2026-2027 Charter Bus Service

SOUTH COLONIE CENTRAL SCHOOLS
102 Loralee Drive
Albany, New York 12205
INVITATION FOR QUOTATIONS TO PROVIDE CHARTER BUS SERVICE
FOR 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR
The South Colonie Central School District invites you to submit sealed proposals for Charter Bus Service
as described in the attached specifications. Quotations will be received at the District office, 102 Loralee
Drive, Albany, NY 12205, until 11:00 AM on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
INSTRUCTIONS AND GENERAL CONDITIONS
Two copies of each proposal are to be submitted in a sealed
envelope, plainly marked on the outside, "Charter Bus Service Criteria for award:
Proposal". Proposals submitted by mail may be addressed to Although the estimated fees submitted are an essential part of the
Anjelieeque Martinez, Business Administrator/District Treasurer, proposal, the Board is not obligated by operation of any statute or
102 Loralee Drive, Albany, NY 12205. Any persons submitting regulation to award contract on the sole basis of the lowest cost
proposals by mail must assume the risk of any delay in the mail or quotation. Factors such as experience in transporting students,
in the handling of mail by employees of the school district. All safety history, and financial stability will also be taken into
proposals received after the designated time will be returned account, along with the experience of the provider in handling
unopened. similar accounts.
All proposals will be opened at the time stated above by the Requests for additional information concerning present practices,
Business Administrator/District Treasurer or a representative. experience data, or any other information shall be directed to the
Persons submitting proposals may attend and may examine the office of the Business Administrator/District Treasurer.
proposals received at the time and place of proposal opening. The
identity of those responding to such offer will be publicly Should anyone proposing a quotation be in doubt as to the meaning
disclosed. No discussion of the proposals will be permitted at that of any provision in the instructions or specifications, or find that
time. information essential to the quotation has been omitted, they shall
notify the Business Administrator/District Treasurer, who will
All proposals shall be irrevocable for a period of thirty (30) days endeavor to issue clarification by an addendum to all who have
from the date of proposal opening. The only alterations that will taken sets of proposal forms. Any such addendum shall be binding
be allowed in a proposal after the opening are those, which may be on all quotations.
caused by rate changes or similar circumstances beyond the control
of the agent submitting a proposal. Such alterations must be made Cancellation Clause:
in writing.
All providers agree that they will give at least ninety (90) days'
The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any and all prior notice by certified mail, addressed to Anjelieeque Martinez,
quotations. If contracts are awarded, they will be awarded to the Business Administrator/District Treasurer, of any cancellation, of
provider whose quotations and services, in the opinion of the this agreement. It should be clearly understood, however, that the
Board of Education, best serve the interests of the District. Board of Education reserves the right on its own behalf and/or
behalf of any future Board of Education, to rescind this policy or to
Upon award by the Board of Education, this RFP in its entirety modify it in any fashion for whatever reason or reasons it or any
except as noted on the bidder's proposal will become a binding future Board of Education may deem necessary. Nothing herein
agreement between the school district and the provider. Therefore, contained shall prohibit or restrict the Board of Education from
your proposal must clearly delineate any exceptions or conditions canceling any contract at the end of any contract year.
to the services as set forth in the provisions of this RFP.
Anjelieeque Martinez
All quotations shall be complete and prepared in accordance with Business Administrator/District Treasurer
the attached instructions and specifications in order to receive
consideration. Do not submit incomplete proposals except where
specifically requested or permitted. Any alternate proposal should
be clearly marked as such.
A properly completed Non-collusive bidding certification must be
included with each bid as required by General Municipal Law,
Section 103.d. The enclosed form, "Bid Proposal Certification," Attachments
meets the requirement.
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SOUTH COLONIE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR
CHARTER BUS SERVICES
2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
South Colonie Central School District is located in Albany County. Enrollment is approximately
4,800 students.
The district is comprised of five (5) elementary schools, two (2) middle schools and one (1) high
school.
