Bus Transportation for UW Eau Claire Hosted Event - 2023 NCUR Conference

The University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is seeking bus transportation services for the 2023 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) through a Request for Bid (RFB) process. The procurement requires charter bus transportation for approximately 3,000 conference attendees across three days in April 2023, with specific routes connecting Downtown, North Campus, and Clairemont Mall locations. Transportation is needed for multiple shifts: Thursday and Friday will have three shifts totaling 9 hours each, while Saturday will have one shift totaling 3.5 hours. Mandatory qualifications for bidders include three years of charter busing experience, Federal Highway Administration Carrier Profile certification, ICC tariff authorization, and compliance with DOT and Wisconsin Administrative Code standards. Bidders must provide detailed pricing on an itemized basis, maintain specific insurance coverages ($1M commercial general liability, $2M automotive liability), and submit references from three comparable-sized institutions served within the past three to five years. The RFB was issued on September 28, 2022, with written questions due by October 5, 2022, and bid submissions required by October 13, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. CST. The awarded contractor must participate in a mandatory site visit within four weeks of contract award to review transportation logistics.

The procurement includes opportunities for various business classifications, with vendors required to self-identify as Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Work Centers (WC), Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (DVB), Woman-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE), or other small business categories under SBA criteria. Bidders must certify whether materials are manufactured substantially in the United States, in compliance with Wisconsin Statutes. The contract allows for subcontracting, provided all subcontractors meet minimum bid requirements and receive advance approval. While a specific total contract value is not explicitly stated, the bid documents indicate that only costs identified in the itemized list will be compensated. The procurement process emphasizes competitive pricing, with award to be made to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. Insurance requirements include worker's compensation coverage and commercial liability insurance, with the University to be listed as an additional insured party. Unique contract provisions include late penalties ranging from 10% to 75% of trip costs based on departure time delays and a potential vendor cancellation fee not to exceed $50 for cancellations made with less than 90 days' notice.