Education transportation for youth in foster care

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, is procuring transportation services for youth in foster care through Request for Proposal No. 240000001592. The services are required across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties and will support K-12 students with open abuse/neglect foster care cases to remain in their school of origin. The selected contractor must provide safe, reliable transportation for approximately 150-200 children annually, fulfilling an estimated 10,000-12,000 rides per year, with guaranteed ride fulfillment within 24 hours when needed. Deliverables include development of a mobile-friendly application accessible to foster parents, relative caregivers, and foster care staff for requesting and tracking transportation; real-time visibility through integrated telematics and GPS tracking capabilities; case-by-case ride change notifications to all registered users; and comprehensive safety and performance data reporting. The contractor must employ only United States-based customer support and dispatch staff and is prohibited from subcontracting, meaning all vehicle operations, driver standards, insurance requirements, GPS oversight, and customer support functions must be directly managed. Contractors must submit proposals by April 17, 2024 at 11:50 a.m. Eastern Time, with an anticipated contract start date of August 1, 2024. Technical evaluation will assess the Statement of Work (75 points) and responses to the Vendor Questions Worksheet (25 points), with proposals scoring 80 or more points eligible for pricing evaluation. Pricing must be firm for the entire contract term with cost-per-ride pricing inclusive of all operating costs and clearly defined mileage rates, subject to adjustment only for documented cost changes with mutual agreement following a 30-day review period.

The RFP carries no specific set-asides for disadvantaged enterprises; however, Amendment 1 removed previously required Geographically Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (GDBE) subcontracting provisions, eliminating the mandate for contractors to award at least 20 percent of subcontracted work to Michigan-based entities. Since subcontracting is explicitly prohibited, contractors must operate as primary service providers with full responsibility for all operational elements. Required qualifications include commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, automobile liability insurance of $1,000,000, and a $5,000,000 umbrella policy; all personnel must pass background checks including national criminal databases and FBI fingerprint checks. Service level agreements impose $50 credits for cancelled or no-show transports and liquidated damages of $10,000 plus $333 per day for late or improper completion. Federal compliance requirements apply, including debarment and suspension certifications and Byrd Anti-Lobbying certifications for awards exceeding $100,000. No specific award value or budget range is published in the RFP documentation; pricing will be evaluated competitively based on cost-per-ride proposals submitted by qualified bidders meeting the technical and insurance requirements outlined in the solicitation.