The Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization for the Gainesville Urbanized Area (MTPO) is accepting proposals from qualified agencies or firms for the award of a contract to coordinate transportation services for the transportation disadvantaged in Alachua County, Florida. The selected contractor will be the designated Community Transportation Coordinator under Florida’s Transportation Disadvantaged Program, as authorized by Chapter 427, Florida Statutes, and more fully described in Chapter 41-2 of the Florida Administrative Code.

The Community Transportation Coordinator is defined by Chapter 427, Florida Statues, 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), F.S.

The complete Request for Proposals (RFP) may be obtained by writing the contact listed below, or by calling: Ms. Lynn Godfrey, Senior Planner at (352)955-2200, extension 110. Experience with mass transit, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services, and eligibility-based ridership transportation services is required.

A mandatory pre-proposal conference will be held Thursday, February 21, 2008, at the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council in Gainesville, Florida at 10:00 a.m., to answer questions about the RFP. Inquiries about this Request for Proposals must be made in person at the pre-proposal conference. Firms and agencies represented will have an opportunity to clarify any information contained in the request for proposals at the pre-proposal conference.

Proposals must be received by 3:00 p.m., Friday, May 2, 2008, at the office of the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization. Seven (7) copies of the proposal must be submitted to: MTPO, ATTENTION: Scott R. Koons, Chief Staff Official, 2009 N. W. 67 Place, Suite A, Gainesville, Florida 32653-1603. One of these copies must be a clean, single sided original that can be used to make additional copies. The outside of the envelope or box containing the proposal must be marked “PROPOSAL FOR ALACHUA COUNTY COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR.” Faxed and electronically mailed responses will not be accepted.

The MTPO will not accept responsibility for proposals that are not marked and submitted in this manner. Proposals are to remain in effect for ninety (90) calendar days from date of submission. The MTPO reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any formality concerning proposals or negotiate changes to the proposals whenever such rejection or waiver or negotiation is in the best interest of the State and transportation disadvantaged. Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.