School Bus and Automotive Parts, Supplies and Related Services for Indiana School Districts

The Educational Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (ECPA), in conjunction with the Central Indiana Educational Service Center (CIESC), is soliciting competitive sealed proposals to establish a statewide cooperative purchasing contract for school bus and automotive parts, supplies, and related services for K-12 school districts across Indiana, with proposals due November 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Questions are due October 23, 2026 and responses to questions will be issued by October 28, 2026.

The solicitation encompasses 17 product and service categories including preventative maintenance, filters, brakes, air systems, electrical and starting systems, lighting and safety equipment, steering and suspension, engine and drivetrain, cooling and HVAC, bus body and door components, passenger compartment supplies, special needs and accessibility equipment, automotive and light-duty truck parts, medium and heavy-duty truck parts, fluids and lubricants, shop and fleet supplies, remanufactured components, and OEM and OE-equivalent parts. Vendors may propose on one, several, or all categories. ECPA reserves the right to make multiple awards by category, manufacturer, geography, or service capability. Pricing must be transparent and based on published catalogs, manufacturer price lists, or electronic catalogs, exclude state sales tax and federal excise tax, and include a clear price-change methodology; ECPA prefers firm discounts or markups tied to catalog price changes. Vendors must complete a pricing workbook covering the top 75 items sold to similar public agencies and demonstrate compliance with E-Verify participation, debarment certifications, non-collusion affidavits, and insurance requirements (workers' compensation; professional liability with $1,000,000 minimum limits; and commercial general liability with $1,000,000 minimum limits).

The initial contract term is three years, with ECPA reserving the right to renew for two additional one-year terms with mutual agreement and price adjustments tied to the Producer Price Index or mutually agreed industry indices with 60-day advance notice. No minimum purchase volume, market share, or exclusivity is guaranteed. Successful vendors must pay ECPA an administrative fee of 1.5% of all sales and provide quarterly reports on quantities and sales dollars. Evaluation criteria assign 40 points to cost and pricing structure, 20 points to product breadth and quality, 15 points to distribution and delivery, 10 points each to customer support and warranties and vendor experience and qualifications, and 5 points to contract implementation and value-adds. Public proposal opening will occur via Zoom on November 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET; evaluation runs through December 4, 2026, with Board approval scheduled for December 9, 2026.