Comprehensive Charter Transportation Services

Stockton Unified School District issued a Request for Proposal on May 7, 2026, for comprehensive charter transportation services utilizing school pupil activity buses (SPABs) to serve San Joaquin County and Santa Monica City jurisdictions. The District seeks qualified transportation providers to supply vehicles, drivers, and necessary personnel to safely transport students and District-designated individuals for field trips, extracurricular activities, athletic competitions, and other school-sponsored events on an as-needed basis. Deliverables include a fleet of properly equipped and compliant vehicles in sufficient quantity and capacity to accommodate varying trip types, group sizes, and scheduling requirements, with all services performed in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local transportation regulations. Proposers must demonstrate a minimum of five years' experience providing charter transportation services to public agencies, preferably K-12 school districts in California, and possess comprehensive knowledge of California Highway Patrol regulations, School Pupil Activity Bus requirements, driver certification standards, and safety inspection requirements. All drivers must hold valid California licenses, pass criminal background checks and fingerprint clearance, maintain satisfactory driving records, complete medical examinations and tuberculosis risk assessments, submit to drug and alcohol testing, and possess current School Pupil Activity Bus or School Bus certifications. Cost proposals must include line-item pricing for minimum trip charges, additional hours beyond five hours, additional mileage, standard trip packages (5, 6, 8, and 10-hour options), fleet pricing by bus type (56-passenger, 40-passenger, school bus, and 14-24 passenger buses), overnight driver fees, driver wait time, additional driver requirements, and pass-through costs for parking and tolls. Critical deadlines include a mandatory pre-proposal meeting on May 15, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. via Microsoft Teams, a question submission deadline of May 20, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., an addendum issuance by May 22, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., and a proposal due date of June 1, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. via the District's e-Procurement Portal.

The District intends to award one or more contracts with an initial three-year term and two optional one-year renewals, contingent upon satisfactory vendor performance and available funding, with pricing fixed for the initial contract period and any extensions. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions on organizational types are noted in the procurement documents, and no incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified. The District requires contractors to maintain workers' compensation insurance, commercial general liability insurance ($1,000,000 per occurrence), and automobile liability insurance ($5,000,000 per occurrence for charter transportation providers), with all insurance provided by California-admitted insurers rated A or better by A.M. Best Company and naming the District as additional insured. All Contractor employees with contact with minors under eighteen years of age must be fingerprinted by the Department of Justice and receive DOJ clearance certification prior to service provision. Contract services are contingent upon availability of federal funds, which the District anticipates will be the funding source, and the District reserves the right to cancel any contract with 30 days' written notice and to re-solicit services at any time. The specific award value or budget range is not disclosed in the procurement documents; compensation shall be determined based on the selected Contractor's proposal and detailed fee schedule, with monthly payment upon satisfactory completion of delivery and receipt of an approved invoice within thirty days of receipt.