During implementation, the selected Vendor shall provide all environments necessary to support configuration, testing, training, and deployment activities.

Respondents shall clearly identify any assumptions regarding subscription commencement, implementation licensing and all environments (e.g., testing, sandbox/development, production environments, etc.).

2. SCOPE OF WORK

The selected Vendor shall provide all labor, software, and implementation services, project management, documentation, training, and support necessary to implement a Workforce Scheduling and Hours of Service (HOS) Compliance solution for the MBTA.

The MBTA seeks a highly configurable, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that leverages industry-leading practices and standard product capabilities. The Authority is not seeking a custom-developed software solution. Bidders should explain and, where requested, demonstrate the way their proposed solution can be configured to meet business requirements using existing product functionality, configurable workflows, business rules, administrative tools or be augmented via API functionality.

Once awarded, the selected Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to:

• Subscription services

• Solution configuration and implementation

• Project management and implementation planning

• Business process review and solution design workshops

• Configuration of scheduling, assignment, and compliance rules

• Labor agreement and business rule configuration

• Shift scheduling and workforce assignment capabilities

• Vacancy management and oversight assignment workflow

• Fatigue management and HOS compliance monitoring

• Employee self-service capabilities

• Mobile access capabilities

• Reporting, dashboarding, and analytics

• Integrations and interfaces services with MBTA enterprise systems

• User acceptance testing support

• End-user and administrator training

• Go-live support and hypercare services

• Ongoing SaaS services, maintenance, upgrades, customer success relationship, vendor support

The solution shall support configurable workforce scheduling functions, including fixed schedules, rotating schedules, relief assignments, split shifts, overlapping shifts, vacancy management, shift swaps, overtime assignments, employee availability tracking, minimum staffing thresholds, qualifications-based assignments, and labor agreement compliance without requiring custom software development.

The solution shall support rapid implementation of changes to labor agreements, fatigue management policies, scheduling rules, and regulatory compliance requirements through configurable business rules

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and administrative tools.

2.1 Functional Areas

The following table contains the list of functional areas of the desired future systems environment:

Functional Areas

No. Functional Area Functional Area Description

1 Core Workforce Scheduling

Includes capabilities for creating and managing workforce schedules, assignments, vacancies, overtime, staffing rules, training schedules, and operational staffing coordination.

2 Hours of Service (HOS) & Fatigue Management

Includes capabilities for applying and monitoring work-hour, rest-period, fatigue, eligibility, exemption, and override rules for HOS compliance.

3 Time, Attendance, and Reconciliation

Includes capabilities for capturing, reviewing, correcting, and reconciling employee time and attendance and preparing approved work records for downstream payroll processing.

4 Maintenance & Field Workforce Management

Includes capabilities for scheduling and assigning geographically distributed maintenance and field workforces, including planned and unplanned work, outages, call-outs, emergency response, and mobile field assignments.

5 Employee Self-Service & Mobile Workforce

Includes self-service and mobile capabilities for employees and supervisors to view schedules, submit and respond to requests, receive notifications, complete workforce actions, and access relevant workforce information.

6 Reporting, Analytics, and Compliance Includes capabilities for operational visibility and dashboards, compliance and exception reporting, and workforce analytics, trends, and forecasting.

Detailed functional, technical, reporting, integration, security, and implementation requirements are contained within the Attachment 2 – Functional and Technical Requirements accompanying this RFP.

2.2 Current Application Environment

The MBTA also uses a wide variety of applications for scheduling capabilities, some which have key interfaces and data exchanges in the process. The following tables provide an inventory of the applications relevant to this effort, including the potential for replacement as part of this solicitation.

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Revision: 9/1/2026

Current Application Environment

No. Application Use/Summary

Potential for Current Scheduling Function to Be

Replaced by Proposed Solution

1 Timekeeper (homegrown tool)

Current timekeeping/workforce application used by portions of the MBTA for employee time and attendance activities. Scheduling-related functions currently performed through or alongside Timekeeper may transition to the proposed solution.

Yes

2 MS Excel – OCC “The Daily List”

OCC: Critical operational tool used to maintain the list for rating/picked work and track daily absences, personal days, swaps, and other daily staff changes across classifications on a 24x7 basis. Separate lists are maintained for Light Rail (LR), Heavy Rail (HR), Bus, Tower, and Hub employees.

