REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 08-004 – OPERATING SERVICES FOR SFRTA’S SHUTTLE BUS SYSTEM

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), an agency of the State of Florida, operates Tri-Rail, a seventy-two (72) mile commuter rail service with eighteen (18) stations in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

THE PURPOSE of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to enter into an agreement with a qualified contractor to operate various shuttle bus routes to complement the Tri-Rail commuter rail service. Bus services will include fixed route shuttle service, emergency service, and additional as needed service. SFRTA currently contracts for 11 fixed shuttle service routes. The term of the agreement will be for a period of seven (7) years.

A REQUEST FOR DOCUMENTS should be directed to Mr. Robert Becker at SFRTA, 800 N. W. 33 Street, Pompano Beach, Florida 33064, (954)788-7909. The cost of the solicitation document is Fifty Dollars ($50.00) non-refundable. Checks or money orders made payable to SFRTA should be forwarded to Mr. Becker at the address above. Solicitation documents will be available on or about June 2, 2008.

A PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE will be held in the SFRTA Board Room at the address above on June 10, 2008, 10:00 a.m. The purpose of the meeting will be for SFRTA to respond to questions from document holders and clarify requirements in an open forum. Attendance is not mandatory but is recommended.

RECEIPT OF SEALED PROPOSALS: All proposals must be received as per the RFP instructions no later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), July 9, 2008, at the SFRTA office in Pompano Beach.

SFRTA reserves the right to postpone, accept, or reject any and all proposals in whole or in part. All Proposers must certify that they are not on the State of Florida Comptroller General’s List of Ineligible Bidders. All proposals shall remain in effect for One Hundred Eighty (180) days from the RFP submission due date.

DBE PARTICIPATION: SFRTA solicits and encourages Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation. DBEs will be afforded full consideration of their responses and will not be subject to discrimination.

CONE OF SILENCE:  Any verbal or written communications between any Proposer (potential or actual), or its representatives and any SFRTA Board Member, staff member, committee member, or consultant regarding this procurement are strictly prohibited from the date of the RFP advertisement through the date of execution of the contract. The only exceptions to this are: (1) written requests regarding information or clarification made to SFRTA’s designated contract specialist during the allowable time period under the solicitation; (2) any communications at a publicly noticed meeting of SFRTA; and (3) any communications with the SFRTA Director of Procurement. Any violation of the requirements set forth in this section shall constitute grounds for immediate and permanent disqualification of the Proposer/violator from participation in this procurement.

Christopher C. Bross, CPPO, FCPM

Director, Procurement