Diesel Exhaust Fluid For METRO's Transit Buses

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) is issuing an Invitation for Bids (IFB) for the purchase and delivery of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to support its transit bus fleet operations. METRO seeks to procure up to 375,000 gallons of DEF annually over a three-year contract period, with bulk deliveries required to five designated bus operating facilities in the Houston area: Kashmere, West, Polk, Fallbrook, and Hiram Clarke. The DEF must be delivered within twenty-four hours of order placement to fill METRO's 330-gallon totes and 500-gallon stationary tanks during business hours between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding METRO holidays. All supplied DEF must meet or exceed CUMMINS, ISO 22241-1, and AUS32 specifications with precise chemical composition requirements, including urea content of 31.8-33.2 percent by weight and specific maximum allowances for contaminants such as biuret, aldehydes, and various metals. Bidders must submit pricing as firm fixed unit prices for each of the three contract years with potential price adjustments in subsequent years based on published price lists or the Producer Price Index. Electronic submissions are required through METRO's EUNA (Bonfire) procurement system with one original hardcopy delivered to the METRO Procurement Office at 1900 Main Street, 8th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002. The bid submission deadline is 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on February 18, 2026, with a public bid opening scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time on March 5, 2026, and contract award is contingent upon approval by the METRO Board of Directors.

This procurement carries no small business set-aside designations, though METRO encourages small business participation and has not established a small business participation goal. The solicitation is 100% federally funded, and METRO is exempt from federal excise and Texas sales taxes, which shall not be included in bid prices. There are no identified incumbent vendors or current contractors specified in the available documentation. The contractor will be selected as the responsive responsible bidder whose bid conforms to solicitation requirements, with METRO reserving the right to award multiple contracts and reject any or all bids. The contractor is responsible for all spills and damages caused by its employees and must provide F.O.B. destination pricing with no minimum order requirements, while compensation is based on actual orders placed and accepted with payment due within thirty days of invoice receipt or acceptance of materials. Although a specific budget range is not explicitly stated, the contract value is directly tied to actual DEF orders placed by METRO across the three-year period, with potential for significant revenue based on the annual volume of up to 375,000 gallons and the multi-year contract structure.