Microtransit, Paratransit and Turnkey Transportation Services
Open State & local contract opportunity Posted
- Solicitation number
- 2026-RFP -3
- State
- Ohio
- Responses due
Opportunity facts
- Jurisdiction
- NIGP codes
- Point of contact
-
- Michelle Robinson micheller@neoride.org (330) 819-4166
Opportunity details come from procurement.opengov.com. Updated .
About this opportunity
NEORide, a Regional Council of Governments representing over 45 transit agencies across 13 states, is requesting proposals for a Mobility Platform (SaaS) and Turnkey Microtransit, Paratransit, and Transportation Services, with proposals due November 20, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. EST and the question deadline October 23, 2026. NEORide intends to select up to two vendors. Disadvantaged business enterprises are afforded full opportunity to submit proposals under Ohio's competitive procurement regulations.
The scope encompasses a Software-as-a-Service mobility platform supporting demand-response, microtransit, and ADA paratransit services, with rider and vehicle applications, central dispatch and administration, trip booking and scheduling, reporting, billing, and integrations with EZFare, GTFS Flex, and EZConnect. The platform must achieve 99.95% system availability, support 24/7 assistance for high-priority incidents, and provide disaster recovery with one-hour recovery time objectives and geographic redundancy. Turnkey operational services include vehicle fleet provision (agency-provided, contractor-provided, or mixed), operator sourcing and training, dispatch and scheduling, facilities, customer service, and performance reporting across 12 participating agencies in Ohio, Kentucky, Iowa, West Virginia, Michigan, and Indiana. The turnkey evaluation assumes 30 total vehicles (18 standard and 12 wheelchair-accessible), one facility, and 150,000 annual passenger trips across 250 operating days covering a 75-square-mile zone with 90 percent pickup target within 20 minutes. Operators must achieve 90 percent on-time performance and maintain annual staffing turnover under 35 percent. Contractors must maintain cyber-liability coverage of at least $5 million and comprehensive insurance per the Master Service Agreement.
The contract term is three years commencing in 2027, with up to two one-year renewal options. NEORide retains sole renewal authority. Pricing must cover one-time implementation costs, recurring platform charges by vehicle tier (1–100 through 601+ active vehicles), turnkey start-up costs, and operating rates with annual escalation identified by vendor (capped at the lesser of 3% or the USA Consumer Price Index average). Evaluation criteria allocate 35 points for Mobility Platform capability, 15 points for Turnkey Services, 10 points for implementation and support, and 30 points for pricing, plus 10 additional points for a demonstration phase. Services are funded through a 1% administrative fee on actual contractor sales to participating agencies. Billing flows directly between contractors and customer agencies; NEORide incurs no liability for unpaid accounts. All contracts are subject to approvals by the Ohio Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Transportation and are governed by Ohio law.
Opportunity text
NEORide is seeking proposals for a Microtransit, Paratransit and Turnkey Transportation Services. The scope of work/specifications is outlined in the Request for Proposal (RFP). The successful Proposer shall meet the terms and conditions set forth in this document and all other attachments.
All interested contractors must register as detailed in the solicitation. All questions should be submitted electronically via the Portal's Question and Answer (Q & A) tab.
All proposals must be received electronically on or before Friday, November 20, 2026 at 4:00 pm (EST) via the Portal
The right is reserved to accept any proposal/bid or any part or parts thereof or to reject any and all proposals/bids. Acceptance of any proposal/bid is subject to concurrence by the Ohio Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Transportation.
Any contract resulting from these proposals may be subject to financial assistance contract between NEORide, its partner agencies and the United States Department of Transportation and the Ohio Department of Transportation. Agreements are established through free, full, and open competition as described by the laws of the State of Ohio and are available for other NEORide entities anywhere in the United States, subject to each entity's jurisdictional law and regulation. A Master Service Agreement will be developed with NEORide (a sample MSA can be found as attachment A). NEORide or its partner agencies wishing to utilize the contract will complete a partnership agreement (a sample partnership agreement can be round as attachment G) accepting the terms and pricing of the master service agreement. Billing can be done either directly to the NEORide agencies or to NEORide itself depending on the terms of the agreement.
- NEORide hereby notifies all proposers that, regarding any contract entered into pursuant to this RFP, advertisement or solicitation, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals in response and will not be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex or national origin in consideration for an award.
Purchasing Procedures:
- Agreements are established through free, full, and open competition as described by the laws of the State of Ohio and are available as a cooperative agreement for other NEORide members anywhere in the United States, subject to each entity's jurisdictional law and regulation. Purchase orders or participation agreements are issued by participating governmental entities directly to the Vendor or vendor-assigned dealer. A copy of the purchase orders or participation agreement are sent to NEORide offices where they are reviewed by NEORide staff and forwarded to the Vendor. In some instances, the entity may send the purchase orders or equivalent directly to the vendor and report the purchase to NEORide.
- Note: It is always the vendor's responsibility to report all sales under the agreement to NEORide.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Microtransit,_Paratransit_and_Turnkey_Transportation_Services.pdf | ||
| NEORide_SaaS_Requirements.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| NEORide_Tunkey_Service_Price_Sheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| NEORide_microtransit_turnkey_Requirements.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| NEORide_Mobility_Platform_and_Turnkey_SOW.pdf | ||
| Sample_Participation_Agreement.pdf | ||
| NEORide_SaaS_price_sheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Sample_MSA_.pdf |
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