Yes

3 eBuilder (Trimble)

Capital Programs Support (CPS):

Used to support project/construction management activities, including formation associated with work and resource planning.

Scheduling/workforce-related activities current maintained in or alongside eBuilder may transition to the proposed solution. eBuilder itself is not necessarily being replaced.

Partial

4 HR/CMS (Peoplesoft)

Statewide Enterprise HR/Payroll system. Used as a system of record for employee/payroll information and actual time. The proposed solution is expected to exchange applicable employee, scheduling, time, and/or payroll information with HR/CMS rather than replace HR/CMS.

No

5 MS Outlook (Office)

Used by stakeholder groups for operational communications and, in some areas, informal coordination of staffing, schedules, absences, and related workforce activities.

Scheduling-related coordination is expected to transition to the proposed

Partial

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Revision: 9/1/2026

Current Application Environment

No. Application Use/Summary

Potential for Current Scheduling Function to Be

Replaced by Proposed Solution solution where appropriate.

"Work Partners" Absence Management System O|BI (Online Business Intelligence) Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition

(OBIEE)

Used in connection with employee absence/leave management. The proposed solution may receive applicable absence/leave information to support workforce scheduling and availability but is not intended to replace Work Partners.

No

7 MS Excel – Capital Programs Support

Capital Programs Support:

Spreadsheet-based tracking and coordination supporting current workforce/resource scheduling activities. Applicable scheduling and workforce coordination functions may transition to the proposed solution.

Yes

8 MS Excel – E&M

E&M: Used by supervisors and administrative staff for workforce scheduling, overtime tracking, hours worked, staffing coordination, and other locally maintained workforce information. Current processes may vary among Power, Tracks, Signals, and other E&M functions.

Yes

9 TimeClockPlus (TCP)

Time-clock/time-and-attendance application used by portions of the MBTA. Applicable time data may need to be exchanged with the proposed solution to support scheduling, actual-hours visibility, and HOS/fatigue-management processes.

Yes

10 UKG Workforce Management

SaaS workforce-management/time-and-attendance application used by the MBTA. May provide or receive workforce/time information required by the proposed scheduling solution.

No

11 Primavera P6 Capital Delivery: Enterprise project No

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Revision: 9/1/2026

Current Application Environment

No. Application Use/Summary

Potential for Current Scheduling Function to Be

Replaced by Proposed Solution portfolio planning and scheduling application. Project schedule information may be relevant to workforce/resource planning, but the proposed workforce scheduling solution is not intended to replace Primavera P6.

CareerLine (Cornerstone OnDemand)

Enterprise learning management system used for employee training information. Training status, qualifications, or scheduled training may be relevant to employee availability and assignment eligibility in the proposed solution.

13 Capital Management System (CMS)

MBTA custom-built application using Microsoft SQL Server.

Potential data relationship with the proposed solution should be determined during interface design;

the application itself is not presently identified for replacement.

No

Financial Management Information System - FMIS (PeopleSoft)

Enterprise financial management application. Financial/cost information may be relevant to reporting or downstream processes, but the proposed workforce scheduling solution is not intended to replace FMIS.

2.3 Desired Business Outcomes

The MBTA seeks a solution that enables the following organizational outcomes:

