SEAT is looking for bids regarding transit management services for FY2020.

View PDF for RFP

FAQ’s

Questions regarding the Request for Proposal for Transit Management Services.  Questions in black answers are in red:

• On Page 2 the RFP states “SEAT also requests firms to propose designated employees for the positions of Assistant General Manager for Bus Operations/Scheduling and Assistant General manager for Capital Projects/Maintenance as options that SEAT could elect to contract for, providing the same information requested for the General Manager position including additional fee for each of these positions over the five-year engagement and potential two three-year optional extension.”

If these are “options that SEAT could elect to contract for…”, does SEAT expect to exercise these options effective January 1, 2020?  If not, we request that the requirement for “…the same information requested for the General Manager…” be waived for the initial submission, and only be required at such time when SEAT wishes to exercise this option.

We are amenable to you not supplying the detail associated with what we are requesting for the GM position but would ask that you provide us your proposed fee for each of the two Assistant General Manager positions over the five-year engagement and optional extensions.  Since you may not know which individuals you would slot into these positions, you may submit a proposed range of fees for the two optional Assistant General Management positions.  

• On page 3, Item 2 and 4, Item 10 and 11, unless SEAT wishes to exercise the options of two Assistant General Managers, we request the requirement to name the individuals, resume and additional fees for the individuals proposed for these positions be waived until such time as SEAT wishes to exercise one or both of these options.  Similar language is in our current Management Agreement with SEAT.  

Again, we will not require you to name the individuals/supply resumes for those persons you would assign to the optional Assistant General Manager positions.

• If details about the Assistant General Manager positions continue to be required, we request additional information on these positions.  On Page 3 the RFP states “The two proposed optional Assistant General Managers will possess comparable experience and skills.” What is meant by “comparable” experience as the General Manager? We would ask that the 10-year experience be waived or reduced and that a more detailed description of the duties of theses positions along with any experience requirement be provided.  

Comparable experience and skills should be possessed by the Assistant General managers means that they should be well versed in all aspects of public transit administration, finance, operations and maintenance as is required of the individual assigned to the General Manager position.  The individuals you would place in those positions would be able to assist/support/take the place of the GM in carrying out the scope of services listed on page 2 of the RFP. SEAT requests these individuals have at least ten (10) years of experience and elects to not waive or reduce this requirement.  

• On Page 3, Item 6 the RFP states: “Proposed Transit Management Plan…including implementation of recommended service plan in SEAT’s 2015 Comprehensive Operational Analysis…”

It is our understanding that this plan will be amended by the on-going Joint Land Use Study for the Electric Boat/USN Subbase expansion.  It is difficult to develop an implementation plan for an incomplete document. We would suggest this language be modified to require the successful firm to prepare in implementation plan once the revised COA is complete.  

The 2015 Comprehensive Operational Analysis has been adopted by the SEAT Board of Directors and is still considered the Board’s plan of action should funding become available.  It is not clear that it will be amended, and if so, not drastically amended, by the JLUS Implementation project. While some additional new projections concerning employment and location of residence at Electric Boat might result in some minor tweaks to the endorsed plan (Cost Neutral Plan B), firms submitting proposals are still requested to provide a transit management plan that is informed by the 2015 COA.