Purchasing School Buses

The Town of Voluntown, Connecticut, located in Tolland County, has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 1-2025B for the procurement of school buses. The solicitation seeks proposals for two distinct configurations: five 77-passenger Blue Bird school buses available in either propane or gasoline engine variants, and three 41-passenger Blue Bird school buses also available in propane or gasoline engine options. The RFP opened on January 14, 2025, at 2:00 PM EST and will close on January 31, 2025, at 12:00 PM EST, with all bids required to be submitted in person to Darlena Loranger at the Central Office located at 195 Main Street, Voluntown, CT 06384. Vendors interested in the opportunity can direct any questions to Darlene Loranger via phone at 860-376-9167 or email at dloranger@voluntownct.org. The procurement appears to be a standard competitive bidding process with no specified evaluation criteria or technical requirements beyond the bus configuration and engine type specifications.

No specific set-aside designations, disadvantaged enterprise requirements, or restrictions on vendor participation were identified in the available documentation. The RFP does not indicate any preferences for local or small businesses, nor does it outline any incumbent vendors or existing contractual relationships. Additionally, the solicitation documents do not provide an estimated total value for the contract or specify a budget range for the school bus procurement. The RFP is open to all vendors and does not outline any specific integration requirements with existing infrastructure or technology. Potential bidders will be submitting proposals for brand new Blue Bird school buses with the option to provide either propane or gasoline engine models in two different passenger configurations, suggesting a straightforward procurement process focused on expanding or replacing the current school bus fleet.