Scheduling & Workforce Management

• Reduced manual scheduling effort

• Improved workforce availability visibility

• Faster vacancy filing and overtime assignment processes

• Improved staffing coverage and resource utilization

Compliance & Safety

• Improved Hours of Service compliance monitoring

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Revision: 9/1/2026

• Improved fatigue management oversight

• Reduced risk of regulatory violations

• Improved auditability of scheduling and compliance decisions

Operational Visibility

• Real-time visibility into workforce availability and assignments

• Improved supervisor and management dashboards

• Improved workforce reporting and analytics

Technology Modernization

• Reduced dependency on spreadsheets and paper-based processes

• Improved integration between workforce management systems

• Improved employee self-service capabilities

• Mobile access to workforce scheduling information

Organizational Agility

• Ability to rapidly adapt to labor agreement changes

• Ability to rapidly adapt to DPU, FTA, and internal policy changes

• Reduced dependence on vendor customizations

• Increased use of configurable business rules and workflows

2.4 Number of Users

The following user counts are preliminary estimates provided for proposal and pricing purposes. The MBTA has identified estimated population for (1) administrative, supervisory, scheduling, and other users expected to actively management workforce information within the system and (2) employees who may be scheduled, maintained as workforce records, and/or access employee self-service or mobile functionality. Actual counts may change during implementation. Respondents should clearly identify the user population and licensing assumptions used in their proposal pricing and describe how pricing would change as user counts increase or decrease.

Estimated Number of Users

No. Stakeholder Group Estimated Scheduler /

Supervisor / Administrative Users

Estimated Employees Managed / Potential

Employee Self-Service (ESS) Users

1 Operations Control Center (OCC) 25 101

2 E&M – Power 12 - 15 72

3 E&M – Tracks/Maintenance of Way (MOW) 15 351

4 E&M – Signals ~ 15 ~ 253

5 E&M – Payroll/Admin 7 Not Applicable

6 Operations Training School ~ 5 – 10 ~ 98

7 Capital Programs Support ~ 5 ~ 114

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Revision: 9/1/2026

Estimated Number of Users

No. Stakeholder Group Estimated Scheduler /

Supervisor / Administrative Users

Estimated Employees Managed / Potential

Employee Self-Service (ESS) Users

8 Vehicle Maintenance (VM) ~ 4 1,149

Total Estimates Approx. 88 – 96 ~ 2,138

2.5 Project Management and Administration

The Contractor will be responsible for providing the project management, implementation, configuration, technical, and other resources necessary to successfully perform the services required under this Agreement. All price proposals shall include any management or administrative costs.

The MBTA will make appropriate functional and technical resources available to support the implementation. MBTA resources are generally expected to support the implementation in addition to their normal job responsibilities and are not expected to be dedicated full-time to the project. The MBTA encourages Bidders to submit questions to the MBTA during the RFP questions period to solicit such additional information as is necessary to adequately estimate the resource commitments that would be expected of the MBTA during implementation, and post go-live for ongoing support of the system or systems.

2.6 Additional Services

Additional, directly related services may be added to this Agreement prior to the start or throughout the duration of this Agreement if agreed to in writing by the Parties.

3. BIDDERS INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCUREMENT PROCESS

3.1 Bidders’ Conference

The MBTA reserves the right to hold one or more Bidders’ conferences with all Bidders at any time prior to the Response Date. Bidders’ conferences may be held either in person or by telephonic or electronic means. If held telephonically or electronically, the Bidders’ conference will permit interactive communication between all Bidders and the MBTA. The MBTA will provide notice of any Bidders’ conference via COMMBUYS. If a Bidders’ conference is conducted by telephonic or electronic means, the notice will inform Bidders of the manner of the meeting.

Each Bidder, by submittal of its Response, acknowledges the opportunity to attend any Bidders’ conference, if held, was offered to all Bidders, and waives any right to challenge this procurement based on its attendance at, or failure to attend, a Bidders’ conference.

Each Bidder is encouraged to attend Bidders’ conferences, if held, with appropriate members of its proposed staff, and if requested by the MBTA, senior representatives of proposed team members identified by the MBTA. Nothing stated at any Bidders’ conference or included in a written record or summary of a Bidders conference will modify this RFP or any other part of the RFP unless it is incorporated in an addendum issued.

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Revision: 9/1/2026

3.2 Procurement Method

This RFP is issued pursuant to the following laws and regulations: Mass. Gen Laws, Ch. 161A; 801

CMR 21.00.

Bidder shall be responsible for making itself fully aware of, complying with, and in its Response addressing the impact of and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

This RFP will be launched and managed via COMMBUYS. Instructions for log-in and use of COMMBUYS are described in http://www.mass.gov/anf/docs/osd/forms/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids.docx Bidders may also contact the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or the COMMBUYS Helpline at 1-888-MA-STATE. The Helpline is staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Monday through Friday (Eastern Time), except on federal, state, and Suffolk county holidays.

