Notice of Bid/Request for Proposal

OTHER AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
DeSoto County Community Services Department
REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR DESOTO COUNTY COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR

The DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners, as the Designated Official Planning Agency, is seeking Letters of Interest from qualified agencies or firms interested in coordinating transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged in DeSoto County, Florida. The selected contractor will be designated as the Community Transportation Coordinator for the Transportation Disadvantaged program, as authorized by Chapter 427, Florida Statutes, and more fully described in Rule 41-2, Florida Administrative Code.

The Community Transportation Coordinator is defined by Chapter 427, Florida Statutes, as a transportation entity recommended by the appropriate designated official planning agency to ensure that coordinated transportation services are provided to the transportation disadvantaged population in a designated service area. The Community Transportation Coordinator has full responsibility for the delivery of transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged as outlined in Section 427.015(2), Florida Statutes.

Interested providers are required to provide capabilities in the areas of experience with mass transit, Americans with Disabilities paratransit services, operations of coordinated services and eligibility-based ridership transportation services.  Selection of potential providers will be based on a ranking of their expertise, overall capabilities, recent experience in similar programs and proposed methods of achieving cost-effective services. Letters of interest and qualifications should be limited to a maximum of eight (8) pages.

Potential providers should submit a copy of their expression of interest in a sealed envelope to: Community Services Department, 201 E. Oak Street, Suite 202, Arcadia, Florida 34266. Letters and envelopes must be marked, “LETTER OF INTEREST FOR DESOTO COUNTY COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR.” Letters of interest must be received by 3:00 p.m., December 26, 2007. Questions should be addressed to: Paul Erickson.

Faxed or e-mailed letters of interest will not be accepted. Late letters will be returned unopened. Only responses to the request for letters of interest will be considered if a request for proposals is issued for the Community Transportation Coordinator. The DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners, as the Designated Official Planning Agency, reserves the right to accept or reject any and all responses in the best interest of the State.