Septemberfest_Shuttle_IFB.docx

VILLAGE OF SCHAUMBURG

INVITATION FOR BID

SEPTEMBERFEST SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE

Introduction: The Village of Schaumburg seeks to hire a qualified firm to operate the Village’s Septemberfest Shuttle Bus service which operates annually over the Labor Day holiday weekend (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday). The Village of Schaumburg seeks a maximum term of three years with the possibility of exercising two additional one-year options.

Background: Septemberfest, a not-for-profit event, has been hosted by the Village for more than 50 years with an annual attendance of approximately 100,000 persons. As a service, primarily to our residents, and in response to very limited parking, free shuttle bus transportation is provided to the fest from various schools. Bus service begins just prior to the festival’s opening each day and continues uninterrupted one hour past the official close of the event, or until all those using the service have exited the festival site; whichever is later. The number of buses used varies throughout each day, and on certain select routes, is scheduled according to past observed peak and off-peak demand periods. Flexibility with vehicles and employees is required of the service operator to accommodate demand that sometimes presents itself outside of the projected peak and off-peak demand cycles.

The number of routes operating for Septemberfest has varied over the years. There is the possibility that location and number of routes may change from year to year. In 2024, three bus routes provided access from three schools: Jane Addams Junior High School, Schaumburg High School and Conant High School. The schools were used as park and ride sites, where attendees can park and take the free shuttle to the festival. These park and ride sites are also situated within neighborhoods so that neighboring residents can walk to these locations. Between 2019 and 2024, ridership has varied between 7,500 and 23,300. Weather conditions have been a prevailing factor on attendance and ridership figures. It should be noted that Septemberfest was cancelled in 2020. In 2021, Septemberfest was brought back for two days (Saturday and Sunday) with ridership at 7,500. In 2022, Septemberfest returned to the regularly scheduled 3-day event. Mileage reported for 2024 was approximately 5,000 miles.

Contract Term: The initial term of this contract shall begin on the date of award of the contract to and including April 30, 2026; subject, however, to the right of the Village to cancel and terminate the same at any time by giving a thirty-day notice in writing to the contractor. In the event of such cancellation, the contractor shall be entitled to receive payment for services and work performed and materials and equipment furnished under the terms of the contract prior to the effective date of such cancellation but will not be entitled to receive any damages on account of such or any further payment whatsoever.

Upon mutual agreement, this contract may be extended for two, one-year optional extensions, with the first extension running from May 1, 2028, to April 30, 2029, and the second extension running from May 1, 2029, to April 30, 2030, upon a minimum ninety-day written notice from the Village of its intention to exercise this option.

Event dates are as follows:

· Saturday, August 30, 2025 / Sunday, August 31, 2025 / Monday, September 1, 2025

· Saturday, September 5, 2026 / Sunday, September 6, 2026 / Monday, September 7, 2026

· Saturday, September 4, 2027 / Sunday, September 5, 2027 / Monday, September 6, 2027

· Saturday, September 2, 2028* / Sunday, September 3, 2028* / Monday, September 4, 2028*

· Saturday, September 1, 2029* / Sunday, September 2, 2029* / Monday, September 3, 2029* *Denotes option year.

Festival hours are listed below:

· Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

· Sunday - 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (fireworks display evening from 10:00 pm to 10:15 pm)

· Monday - 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (rain date for fireworks display evening from 9:00 pm to 9:15 pm)

Payment: Following the event the company will invoice the Village’s Accounts Payable Division for all services rendered. Payment will be made within thirty days of the Village’s approval of the invoice.

Payment Adjustment: In the event that the company violates any of the requirements for which it has responsibility, the Village may deduct from payment an amount equal to $100 per infraction for each day a provision is violated. At the Village’s discretion, one incident may yield more than one infraction. In the event of cessation of service, or default or termination of the contract, the obligation of the Village to make payments shall cease on the date of the first occurrence of cessation, termination, or default.

Service Requirements: Maps outlining Septemberfest 2024’s routing scenarios are found in Exhibit A. These maps should be used as a guideline. Routes may be subject to change prior to Septemberfest 2025 or on an as-needed basis if there is an interference with a route during the festival.

NOTE: A Village Hall construction project is planned for May 2025 through December 2026 which will affect and may change a portion of the festival layouts for 2025-2027.

Routing

Red Route begins at Jane Addams Junior High School on S. Springinsguth Road.

· Springinsguth Road NORTH to Schaumburg Road;

· Schaumburg Road EAST to the Septemberfest site (District 54 Parking Lot staging area);

· Septemberfest site (District 54 Parking Lot staging area) WEST on Schaumburg Road to Springinsguth Road;

· SOUTH on Springinsguth Road to Jane Addams Junior High School remote parking lot.

Green Route begins at Conant High School on N. Plum Grove Road.

· Plum Grove Road SOUTH to Schaumburg Road;

· Schaumburg Road WEST to Septemberfest site (District 54 Parking Lot staging area);

· Septemberfest site (District 54 Parking Lot staging area) EAST on Schaumburg Road to Plum Grove Road;

· Plum Grove Road NORTH to Conant High School remote parking lot.