It is the responsibility of Bidders to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s Designated Representative and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the MBTA, including responses to Bidder questions. The MBTA and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a Bidder’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with Bidder’s computer, network, or internet service provider (“ISP”) cause email communications sent to or from Bidder and the MBTA to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Bidder shall review and study all documents thoroughly and report any discrepancies, omissions, technical queries, or other clarifications via COMMBUYS.

Questions and clarification requests submitted by Bidder will, together with MBTA’s responses, be made available to all Bidders via COMMBUYS.

3.2.1 MBTA DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVE

Unless specifically stated otherwise in this RFP, Bidder must submit changes to Bidder’s designated representative and any other communications in to the MBTA’s Point of Contact via COMMBUYS. The MBTA’s Point of Contact is Kate Randall, krandall2@mbta.com.

3.2.2 IDENTIFICATION OF BIDDER DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVE

When submitting a Bid, the Bidder must identify to the MBTA’s Point of Contact its own Designated Representative to act on behalf of the Bidder relating to this procurement.

3.3 RFP Calendar and Delivery Instructions

Bidder is required to prepare and submit all required documents to MBTA electronically via COMMBUYS.

The MBTA anticipates carrying out the procurement process in accordance with the schedule noted in the table below. All times are local Boston, Massachusetts, USA, times unless otherwise indicated. The schedule is subject to modification at the sole discretion of the MBTA. Bidders will be notified of any change by an addendum to this RFP.

http://www.mass.gov/anf/docs/osd/forms/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids.docx http://www.mass.gov/anf/docs/osd/forms/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids.docx mailto:COMMBUYS@state.ma.us mailto:rfpresponse@mbta.com

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TABLE: RFP CALENDAR

Procurement Activity Date Time

RFP issued 9/1/2026 Pre-bid conference 9/8/2026 10:00 a.m.

Deadline for submission of Bidder questions via

COMMBUYS Q&A

9/18/2026 2:00 p.m.

Official Answers for Bid Q&A published by MBTA on

COMMBUYS

9/28/2026 2:00 p.m.

Response Due Date 10/13/2026 2:00 p.m.

Bidder presentations/MBTA access of bidder demo/test environment (estimated)

10/26/2026

Contract Execution (estimated) 12/1/2026 Service Start Date (estimated) 1/1/2027

3.4 Pre-Bid Conference

A Pre-Bid Conference is scheduled at the date and time above. It will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams at the link below:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/286842647515850?p=dq0AlDOtbw5J0JIp4A Meeting ID: 286 842 647 515 850 Passcode: Hb6vA6GL

Each Bidder, by submittal of its Response, acknowledges the opportunity to attend any Pre-Bid Conference, if held, was offered to all Bidders, and waives any right to challenge this procurement based on its attendance at, or failure to attend, a Bidders’ conference.

Each Bidder is encouraged to attend Pre-Bid Conferences, if held, with appropriate members of its proposed staff, and if requested by the MBTA, senior representatives of proposed team members identified by the MBTA. Nothing stated at any Pre-Bid Conference or included in a written record or summary of a Pre-Bid Conference will modify this RFP or any other part of the RFP unless it is incorporated in an addendum issued.

3.5 Dissemination of Confidential Information

Not Applicable

3.6 Examination of RFP

Each Bidder shall be solely responsible for examining, with appropriate care and diligence, the RFP and any addenda and material made available to Bidders by the MBTA, and for informing itself with respect to any and all conditions that may in any way affect the amount or nature of its Response, or the performance of the Contractor’s obligations under the Contract with the MBTA. Failure of the Bidder to so examine and inform itself shall be at its sole risk, and the MBTA will provide no relief for any error or omission.

The submission of a Response shall be considered prima facie evidence that the Bidder has made the above-described examination and is satisfied as to the conditions to be encountered in performing the Work and as to the requirements of the Contract.

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/286842647515850?p=dq0AlDOtbw5J0JIp4A

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Revision: 9/1/2026

3.7 Rules of Contact

Starting on the date the RFP is issued and ending on the earliest of (a) the award and execution of the Contract, (b) rejection of all Responses by the MBTA, or (c) cancellation of the procurement, the following rules of contact shall apply. These rules are designed to promote a fair and unbiased procurement process.

