Transportation-elderly services

The City of New Haven, Connecticut, Department of Elderly Services is seeking proposals through a Request for Proposal (RFP) to provide daily transportation services for ambulatory and special needs senior citizens to and from three senior centers (Atwater, Dixwell/Newhallville, and East Shore) and citywide special trips throughout the year. The procurement requires contractors to operate three buses on a daily basis with morning drop-off no later than 9:30 a.m. and afternoon pickup at 3:00 p.m., with maximum ride duration of 30 minutes one-way, accommodating 35-50 ambulatory riders and 15 special needs riders daily, plus special trip capacity up to 238 ambulatory and 26 special needs riders. Vehicles must accommodate walkers, wheelchairs, and scooters and meet Connecticut State safety and roadworthiness requirements. Drivers must be bonded with documented experience working with elderly and special needs populations. The contractor must provide monthly ridership reporting and immediately notify the Department of Elderly Services of accidents or emergencies. The RFP specifies an initial contract term of one year with two optional one-year renewal periods subject to the Purchasing Agent's approval. Evaluation will be conducted using a pass/fail compliance and safety criterion, technical and operational capability weighted at 60 percent, and cost proposal weighted at 40 percent, with cost scoring using a "Reward Low Cost" methodology where the lowest proposal receives maximum points and others receive proportional points based on cost ratio. Questions must be submitted by March 11, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., and proposals are due electronically through the City's eProcurement Portal by March 24, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Pricing must be submitted separately from the technical proposal and include transparent daily per-bus rates and itemized special trip pricing covering all costs for labor, permits, licenses, equipment, fuel, tolls, and parking fees.

The contract incorporates American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding derived from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund program, with all expenditures required between March 3, 2021, and December 31, 2026, and indirect costs capped at 10 percent of the total awarded amount. The City of New Haven reserves the right to reject all proposals or cancel the project at any time, with no purchase order resulting in no payment. Contractors must comply with anti-kickback regulations, equal employment opportunity requirements under federal executive orders and Connecticut state law, prevailing wage standards, nondiscrimination provisions, and federal regulations including 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Guidance. For contracts involving covered services, the City mandates affirmative action in recruiting minority and women-owned business enterprises for subcontracting opportunities. Insurance requirements include general liability ($1 million per occurrence/$2 million aggregate), auto liability ($5 million combined single limit), and excess/umbrella liability ($20 million limits), with the City named as additional insured and waiver of subrogation. Contractors must register with SAM.gov and maintain detailed records until December 31, 2031, subject to City monitoring and audit rights. The City retains the unilateral right to terminate the agreement for any reason upon twenty-one days' written notice and may audit contractor records during the contract term and for twelve months following termination. While no specific award value is disclosed in the RFP documentation, the contract is structured as a fixed maximum amount with monthly payments upon submission of invoices certified by the contractor and approved by the City, with compensation constituting full payment for all costs and no direct cost reimbursements permitted outside the specified amount.