CAT Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)

The City of Charlottesville's Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) Department is requesting proposals for a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD)/Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system and related Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) components under RFP 27-17, with proposals due November 2, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. The procurement must comply with Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements and is anticipated to be funded in whole or in part by Federal Transit Administration funds.

The scope is a cloud-based, turnkey ITS solution to support dispatch, on-board operator knowledge, and system performance reporting across CAT's existing fleet of 47 vehicles (40 fixed-route transit buses and 7 fixed-route body-on-chassis vehicles). Required components include CAD/AVL functionality, Automated Vehicle Announcements (AVA), Real-Time General Transit Feed Specifications (GTFS-RT), a scheduling/GTFS manager, and infotainment with public mobile access and passenger information capabilities. Offerors may propose individual components or an integrated solution. Pricing must reflect all costs including initial system and equipment, installation, integration, configuration, testing, training, software licensing and hosting, ongoing maintenance and support, warranty coverage, and hourly rates for additional services.

The contract term is one year beginning upon system acceptance following a six-week testing period post-go-live, with options to renew for up to four additional one-year terms if agreed upon in writing. The City encourages participation by small businesses, women-owned businesses, minority-owned businesses, micro businesses, employment services organizations, and veteran-owned businesses through subcontracting arrangements. Evaluation criteria are proposed systems and technical approach (35 percent), qualifications and experience (25 percent), implementation and project management plan (20 percent), and proposed price and payment terms (20 percent). Proposals must be submitted electronically through the City's OpenGov portal. No pre-proposal conference will be held. Offerors must provide proof of no active exclusions from the System for Award Management (SAM).