Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Stephen Farmer (Acting Director)
Department: Finance and Administrative Services Division: Purchasing
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO AWARD fixed contract to Matthews Bus Alliance, under the Florida Department of Transportation Contract No. TRIPS-22-CA-MB-LF-MBA, Standard Cutaway and Minibus Chassis Type Transit Vehicles, for the purchase of 61 Transit Minibuses for the Broward County Transportation Division, in the amount of $7,836,243, subject to the execution of a Participating Addendum, subject to review and approval for legal sufficiency by the County Attorney’s Office; and authorize the Director of Purchasing to execute the Participating Addendum.
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Why Action is Necessary
In accordance with Broward County Procurement Code Section 21.47(a), Award and Execution Authority, the Board shall make all awards, and authorize the execution of associated contracts, with a value of more than $500,000, inclusive of the value of any renewals or extensions provided in the contract.
In accordance with Broward County Procurement Code Section 21.27, Purchases from Other Government Contracts, the Director of Purchasing may purchase goods or services under any procurement contract held by a governmental agency or nonprofit entity, or the County may enter into its own contract with the vendor under the originating contract if (a) the Director of Purchasing determines the originating contract was competitively procured in accordance with generally accepted standards of public procurement; (b) the originating contract (as applicable) allows the County to purchase therefrom; and (c) the terms and conditions offered to the County by the vendor do not materially deviate from the terms and conditions of the originating contract.
What Action Accomplishes
Approves the purchase of 61 transit minibuses through the Florida Department of Transportation Contract and authorizes the Director of Purchasing to execute any required Participating Addendum, subject to review for legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney.
Goal Related Icon(s)
☐County Commission
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Previous Action Taken
None.
Summary Explanation/Background
THE PURCHASING DIVISION AND THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTION.
This item supports the Board Connected Community Goal, “Cooperatively delivering an efficient and accessible regional intermodal transportation network.”
The Office of Economic and Small Business Development (OESBD) did not establish County Business Enterprise (CBE) or Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Goal for this procurement (Exhibit 1).
The contract provides for the purchase of 61 paratransit vehicles (minibuses), utilizing the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Contract No. TRIPS-22-CA-MB-LF-MBA, Standard Cutaway and Minibus Chassis Type Transit Vehicles, for the Broward County Transportation Department (BCT). The contract allows “Florida Transit Agencies” to purchase buses; BCT obtained FDOT’s permission to utilize the contract (Exhibit 2).
The total amount for one bus, with the desired options, is $128,463 (Exhibit 3). The buses will be equipped to seat six passengers, in addition to two wheelchair capacity, lift equipped, air purification systems, security cameras and will be converted to operate on propane fuel. The new cutaway buses will replace the aging fleet of current buses (that have a useful life of five years or 200,000 miles) and ensure uninterrupted, safe, and convenient ridership service.
The Transit Research Inspection Procurement Service (TRIPS) issued Request for Proposal (RFP) No. TRIPS-22-CA-MB-LF-RFP, on June 21, 2022; the RFP opened on August 19, 2022. Five responses were received.
On July 18, 2023, FDOT awarded all five responding vendors a contract: ABC Bus Inc; Florida Transportation System, Inc.; Matthews Bus Alliance, Inc.; Model 1, Inc. (formerly Creative Bus Sales); and Nations Bus Corp. The contracts allow for five model years of production, with an option to extend for four years after the award of the initial model production year (Exhibit 4).
For this purchase, the order will be placed with Matthews Bus Alliance (Matthews), under Contract No. TRIPS-22-CA-MB-LF-MBA. A price analysis was performed between the cutaway buses offered by Matthews, and other vendors with a larger vehicle size and lower fuel efficiency, and it was concluded that the best price for the desired customization (including fuel efficiency and size) will be achieved by acquiring the buses from Matthews.
FDOT completed a price analysis prior to awarding the contract; the prices submitted by Matthews were determined to be fair, reasonable, and aligned with market analysis compared to other suppliers in the Marketplace (Exhibit 5).
Source of Additional Information
Robert Gleason, Director, Purchasing Division, (954) 357-6070
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
The source of funding for this project is Transportation Surtax funding in the amount of $7,836,243. The funds estimated for the current Fiscal Year are included in the current Fiscal Year budget.
Requisition No. MTD0012767