Shuttle-Tram partner for the Kentucky State Fair Board

The Kentucky State Fair Board (KSFB) is soliciting proposals through Request for Proposal (RFP) 235 2400000156 for a Shuttle-Tram Partner to provide buses, shuttles, and trams with operators for transporting customers, clients, and staff around KSFB-managed properties and other event venues. The procurement requires vendors to propose equipment in various sizes and capacities capable of operating on diverse terrains including grass, gravel, and public roads, with all vehicles mandatorily ADA-compliant, new or like-new condition, and equipped with weather protection. The KSFB anticipates approximately 5,000 hours of annual service and requires equipment capable of operating ten or more hours daily without overtime compensation, with operators appropriately scheduled to utilize straight-time rates only. Vendors must submit responses electronically through the Kentucky eProcurement System (Vendor Self Service portal) by 3:30 PM EST on January 29, 2024, with written vendor questions having been due by 2:00 PM EST on January 22, 2024 (responses provided January 24, 2024). Submissions must include a transmittal letter, technical proposal with a two-page executive summary limit, detailed equipment list with photographs (Attachment E), and separate cost proposal (Attachment C) excluding federal excise tax and Kentucky sales/use tax. Proposals are evaluated on a 1,000-point scale comprising technical criteria (600 points), which assess technical approach, equipment list, and value-added services, and cost criteria (400 points), which evaluate proposed hourly rental rates and sponsorship offerings. The initial contract term is one year from the award date with four optional one-year renewal periods, during which the KSFB reserves the right to renegotiate terms or decline to exercise renewals. Vendors must provide primary liability insurance with policy limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence naming the KSFB and lessee as additional insureds, and workers' compensation insurance at Kentucky statutory limits, with certificates of insurance due within 30 days of contract award and annually upon renewal.

There are no identified set-aside designations or restrictions limiting the types of organizations that can respond to this procurement based on disadvantaged enterprise status or other categorical restrictions. The incumbent contractor is Xtreme Transportation, which operated shuttle and bus services for the KSFB from 2021 through 2023 using Mercedes Sprinter and Freightliner buses with capacities ranging from 20 to 49 passengers, providing prospective vendors with a baseline operational reference. All vendors must commit to a minimum of $10,000 in in-kind bus, shuttle, or tram service to KSFB events including the Kentucky State Fair, North American International Livestock Exposition, and National Farm Machinery Show, with opportunities for permanent signage at Freedom Hall and Kentucky Exposition Center gates available for sponsorship investments exceeding $10,000. Foreign entities must provide a certificate of authority from the Kentucky Secretary of State or their proposals will be deemed non-responsive. Vendors must maintain current registration in the Kentucky Vendor Self Service portal and submit proposals that remain valid for a minimum of six months after the January 29, 2024 proposal due date. The RFP does not specify a disclosed award value or budget range; pricing is vendor-proposed based on hourly rental rates for each piece of equipment offered.