The majority of the trips our students take are handled in or through the district's Transportation
Department. The intent of this Request for Proposal is to assign charter service transportation for
trips when the school Transportation Department cannot fulfill the request. These trips consist of the
following, but are not limited to:
1. Trips to Boston, New York City, or other distant cities
2. Ski trips
3. Building trips, i.e. end-of-year trips
4. Zoo and museum trips
5. Sports
II. SCOPE OF SERVICE
The District wishes to contract with one or more charter bus companies to provide the following
services:
Provide charter bus service for any and all requested trips, which include scheduling and all services
as they relate to trips. This RFP does not include any transportation of students, which would
normally be covered under New York State Private Transportation Contract Criteria, from home to
school, or from school to home.
Any Charter Bus Company awarded this contract will provide:
Vehicles
1. All buses must have cellular phone capabilities.
2. On all trips having a one-way travel time of more than one hour or that require a 55-
seat coach, said coach must be equipped with air conditioning and bathroom.
3. The designated vehicle will be available, prior to student boarding, for inspection by
an authorized district employee.
4. The successful bidder's fleet must have a NYS DOT pass rate of 90% or greater
for the most recent time period. Each bus being used on a trip must have passed
a complete mechanical inspection within the previous 6 months.
5. A copy of the annual inspection report, including age of vehicles, must be given to
the school district Transportation Department upon the award of this bid.
6. The carrier must be authorized for interstate service by the ICC.
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7. The successful bidder must comply fully with the maintenance rules and regulations
promulgated by the New York State Department of Transportation. The failure of the
successful bidder to fully abide by the maintenance rules and regulations of the New
York State Department of Transportation shall be a material breach and shall result in
termination of the contract and, if applicable, an assessment of damages against the
successful bidder.
8. The successful bidder must fully comply with the guidelines and requirements issued
by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with respect to the operation, maintenance
and cleaning of the vehicles. CDC guidelines are attached as an addendum to this
document and are incorporated herein by reference.
Drivers
1. All drivers must be certified pursuant to Article 19-A of the New York State Vehicle
and Traffic Law (School Bus Driver certification) and must meet all other applicable
New York State & Federal regulations. The successful bidder shall furnish the
District with the driving history of all employees selected to operate a vehicle. The
most recent Department of Motor Vehicles "Affidavit of Compliance" along with the
most recent "Abstract of Driving Record" for each driver must be submitted with this
proposal. The most recent Affidavit and Abstract must be dated within two months
of the submitted proposal.
2. Drivers must adhere to U.S. Department of Transportation regulation 395.10, which
restricts a driver's actual on-the-road time.
3. 24 to 48 hours prior to a scheduled trip, the successful bidder must provide the
driver's abstract from the Department of Motor Vehicles for the selected driver. An
alternate driver's abstract must be provided in case the scheduled driver is unable to
make the trip.
4. Drivers must be fingerprinted and a criminal background check must be completed
within two months of a driving assignment.
5. All drivers shall be at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
6. Failure to abide by any of the terms of this section of the bid, relating to drivers, shall
be a material breach which shall result in the termination of the contract and, if
applicable, an assessment of damages against the successful bidder.
Insurance
1. Notwithstanding any terms, conditions or provisions, in any other writing between the
parties, the successful bidder shall name the school district as an unrestricted additional
insured on a primary and non-contributory basis, on the successful bidder's insurance
policies, with the exception of workers' compensation.
2. The policy naming the school district as an additional insured shall:
Be an insurance policy from an A.M. Best rated "secured" insurer, licensed to
conduct business in New York State.
Provides for 30 days' notice of cancellation.
Provides that the organization's coverage shall be primary for the district, its Board of
Education, employees and volunteers.
Affirmatively provides coverage for claims including but not limited to negligent
hiring, negligent training, negligent supervision, negligent operation of the motor
vehicle, harassment, whether sexual or otherwise, sexual molestation, abuse,
harassment, or similar sexual misconduct.
The school district and its Board of Education shall be listed as an additional insured
by using endorsement CG 2010 11 85 or broader. The certificate must state which
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endorsement is being used and a copy of the endorsement shall be included with the
certificate of insurance provided to the school district.
3. The permittee or successful bidder agree to indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, and to hold harmless the school district and its Board of Education for claims
caused by the negligence of the permittee or the successful bidder.
4. The insurance producer must indicate whether it is an agent for the companies providing
the coverage.
5. Required Insurance:
* Commercial General Liability Insurance
$5,000,000 per occurrence/$5,000,000 aggregate.
