Request for Qualifications for Paratransit Services for Chatham County

Chatham County, Georgia is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for ADA complementary paratransit services to identify qualified firms capable of providing transportation services for approximately 234 passenger trips per day across 855 customer IDs utilizing a fleet of approximately 40 buses. Proposers must demonstrate a minimum of three to five years of experience providing ADA paratransit or demand-response transportation services, with systems managing over 50,000 annual trips, and must provide evidence of proven compliance with ADA regulations (49 CFR Parts 37 and 38) and FTA requirements. Qualification proposals will be evaluated on experience and qualifications (40 points), ability to provide services (35 points), stability and local resources (10 points), and potential interviews or presentations (30 points), for a total of 115 possible points. Proposers must submit a minimum of three years of audited financial statements, references from comparable government or transit agencies, evidence of ADA-accessible fleet vehicles, and detailed descriptions of scheduling and dispatch systems, staffing and training procedures, and reporting capabilities. The procurement will be conducted in a three-step process beginning with acceptance and evaluation of qualification proposals to develop a shortlist of qualified firms, followed by technical proposals from shortlisted firms, and potentially concluding with interviews. A pre-qualification conference is scheduled for 10:00 A.M. on May 5, 2026, at the Purchasing and Contracting Office located at 1117 Eisenhower Drive, Suite C, Savannah, Georgia 31406, with qualification proposals due no later than 5:00 P.M. on May 21, 2026, through the County's procurement portal at https://chathamcountyga.bonfirehub.com/portal.

Chatham County has established goals for minority business enterprise (MBE) and women-owned business enterprise (WBE) participation, and proposers are required to identify any MBE/WBE firms involved in their submissions, including their specific duties and percentage or dollar amounts of work awarded. No fee proposals are requested at the qualification stage, and no specific award values or budget ranges are disclosed in the RFQ documentation. The RFQ does not identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors, nor does it reference any existing infrastructure or technology requiring integration. Chatham County reserves the right to reject any or all submissions if deemed contrary to its best interests and assumes no responsibility for costs associated with proposal preparation. All respondents must completely review the entire RFQ and follow instructions carefully, with the County retaining discretion to waive technicalities and informalities as needed throughout the procurement process.