Yellow Route begins at Schaumburg High School on W. Schaumburg Road.

· Schaumburg Road EAST to Septemberfest site (District 54 Parking Lot staging area);

· Septemberfest site (District 54 Parking Lot staging area) WEST (on Schaumburg Road) to Schaumburg High School remote parking lot.

Operations Day/Time/Vehicle Requirements

Red Route

5:30 pm - 11:30 pm (6 hours x 4 vehicles)

Green Route

Yellow Route

The Village anticipates a total of 504 service hours over the three-day festival (Red Route = 129 hours, Green Route = 146.5, Yellow Route = 228.5 hours. 504 hours total.

All vehicles provided shall be large enough to provide adequate capacity and must be thoroughly cleaned prior to entering operation and periodically throughout the day. Air-conditioned vehicles are required. If school buses are used, school buses shall be approximately 30-feet long with a maximum seating capacity of 72 passengers. At maximum levels of operation and peak times (generally the closeout of service after concerts/fireworks), we anticipate that up to 14 buses may be in operation at certain times.

In addition, operators shall have direct access to at least three more buses, and drivers to operate them, to cover potential breakdowns and unforeseen increased demand shall it occur at any given time during the three-day event. Bus storage should be no more than five miles beyond the Septemberfest event site to provide flexibility and ease of vehicle replacement if necessary.

Though activities for each night of Septemberfest end at 10:00 pm on Saturday, 10:15 on Sunday and 9:00 pm on Monday, buses will continue to run at least one hour, possibly longer after that time to ensure transport of those who used the shuttle service throughout the day (i.e. 11:30 pm Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 pm Monday). These times are reflected on the timetables above.

Parade Day In addition to the scheduled route, the operating company shall provide transportation from a designated area on the fest grounds to a designated parade drop-off point approximately 2.5 miles away. Parade Day transportation shall be provided for approximately 17 people. A smaller vehicle such as a 14-passenger shuttle or van shall be used. An air-conditioned vehicle is required. Parade Day transportation shall be provided on Monday morning at 9 am and 9:30. Up to two trips may need to be taken to accommodate for Parade Day transportation.

Staffing: The service operator must provide appropriate street supervision and monitoring at the drop-off/pick-up area. The minimum number of staff positions is listed. Staffing positions and the number of staff will most likely not total to the same number. The actual number of employees, when taking into account the long operational day, will likely be at least double the number of staff positions required, especially in regards to Drivers, Route Administrators/Greeters and Flaggers.

In their submittal, bidding companies must provide proof of current staffing levels and must be able to demonstrate access to staff sufficient in size to fully meet the requirements set below. A finalized list of all staff associated with the event shall be provided to the Village one week prior to the first day of the event. Bidders shall provide documentation demonstrating staff training and readiness to perform their functions as described below.

· Minimum Site Staffing Requirements:

· Operations/Project Manager must be assigned to this project and act as the primary point of contact and liaison between the bus operating company and Village staff overseeing the operation. Operations/Project Manager must be on-call over the three-day event and is expected to be on-site during crucial hours of operation (opening of service daily and from 6:00 pm to close of service). Uniform dress codes/yellow (colored) vests are required to provide visual identification that the Operations/Project Manager is an employee of the transportation company. Staff positions necessary by this standard – one.

· Assistant Operations/Project Managers must be assigned to this project and act as secondary points of contact in Manager’s presence or primary point of contact during those hours when the Operations/Project Manager is off-site. Assistant Operations/Project Managers must be on-call over the three-day event and are expected to be available in the event the Project Manager cannot be reached. At least one Assistant Operations/Project Manager needs to be at the staging area throughout the entire 14-hour service day. Uniform dress codes/yellow (colored) vests are required to provide visual identification that the Assistant Operations/Project Managers are employees of the transportation company. Staff positions necessary by this standard – two.

· Route Administrators/Greeters – Route Administrators/Greeters are personnel assigned by the operating company to oversee administration of each route location within the staging area, and at the three remote parking lot route locations. The Route Administrators/Greeters interface directly with the riding public whose chief function is to provide friendly direction to riders and fest attendees, route information, oversee orderly operation of service, and have experience with crowd control to be able to manage the lines that form towards the end of the service day, in an organized manner. Uniform dress codes/yellow (colored) vests are required to provide visual identification that the Route Administrators/Greeters are employees of the transportation company. Staff positions necessary by this standard – six - throughout the 14-hour service days.

· Flaggers – Flaggers are personnel assigned by the operating company to oversee traffic flow at the staging area. Flaggers interface directly with the public at the staging area whose chief function is to assist in controlling bus and vehicle traffic flow. Flaggers will also interface directly with the public to assist with crowd control and provide friendly direction to fest attendees. Uniform dress codes/yellow (colored) vests are required to provide visual identification that the Flaggers are employees of the transportation company. Staff positions necessary by this standard – two–throughout the 14-hour service days.