* Automobile Liability
$5,000,000 combined single limit for owned, hired, borrowed and non-owned motor
vehicles.
* Workers' Compensation
Statutory Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability Insurance for all
employees.
6. The successful bidder acknowledges that failure to obtain the required insurance on
behalf of the school district constitutes a material breach of contract and subjects it to
liability for damages, indemnification and all other legal and equitable remedies
available to the school district. The successful bidder must provide the school district
with a certificate of insurance, evidencing that the above requirements have been met,
prior to the commencement of work.
7. The school district is insured by Utica National Insurance Company. The successful
bidder further acknowledges that the procurement of such insurance as required
herein is intended to benefit not only the school district, but also Utica National
Insurance Company, as the school district's insurer.
Emergency and Breakdown Policy
1. The successful bidder shall provide school district with a copy of its emergency and
breakdown policies.
2. The successful bidder shall immediately notify school district designated personnel
of any emergency and/or breakdown incident.
Sub-contracting
1. Sub-contracting is prohibited. The successful bidder may not lease, hire or
subcontract for the use of any vehicle that will be used in connection with
transportation unless authorized in writing by the Board of Education.
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Additional Services
1. The successful bidder will provide a written trip itinerary within five days of the
scheduled trip.
2. When requested, the successful bidder will provide:
Admission tickets to attractions, parks, museums and sporting events;
Meal stops, enroute and on return trip;
Tour guides in destination cities;
Meal planning at destination cities;
Video movies on the coach;
Brochures of attractions in destination cities;
Negotiation of room rates at hotels, booking of hotel accommodations, and
rooming lists, etc.;
III. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL
A. COMPANY PROFILE
The proposal must state the size of the firm; length of time the firm has been in business, and the
location of its offices. A complete list of buses being offered for charter service, including the
age of vehicles, written mileage and maintenance history of vehicles, and current DOT profile
must be included with proposal.
B. EXPERIENCE
The proposal should include details about experience of similar school services provided by the
firm to whom, and when. Please include all contact persons including phone numbers and email
addresses.
C. REFERENCES
A list of references that may be contacted should be included in the proposal.
D. SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACH
Please provide details regarding your understanding of the scope of services required and the
approach your firm would use to achieve the District's objectives.
E. SERVICES OFFERED
Please provide a list of services provided by your firm in addition to those specifically requested
by this RFP, which may be useful to the District on this or subsequent projects.
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IV. FEE PROPOSAL
Fees for the proposal should be submitted as follows:
Per Trip cost:
Days
Hours
Miles
By Location
By Vehicle Type
For comparative purposes use the following trips as examples including all fees with explanation:
1. Date: July 20, 2020
Bus leaves at 8:40 AM from Forest Park Elementary School
Destination: Great Escape, Lake George
Buses leave at 5:00 PM
Return to Forest Park Elementary School
Number of students - 200
Number of adults - 20
2. Date: April 2 -5, 2021
Bus leaves from Lisha Kill Middle School at 8:00 AM on April 1, 2020
Destination: Washington D.C./Baltimore MD
Buses leave for return trip: 9:00 AM April 5, 2021
Number of students: - 100
Number of adults: - 10
3. Date: April 19, 2021
Buses leave at 7:30 AM from Lisha Kill Middle School
Destination: Old Sturbridge Village
Buses leave for return trip: 5:00 PM
Number of students: 160
Number of adults: 20
V. EVALUATION PROCEDURES
A. Proposed Criteria
The proposals will be evaluated using three (3) criteria:
1. The first criteria evaluated will be the qualifications of the firms responding which
include all certifications.
2. The second criteria evaluated will be the firm's experience and specific management
approach.
3. After the selection of firms who meet the first two criteria have been completed, the final
criteria, fees, will be considered in selecting all firms to be hired.
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B. Oral Presentation
During the evaluation process one and/or all firms may be requested to make oral presentations to
answer any questions the school district may have regarding a firm's proposal.
C. Final Selection
It is the desire of the school district to award this RFP to more than one firm in order to insure
adequate availability of buses. Individual schools will make the final decision as to the firm
awarded individual trips.
It is anticipated that firms will be selected by June 24, 2025, at which time the awarded charter
bus company's quotation will become a contract between the school district and the charter bus
company. The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any and all quotations as specified
in the "Instructions and General Conditions" on page one of this packet.