Contact includes face-to-face, telephone, email, or formal written communication.

The specific rules of contact are as follows:

i. No Bidder, or any of its team members, may communicate with another Bidder or its team members with regard to this RFP or either team’s Response, except that subcontractors that are shared between two or more Bidder teams may communicate with their respective team members so long as those Bidders establish a protocol to ensure that the subcontractor will not act as a conduit of information between the teams. This prohibition does not apply to public discussions regarding the RFP at any MBTA sponsored Bidders’ conferences.

ii. No Bidder or representative thereof shall have any ex parte communications regarding the RFP, the Contract, or the procurement described herein with any member of the MBTA’s Board of Directors, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (“MassDOT”) Board of Directors, or with any MassDOT or MBTA staff, advisors, contractors, or consultants involved with the procurement, except for communications expressly permitted by the RFP or except as approved in advance at the MBTA’s Point of Contact’s sole discretion. The foregoing restriction shall not, however, preclude or restrict communications with regard to matters unrelated to the RFP, Contract, or procurement or from participation in public meetings of the MBTA or MassDOT Boards of Directors or any public or Bidder workshop related to this RFP.

iii. Any communications determined by the MBTA, in its sole discretion, to be improper may result in disqualification.

iv. Any official information regarding this RFP will be disseminated from the MBTA’s Point of Contact via COMMBUYS.

v. The MBTA will not be responsible for or bound by any oral exchange or any other information or exchange that occurs outside the official process specified herein.

vi. The MBTA will not be bound by, and Bidders should not rely on, any oral communications regarding the RFP. Use of any information gathered or received from other agencies or entities shall be at the Bidder’s own risk.

3.8 Clarifications of Specifications, Questions and Answers

Bidders shall review the RFP and any addenda issued by the MBTA prior to the Response Date, and request written clarification or interpretation of any perceived discrepancy, deficiency, ambiguity, error, or omission contained therein, or of any provision which the Bidder fails to understand or to which the Bidder is suggesting a change. Failure of the Bidder to so examine and inform itself shall be at its sole risk, and no relief for error or omission will be provided by the MBTA. Bidders shall submit, and the MBTA will respond to, questions and requests for written clarification in accordance with this Section 3.7.

Questions and clarification requests shall be minimized or aggregated to the extent possible. All questions and clarification requests shall be made by Bidder through the “Bid Q&A” tab in COMMBUYS. Such comments and questions may be submitted at any time prior to the applicable date specified in Section 3.3 or such later date as may be specified in any addendum and shall: (i) identify the document; (ii) identify the relevant section number and page number) or, if it is a general question, indicate so; and (iii) not identify the Bidder in the body of the question or contain proprietary or confidential information. Questions submitted in any other format or method than that described above will not be considered.

Responses to requests for clarification or questions will be provided in writing and issued by the MBTA’s

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Point of Contact via the COMMBUYS. In addition, the MBTA reserves the right to, in its sole discretion, not answer all questions submitted by Bidders.

It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify the MBTA’s receipt of questions and clarification requests.

3.9 RFP Addendum

The MBTA reserves the right to issue addenda to the RFP after initial publication.

It is each Bidder’s responsibility to monitor COMMBUYS for any addenda and any Bid Q&A records related to this RFP. The MBTA and the Commonwealth accept no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit their Response based on an out-of-date RFP or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

By submission of its Response, Bidder acknowledges receipt of all addenda and question and answer responses.

3.10 MBTA Standard Contract and Terms & Conditions

The MBTA does not encourage attempts to negotiate the Section 8.0 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Standard Contract Terms & Conditions. Many of these provisions are required by law; others are longstanding MBTA policy / practice. Accordingly, Bidders / proposers should only redline or object to provisions that they find absolutely unacceptable. Any rejection or modification of these provisions may disqualify a Bid / proposal as being non-responsive or non-compliant.

