Charter Transportation Services for Solid Waste Tours

Pinellas County Solid Waste is seeking charter transportation services for educational tours of the Solid Waste Disposal Complex under ITQ, with proposals due October 6, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. via the OpenGov procurement portal. Pinellas County Certified Small Business Enterprises receive preference: those submitting within the first five business days receive priority consideration; those submitting after receive a five percent preference above open market pricing.

The scope covers charter buses, shuttles, vans, or other commercial passenger vehicles capable of safely traversing paved and unpaved landfill roads while providing accessible, comfortable learning environments. Tours are approximately 90 minutes long and serve Grade 3 and above students as well as adult groups. Vendors must submit pricing proposals for 12 line items spanning van/shuttle (up to 15 passengers), mini-bus (16–30 passengers), and charter bus (31–50 passengers) configurations in both non-wheelchair-accessible and wheelchair-accessible versions. Pricing must cover 2-hour minimum trips, hourly rates beyond the minimum in 30-minute increments, and cancellation charges.

The initial contract term is 12 months from award, with options to extend for two additional 12-month periods if all prices, terms, and conditions remain unchanged and are approved by the County Administrator. Vendors must provide current certificates of insurance including Workers' Compensation (if required by Florida law) and Business Automobile or Trucker's/Garage Liability with combined single limits of $1 million per accident, naming Pinellas County as an additional insured. Vendors must submit an inventory list of vehicles intended for use, including year, make, model, VIN, passenger capacity, and last annual inspection date, and update this list within five business days of any fleet changes. Following contract award, Pinellas County will coordinate a pre-commencement meeting and require an in-person demonstration with a test run of the SWDC route to verify vehicle capability.