· Dispatchers – Dispatchers are personnel assigned by the operating company to provide communication to operating company personnel as directed by the Operations/Project Manager. Staff positions necessary by this standard – two–throughout the 14-hour service days.

· Drivers - Drivers are to be trained and appropriately scheduled to ensure compliance with all operational safety federal, state, and local operational guidelines. The operating company shall instruct drivers to use the right-hand lanes as much as possible to ensure ease of boarding and exiting the buses. The drivers must be aware that accurate passenger counts are necessary and part of their job. Additionally, to address volumes that can be fluid, drivers must be able to drive interchangeably on all of the routes. Staff positions necessary by this standard

· Verification of this training, which, in addition, is required to demonstrate that each driver is familiar with routes they will be operating, must be provided to the Village’s Transportation Program Manager, or designated staff managing the shuttle service, two weeks prior to the first day of service for every driver scheduled to drive.

Qualifications: Experience with projects of similar size and scope (events with 100,000 attendees or more and/or transport of 25,000 bus riders or more) including experience of the team who will be managing the project and the on-site operations managers. Information must be provided on the number of available drivers currently working for the bidder and the geographic area they have experience driving in.

Meetings: The operations supervisor(s) from the selected bus company must meet with staff from various Village Departments, including representatives from the Transportation Department, Cultural Services Department, Engineering and Public Works Department, Fire Department, and Police Department staff at least four weeks prior to the festival to review the routes, turn-around/operations, staging area plus additional operational requirements. The meeting shall be held on-site at a time convenient to both the Village and the bus company.

A meeting must be scheduled between Village of Schaumburg Transportation staff that must include the Operations/Project Manager, Assistant Operations/Project Manager, plus management staff who would be responsible for overseeing drivers, dispatchers, maintenance, and route administrative staff, six weeks prior to the first day of Septemberfest service.

Signage: To make it easier for our riders to discern their routes, route signage must be prominently displayed on each bus to make it as clear as possible to those boarding, that they are on the correct bus. In addition to the colored route designation displayed in the window, a sign with the route shall also be displayed on the bus.

The operating company is required to post additional signage on each bus as directed by Village of Schaumburg staff from any shuttle service sponsor(s), and additional ordinance signage from the Village as required. The operator is responsible for making arrangements with the Village and sponsor(s) at least one week prior to the first day of service to ensure proper delivery and installation of any signage.

The operating company is also required to post flags at the staging area lot as well as one flag at each remote lot (6 flags in total). The flags shall be of a corresponding color to the designated route.

Final Reports: To ensure an account of ridership is kept, drivers must be made aware that they need to track riders and keep records during the three-day event. This helps the Village to assess routing and service needs for future events. These reports must be submitted to the Village within ten (10) calendar days following the conclusion of the service. The reports shall include, but may not be limited to the following information in a format acceptable to the Village:

· Inbound daily vehicle hours and passenger counts by each shuttle route per hour of operation;

· At the close of service in the staging area, all passengers shall be counted as they board buses and time sheets shall be kept noting the time each bus/each route departs the staging area. This report will be separate, and in addition to, the daily passenger and vehicle hour counts; and

· Daily mileage for each shuttle route per each vehicle hour of operation*.

* A vehicle hour of operation is defined as one bus operated one hour and shall consist of the time in operation from when the bus first begins service on its assigned route until it makes its last drop off. Time for reaching the festival site, lunch, refueling, accidents, breakdowns, or any other breaks in service shall not be subject to compensation.

Contact Information: The Village will require a valid 24-hour emergency telephone number of a company representative for use during the hours of operation of the Septemberfest festival. This company representative may be called upon to handle any potential problems encountered with the service during the events.

IFB Deliverables and Evaluation: IFB submittals shall include the items listed below. Evaluations of submittals received will be evaluated by a team of Village staff and will be based on the completeness of the bidder’s response. Interviews may be required as a part of this process.

· Total Cost – Submittals shall include a separate breakout of staffing/operational costs and anticipated fuel costs. Both fuel and staffing/operational costs shall then be totaled to one final Total Cost figure.

· Qualifications of the firm and the individuals assigned to the team.

· Experience with projects of similar size and scope.

· The name, address, and telephone number of the principal contact person for this contract.

· References – at least three required for project of similar size and scope, including company name, contact name and contact information.

· Verification of the number of employees available to fulfill the contract based on staffing requirements stated in the specifications and length of their employment at the firm.

· A Start-Up and Training Plan for the event service. An interview with the managing representatives for companies submitting a bid may be required as part of the decision process.

· Completeness of the bidder’s proposed Work Plan, including adherence to service standards detailed throughout the bid. Work Plan shall include methodologies to be used and any proposed changes to the Village’s task list.

· A sample Final Report that was completed for a project of similar size and scope.

· A copy of a previous Certificate of Insurance as evidence of coverage. A letter from the bidder’s agent indicating their ability to comply may be provided in lieu of the certificate. If awarded the contract, vendor will be required to submit a certificate naming the Village as additional insured for this event and provide written proof of endorsement.