3.11 Confidentiality / Public Information Act Disclosure Requests

3.11.1 Disclosure Waiver

Each Bidder, by submitting a Response to the MBTA in response to the RFP, consents to the disclosures described in this RFP, including this Section and all other disclosures required by law, and expressly waives any right to contest, impede, prevent, or delay such disclosure, or to initiate any proceeding that may have the effect of impeding, preventing, or delaying such disclosure, under Mass. Gen. Laws, ch. 66 (the Massachusetts Public Records Law or “Public Records Law”) or any other law relating to the confidentiality or disclosure of information. Under no circumstances will the MBTA be responsible or liable to a Bidder or any other party as a result of disclosing any such materials. Each Bidder hereby further agrees to assist the MBTA in complying with these disclosure requirements.

3.11.2 Public Disclosure of Response Documents

Subject to applicable law, after execution of the Contract, or in the event that the procurement is cancelled by the MBTA, the MBTA shall have the right to publicly disclose any and all portions of all Responses. The MBTA will not disclose material deemed confidential by the MBTA in accordance with Section 3.10.3, unless otherwise required by law.

3.11.3 Disclosure Process for Requests Under the Public Records Law

All written correspondence, exhibits, reports, printed material, photographs, tapes, electronic disks, and other graphic and visual aids submitted to the MBTA during this procurement process, including as part of the response to this RFP, become the property of the MBTA upon their receipt by the MBTA and will not be returned to the submitting

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Revision: 9/1/2026 parties. Except as provided by applicable law, all materials submitted to the MBTA are subject to release as public records. Bidders shall familiarize themselves with the provisions of applicable law (including the Public Records Law) pertaining to disclosure of information in the MBTA’s possession. In no event shall the MBTA, or any of its agents, representatives, consultants, directors, officers, or employees, be liable to a Bidder or Bidder team member for the disclosure of all or a portion of a Response or related information submitted during this procurement.

If a Bidder has special concerns about information which it desires to make available to the MBTA but which it believes constitutes a trade secret, proprietary information, or other information excepted from disclosure, such responding Bidder shall specifically and conspicuously designate that information by placing “TRADE SECRET - PROPRIETARY” in the header or footer of each such page affected and by identifying such trade secret, proprietary information in the Technical Proposal Cover Letter (see Enclosure 1). Nothing contained in this provision shall modify or amend requirements and obligations imposed on the MBTA by the Public Records Law or other applicable law. The provisions applicable law, including the Public Records Law, shall control in the event of a conflict between the procedures described above and the applicable law.

If the MBTA receives a request for public disclosure of all or any portion of a Response or its related information that is designated as ”Trade Secret - Proprietary,” the MBTA will endeavor to use reasonable efforts to notify the applicable Bidder of the request. The Bidder can assert, in writing and at its sole expense, a claimed exception under the Public Records Law or other applicable law, within the time period specified in the notice issued by the MBTA and allowed under the Public Records Law. The Bidder can choose to defend any action seeking release of the records it believes to be confidential information.

The Bidder shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the MBTA and its agents and employees in connection with the Bidder’s opposition to a public records request, and such indemnification shall include all damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees) the MBTA incurs because of or arising out of the Bidder’s opposition to any public records request. This indemnification survives the MBTA’s cancellation or termination of this procurement or award and subsequent execution of a Contract. In submitting a Response, the Bidder agrees that this indemnification survives as long as any information submitted by the Bidder is in the possession of the MBTA.

The MBTA shall not under any circumstance be responsible for securing a protective order or other relief enjoining the release of information marked “Trade Secret – Proprietary” in any Response, nor shall the MBTA be in any way financially responsible for any costs associated with securing any such order or for any loss associated with the release of information marked “Trade Secret – Proprietary” or otherwise.

3.12 Business Conduct

All Responses submitted by a Bidder to the MBTA shall be made without collusion with any other Bidder(s) submitting a Response to this RFP.

Bidder shall not directly or indirectly, in relation to this RFP, give, promise, attempt to give, or approve or authorize the giving of anything of value, including by transferring all or part of the remuneration payable under any Contract, to:

a) any person employed or representing the MBTA;

b) any other person, including any public official;

c) a political party or a labor union controlled by any governmental authority or political party; or

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d) a charitable or other organization, or an officer, director, or employee thereof, or any person acting directly or indirectly on behalf of the same for the purpose of (i) securing any improper advantage for either Bidder or the MBTA; (ii) inducing or influencing a public official improperly to take any action or refrain from taking any action in order for either Bidder or the MBTA to obtain or retain business, or to secure the direction of business to either Bidder or the MBTA, or (iii) inducing or influencing a public official to use his or her influence with any governmental authority or public international organization for any such purpose.

