Transportation Routing System

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is requesting proposals for a comprehensive transportation routing system to replace its current MapNet platform, with proposals due August 31, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. and questions due August 3, 2026. MBE attestation is required; no set-aside or participation goal is specified in the RFP summary, but vendors must complete an MBE attestation form as part of submission.

The scope is a system of record for student transportation routing serving approximately 1,500 buses and more than 156,000 students across MCPS's Division of Transportation Services. The solution must support routing for general education, special education, vocational, magnet, out-of-district, McKinney-Vento, and mainstreamed students. Technical requirements span 171 items organized into routing, mapping, GIS, implementation, reporting, field trip management, parent applications, GPS integration, student tracking, data conversion, and security. Integration is required with Synergy (Student Information System), TIMS (Transportation Information Module), FASTER Web (Fleet Management), and third-party applications. Critical capabilities include hazard-aware GIS routing, role-based access controls, automated route optimization, parent and school portals, bus-mounted tablet functionality, and field trip management. Data conversion from MapNet must include at least one test conversion before production cutover. Vendors must provide SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, FERPA compliance, encryption (TLS 1.2 or higher), multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and a 99.9% uptime SLA (99.95% during peak periods) with one-hour response time for critical issues.

The initial contract term is two years with options for MCPS to extend for up to three additional one-year terms at existing prices. Anticipated award is October/November 2026. Pricing must cover at least fifteen named users and three hundred web users and include total cost of ownership for the initial term and each renewal year; subscription (SaaS), perpetual license, hybrid, or alternative models are permitted. Vendors must provide five comparable school-district references, current client lists, annual fiscal reports, and Equal Opportunities and Non-Debarment certifications. MCPS retains all data ownership and intellectual property rights; vendors are prohibited from using MCPS data to train AI systems without express written consent. Standard MCPS contract terms apply, including $5,000,000 cyber and data breach liability coverage, termination for convenience with ten business days' notice, and data breach notification within twenty-four hours.