Consulting Services - Comprehensive Operations Analysis for SUNTRANScope of Work -

The City of Ocala/SunTran (RFP# SUN260384) is procuring consulting services to develop a Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) for its public transit system. The procurement is structured as a fixed-price consulting engagement with evaluation on a best-value basis, weighted more heavily toward qualifications and functionality than price. The consultant will conduct extensive data collection and analysis including field surveys of all bus routes, statistically significant on-board and stop-by-stop rider surveys for weekday and weekend operations, interviews with SunTran personnel across all operational departments, and detailed analysis of operational characteristics including planning, scheduling, dispatching, maintenance, and staffing levels. Key deliverables include short-term and mid-range service recommendations designed to improve efficiency and modernize the route network, a comprehensive feasibility study evaluating the costs, risks, and organizational impacts of transitioning transit operations and maintenance from the current contracting model to in-house delivery, performance standards and policies, market assessments, and a final comprehensive report with executive summary and presentation materials. The project must be completed within nine months from the kick-off meeting, with a resulting contract term of two years. Minimum qualifications require proposing firms to demonstrate at least seven years of experience developing comparable COA studies for governmental transit agencies and completion of at least three directly comparable projects with documented staff expertise. Evaluation criteria allocate 40 points for experience and qualifications, 40 points for project understanding and methodology, and 20 points for price proposal. Questions must be submitted by February 17, 2026, with proposals due by March 17, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. EST via the City of Ocala's e-procurement portal, with no pre-proposal conference scheduled.

The procurement encourages participation from minority-owned, women-owned, and small disadvantaged businesses, with a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) utilization goal of 2.55% that applies to all subcontractors at every tier. Prime contractors must either declare no subcontract work, commit to the minimum 2.55% DBE utilization, or demonstrate good faith efforts to meet the goal through documentation of quotes and outreach to certified DBEs. Certified DBEs must be registered through the Unified Certification Program to qualify for DBE credit. The contract is subject to federal funding through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and includes mandatory federal clauses requiring compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity provisions, Title VI Civil Rights Act requirements, Clean Air and Water Act adherence, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, and program fraud prohibitions. Professional liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per claim is required, along with commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, with these insurance requirements to be maintained for five years from acceptance of work. The City does not qualify for local consultant preference under its ordinances. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the available procurement documents; however, the consultant must provide a detailed cost breakdown by task as specified in the RFP and Exhibit A.