3.13 Collusion

By the submission of a Bid in response to the RFP, the Bidder represents and certifies that its Bid is made without collusion with any other Bidder submitting a Bid on the same commodity / service and is in all respects fair and without fraud.

3.14 Prices

Each Bid must contain the unit price(s) / rate(s) or lump sum price, extended price(s), and the grand total of the Bid. Bidders shall submit their pricing using Attachment 3: Cost Worksheet and Attachment 4:

Cost Narrative. The unit price / rate shall prevail in case of an error in price extension. Prices submitted shall be valid throughout the Acceptance Period.

3.15 Acceptance Period

From and after the Response Due Date identified in Section 3.3 (as amended) the MBTA shall have one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days to award a Contract based on this RFP. Such 180-day period is the “Acceptance Period.” The Bidder’s Bid is irrevocable and shall remain open and available for acceptance by the MBTA during the entirety of the Acceptance Period. The MBTA reserves the right to extend the Acceptance Period with respect to any or all Bidders upon obtaining the applicable Bidder’s written consent to such extension.

3.16 Eligible Entities

Any contract resulting from this Bid will be available for use by all MassDOT divisions and departments.

3.17 Pre-Contractual Expenses

The MBTA shall not be liable for any pre-contractual expenses incurred by the Bidder in connection with this RFP. The Bidder shall not include any such expenses as part of its proposal. Pre-contractual expenses include all expenses the Bidder incurs prior to the date the MBTA enters into a Contract with any Bidder (or prior to the MBTA’s withdrawal or cancellation of the RFP, as the case may be), such as, but not limited to, expenses the Bidder incurs in preparing its Bid, submitting its Bid to the MBTA, negotiating with the MBTA any matter related to this RFP, and inspection, testing, shipping, and return shipping of proposed goods or samples.

3.18 Tax Exemption

The MBTA is exempt from Federal Excise Tax, including Transportation Tax, and will furnish properly executed tax exemption certificates upon request. The MBTA is also exempt from Massachusetts State Sales Tax — Exemption Number E-042-323-989. Such taxes should not be included in Bid prices.

The Bidder alone shall be responsible for payment of all federal, state and local taxes of all types and kinds applicable to any Agreement it enters into with the MBTA and/or to the compensation it receives from the MBTA or any other party in connection with such Agreement.

3.19 Insurance

The insurance policies that the successful bidder shall carry are outlined in the Attachment 5 -

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Revision: 9/1/2026

Minimum Insurance Requirements document with this solicitation. The successful bidder shall submit proof of insurance for the requirements detailed at the time of submitting their bid. If proof of insurance is not available at the time the Bidder submits its Bid, the successful bidder certifies that it will carry such insurance policies and all costs associated with the insurance requirements are included in its Bid pricing.

The successful bidder shall provide proof of all required insurance within three business days of conditional notice of award.

4. SUBMISSION OF RESPONSE

4.1 Response Submissions

Responses shall be submitted via COMMBUYS. The deadline for Proposal submissions is established in Section 3.3.

Each Response shall be submitted in the following two parts:

a) Technical Response including:

• Bid Cover Letter

• Power of Attorney (as described in Section 4.5 of this RFP)

• Form A: Pre-Award Bidder Evaluation Data Form

• Form B: Small Business Program Attestation Form

• Proof of Insurance

• Attachment 1 – Technical Proposal Form

• Attachment 2 – Functional and Technical Requirements

b) Price Response as separate documents, including:

• Attachment 3 – Cost Worksheet

• Attachment 4 – Cost Narrative

If a Bidder is a team, whether or not legally formed, the Bid Cover Letter shall be signed by all parties to the Bidder so that the Response is legally binding upon each member of the Bidder.

Any interlineations, erasures or overwriting in the Response will only be valid if they are initialed by the Authorized Signatories.

