Request For Proposal for Armed Security Services

The Western Reserve Transit Authority (WRTA) in Mahoning County, Ohio is soliciting proposals for armed and unarmed security services across four facilities: the bus terminal at 340 West Federal Street, administration offices and bus storage garage at 604 Mahoning Avenue, and a storage facility at 730 Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown. The contract term is one year (June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027) with four optional one-year renewal periods. Required security services include a dedicated on-site security supervisor (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) with minimum two years of documented supervisory experience, general security officers (Monday-Friday, 3:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, 4:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.), and an officer with arresting authority during peak activity hours. All security personnel must be armed, licensed, and uniformed, with responsibilities encompassing facility patrols, policy enforcement, incident reporting, video surveillance monitoring, and emergency response. Pricing is submitted on an hourly basis for three job classifications with separate overtime rates for Year 1 and optional Years 2 and 3, while Years 4 and 5 will be negotiated 120 days prior to contract expiration. The RFP was released March 16, 2026, with a non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting scheduled for March 25, 2026, a deadline for questions of March 31, 2026, and proposal submissions due April 27, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Evaluation criteria consist of 50 points for qualifications and experience, 35 points for references and service approach, and 15 points for cost proposal, with contract award anticipated by May 28, 2026 and potential interviews scheduled for May 11, 2026.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to particular types of organizations, nor does it identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors. All contractors must comply with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements, including drug-free workplace policies, substance abuse testing, background checks, and liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence, along with workers' compensation coverage. This is a federal-aided project subject to all FTA regulations and requirements. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the procurement documents; however, costs will be determined based on the hourly rates submitted by the selected contractor for the three job classifications and their proposed overtime rates. The contract award value will depend on the volume of hours required across the four facilities and the successful bidder's proposed pricing structure.