VI. Additional Terms
A. Should the successful bidder be unable to perform its contract for reasons including, but not
limited to, pandemic, act of God, act of nature, riots, strikes or wars then during the time in which
it is impossible, or impracticable for the successful bidder to perform then the school district shall
not be responsible to pay the successful bidder during the time that performance becomes
impossible or impracticable.
B. The successful bidder shall not hypothecate, give, mortgage, sublet, license, assign, transfer or
delegate any or all of its rights or obligations under this bid or any contract awarded thereunder,
voluntarily or involuntarily, by merger, operation of law or any other manner, including the sale
of more than 50% of the successful bidder's ownership interest, a sale of substantially all the
assets of the successful bidder, or a change in the majority of the board of directors or equivalent
board of the successful bidder, without the prior written consent of the Board of Education of the
South Colonie Central School District. Any purported assignment in violation of this provision
shall be null and void. Any attempt to make an assignment in violation of this provision shall be a
material breach and default under this bid and the contract awarded thereunder which, if
applicable, may result in an assessment of damages against the successful bidder.
VII. ADDENDUM
The successful bidder must comply with the guidelines issued by CDC with respect to the
operation, maintenance and cleaning of the vehicles during COVID 19 or any time thereafter.
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SOUTH COLONIE CENTRAL SCHOOLS
BID PROPOSAL CERTIFICATIONS
Firm Name
Business Address
Telephone Number Date of Bid
I. General Bid Certification
The bidder certifies that he will furnish, for the prices herein quoted, the materials, equipment and/or services as
proposed on this bid.
II. Non-Collusive Bidding Certification
By submission of this bid proposal, the bidder certifies that he is complying with Section 103-d of the General Municipal
Law as follows:
Statement of non-collusion in bids and proposals to political subdivision of the state. Every bid or proposal hereafter
made to a political subdivision of the State or any public department, agency of official thereof where competitive bidding
is required by statute, rule regulation, or local law, for work or services performed or to be performed or goods sold or to
be sold, shall contain the following statement subscribed by the bidder and affirmed by such bidder as true under the
penalties of perjury: Non-collusive bidding certification.
*(a) By submission of this bid, each bidder and each person signing on behalf of any bidder certifies, and in the case of
a joint bid each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, under penalty of perjury, that to the best of knowledge
and belief:
(1) The prices in this bid have been arrived at independently without collusion, consultation, communication or
agreement, for the purpose of restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices with any other
bidder or with any competitor.
(2) Unless otherwise required by law, the prices which have been quoted in this bid have not been knowingly
disclosed by the bidder and will not knowingly be disclosed by the bidder prior to opening, directly or
indirectly, to any other bidder or to any competitor; and
(3) No attempt has been made or will be made by the bidder to induce any other person, partnership or corporation
to submit or not to submit a bid for the purpose of restricting competition.
(b) A bid shall not be considered for award nor shall any award be made where (a) (1) (2) and (3) above have not
been complied with; provided, however, that if in any case the bidder cannot make the foregoing certification, the bidder
shall so state and shall furnish with the bid a signed statement which sets forth in detail the reasons therefor. Where (a)
(1) (2) and (3) above have not been complied with, the bid shall not be considered for award nor shall any award be made
unless the head of the purchasing unit of the political subdivision, public department, agency or official thereof to which
the bid is made, or his designee, determines that such disclosure was not made for the purpose of restricting competition.
The fact that a bidder (a) has, published price lists, rates, or tariffs covering items being procured, (b) has informed
prospective customers of proposed or pending publication of new or revised price lists for such items, or (c) has sold the
same items to other customers at the same prices being bid, does not constitute, without more, a disclosure within the
meaning subparagraph one (a).
2. Any bid hereafter made to any political subdivision of the state or any public department, agency or official thereof by a
corporate bidder for work or services performed or to be performed or goods sold or to be sold, where competitive bidding
is required by statute, rule, regulation, or local law, and where such bid contains the certification referred to in subdivision
one of the section, shall be deemed to have been authorized by the board of directors of the bidder, and such authorization
shall be deemed to include the signing and submission of the bid and the inclusion therein of the certificate as to non-
collusion as the act and deed of the corporation.
Signature (Authorized)
Title