Bidders shall submit Responses including all forms and schedules and shall not remove pages from the provided forms. All Forms and Responses shall be completely separate documents. Bidder Financials shall be included in Technical Proposal only.

Any Response which materially fails to meet the Response requirements of the RFP will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and can be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the Bidder to make minor corrections to the Response.

Bidders must follow the instructions in this section when submitting proposals. The MBTA may disqualify offers that do not comply with all instructions contained herein.

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Revision: 9/1/2026

The following table provides the required file formats and naming conventions for the proposal files.

Table 4.1.1: Proposal Naming and File Formats:

Proposal Section Recommended File Naming Convention

Required File Format

Required Procurement Documents

Enclosure 1 – Bid Cover Letter (Inclusive of information requested in section “Enclosure – Bid Cover Letter)

“(Proposer Name) Bid Cover Letter”

All files combined into one

(1) searchable Adobe PDF

Bidder Forms (Inclusive of Form A: Pre-Award Bidder Evaluation Data Form & Form B: Small Business Program Attestation Form)

“(Proposer Name) Bidder Forms”

All files combined into one

(1) searchable Adobe PDF

Power of Attorney “(Proposer Name) Power of Attorney”

One (1) searchable Adobe

PDF

Signed Section 8.1 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Standard Terms and Conditions

Note: Section 8 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Standard Contract is NOT to be submitted; it is not completed until award

“(Proposer Name) Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Standard Terms and Conditions”

One (1) searchable Adobe

PDF

Proof of Insurance “(Proposer Name) Certificate of Insurance”

Certificate of Insurance (COI) in one (1) searchable Adobe PDF

Technical Proposal

Attachment 1 – Technical Proposal Form

“(Proposer Name) Technical Proposal Attachment 1”

All files combined into one

(1) searchable Adobe PDF

Attachment 2 – Functional and Technical Requirements

“(Proposer Name) Proposal Response to Attachment 2”

To be submitted in Microsoft Excel format in addition to one (1) searchable Adobe PDF

Price Proposal

Attachment 3 – Cost Worksheets

“(Proposer Name) Proposal Response to Attachment 3”

To be submitted in Microsoft Excel format in addition to one (1)

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Revision: 9/1/2026 searchable Adobe PDF

Attachment 4 – Cost Narrative “(Proposer Name) Proposal Response to Attachment 4”

One (1) searchable Adobe

PDF

• Amendment of Proposals: Bidders may amend proposals prior to the deadline set for receipt of Proposals. In the event an addendum is issued, and a respondent has previously submitted a proposal in response to this RFP, the respondent must notify the MBTA via email of the need to submit an amendment, and clearly outline the reasons in writing. No amendments will be accepted after the deadline unless they are in response to a request of the MBTA.

• Except for trade secrets and confidential information that the Bidder identifies as proprietary, all Proposals will be open for public inspection after the contract award.

4.2 Technical Proposal Organization Guidelines

Bidders are instructed to insert the completed Tab forms (Attachment 1 – Technical Proposal Form) in the corresponding tab sections as a part of their response to the technical proposal. The MBTA expects that respondents will include additional proposal content beyond simply completing the forms and worksheets provided through this RFP. The following table contains the organization guidelines for proposal responses.

Table 4.2.1: Proposal Naming

Proposal Tab No. Technical Proposal Section

Tab 1 Company Introduction

Tab 2 Software Solution

Tab 3 Project Approach and Implementation Methodology

Tab 4 Key Proposed Personnel and Team Organization

Tab 5 Project Schedule

Tab 6 System and Application Architecture

Tab 7 Data Conversion Plan

Tab 8 Security and Software Hosting

Tab 9 Testing and Quality Assurance Plan

Tab 10 Training Plan

Tab 11 References

Tab 12 Exceptions to Project Scope

Tab 13 Software Accessibility

Tab 14 Supplier Diversity

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Revision: 9/1/2026

Proposal Tab No. Technical Proposal Section

Tab 15 Functional and Technical Requirements Response

4.3 Content For Tabs 1 – 14

• Tabs 1 – 15: Attachment 1 – Technical Proposal Form is a Word document that provides detailed instructions and requirements for the proposer as it relates to the documents to be submitted as their RFP response and services required for the Project.