Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: George Tablack
Department: Finance and Administrative Services Division: Purchasing
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO APPROVE fixed contract to awarded vendor, Nations Bus Corp., under Florida Department of Transportation Contract No. TRIPS-22-CA-MB-LF-NBC, Standard Cutaway and Minibus Chassis Type Transit Vehicles, for the purchase of 40 Transit Minibuses, for the Broward County Transportation Department, in the amount of $4,818,320, including approved vehicle options, subject to execution of a Participating Addendum, if determined necessary and as reviewed for legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney; and authorize the Director of Purchasing to execute any such 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 County’s purchase of 40 transit minibuses through a 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
☐Go Green
☒MAP Broward
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’s Connected Community Goal, “Cooperatively delivering an efficient and accessible regional intermodal transportation network."
The Office of Economic and Small Business Development did not establish a County Business Enterprise or Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goal for this procurement (Exhibit 1).
The purpose of this contract is to purchase 40 transit minibuses utilizing Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Contract No. TRIPS-22-CA-MB-LF-NBC, Standard Cutaway and Minibus Chassis Type Transit Vehicles, for the Transportation Department. This contract establishes a statewide purchasing agreement intended for use by agencies within the State of Florida. Broward County Transportation Department (BCT) obtained approval to make purchases and utilize the contract from FDOT (Exhibit 2). The total cost per vehicle from Nations Bus Corp. is $120,458, which includes all necessary options required by the County (Exhibit 3). These vehicles will have six passenger seat and wheelchair capacity, lift-equipped, include security cameras, air purification system, and will be converted to operate on propane fuel. These minibuses will replace aging vehicles that are beyond their useful life of five years and/or 200,000 miles and to ensure continuity of operations, public safety, and convenient ridership.
The FDOT Contract No. TRIPS-22-CA-MB-LF-NBC, Standard Cutaway and Minibus Chassis Type Transit Vehicles, was competitively solicitated as a Request for Proposals (RFP) by Transit Research Inspection Procurement Service (TRIPS). TRIPS is a collaboration between FDOT’s Office of Freight, Logistics and Passenger Operations and the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation Research.
RFP No. TRIP-22-CA-MB-LF-RFP was issued on June 21, 2022, and publicly opened on August 19, 2022, with five responses received. The contract was awarded to Nations Bus Corp. on July 28, 2023, for five model years of production, with an option to extend for an additional one-year period upon request of FDOT and written agreement by Nations Bus Corp. (Exhibit 4). A cost analysis between the vehicle offered by Nations Bus Corp. and another vendor with a larger vehicle size with lower fuel efficiency confirmed that the best price for the desired customization (including fuel efficiency and size) was achieved by utilizing the Nations Bus Corp. contract.
FDOT pre-negotiated pricing, which represents an additional cost savings benefit for the County. Additionally, the Transportation Department has determined that this contract will allow the County the ability to take advantage of lower cost, available through competitive pricing based on large volume discounts and economies of scale, while reducing administrative costs of the project solicitation.
A price analysis was performed by FDOT prior to award and the prices submitted by Nations Bus Corp. were determined to be fair, reasonable, and aligned with market analysis for the industry (Exhibit 5).
Source of Additional Information
Robert E. 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 $4,818,320.
Requisition No. MTD0010159