Computer-Aided Dispatch / Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) System Replacement

The City of Alexandria, Virginia is soliciting proposals on behalf of DASH (Dougherty Area Transit System) for a next-generation Computer-Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system replacement under RFP 2009, with sealed proposals due August 18, 2026 at 4 p.m., a pre-proposal conference scheduled for July 21, 2026 at 11 a.m. (virtual), and vendor questions due July 23, 2026 at 4 p.m.

The system must support real-time bus tracking, wayside displays, headway and schedule adherence monitoring, map and grid views, performance indicators, customizable reporting modules, incident management, historical playback, event-based alerts, and broadcast messaging across DASH's 115-vehicle fleet (114 revenue and 24 non-revenue vehicles). DASH operates twelve fixed-route bus services and the King Street Trolley serving over five million passengers annually. The procurement follows competitive negotiation methodology under Virginia Public Procurement Act.

The scope includes cloud-based or on-premise hosting, integration with existing Motorola radios, Clever Devices Mobile Data Terminals, Hella automatic passenger counters, and wayside systems (Luminator, TSI, TwinVision, Hanover signage). The contractor must deliver unlimited software licenses for each functional module, provide one year of implementation and warranty (included), and offer nine optional one-year renewal periods. Annual recurring costs must include software subscriptions, hosting/cloud services, maintenance and support, warranty, and cellular services. All solutions require enterprise site licensing for unlimited workstations and mobile devices, single sign-on with Active Directory or Azure AD integration, and two-factor authentication compatibility.

Offerors must demonstrate at least three transit-agency CAD/AVL deployments within the past five years, including at least one in the United States. Evaluation uses competitive scoring: Company Experience and Qualifications (15 points), Understanding and Approach / Requirements Capability (30 points), Innovation and Vision (10 points), Customer Support and Training (10 points), Work Plan and Timeline (10 points), References (10 points), and Cost Competitiveness (15 points). References require minimum of three with contract dollar amounts and current contact information; inaccurate or unreachable references will not be evaluated.

The project is federally funded through CMAQ (Project 7252516) and RSTP (Project 7252515) with Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation administration. DBE contract goal is zero percent; contractors are encouraged to pursue DBE participation. Contractors must comply with nondiscrimination statutes, Section 504, ADA, and flow-down requirements to subcontractors. The contract includes comprehensive security requirements: NIST SP 800-171 and CIS Controls alignment, encryption (128-bit symmetric minimum), OWASP Top Ten and CWE/SANS application security standards, 99% monthly uptime guarantee, and 24-hour breach notification. Data ownership remains with DASH with unrestricted, transferable, and irrevocable rights; DASH retains data for at least three years. Vendors must complete City of Alexandria Cloud Vendor Assessment Tools and comply with Information Technology Services Data Classification Policy and Security Controls requirements. Contractor must assume all implementation costs, configuration, testing, training, and remediation of acceptance-testing deficiencies at no additional cost. Termination rights include convenience (15 days' notice) and default (10 days to cure). Insurance requirements include workers' compensation (statutory), auto liability ($1,000,000 minimum), commercial general liability ($2,000,000 annual aggregate / $1,000,000 per occurrence), umbrella liability ($2,000,000), and cyber liability ($5,000,000 annual aggregate / $2,000,000 per occurrence).