Request for proposals for student transportation services for East Islip Union Free School District.

 Legal Notice # 21928931 PUBLIC NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR STUDENT TRANSPORTATION East Islip Union Free School District 1 Craig B. Gariepy Avenue Islip Terrace, New York 11752 The Board of Education of the East Islip Union Free School District invites the submission of sealed proposals from reputable and qualified bus transportation companies for furnishing student transportation services for the East Islip Union Free School District for each of the following contracts: (1) Home-to School Transportation, including In and Out-of-District Transportation for Public, Private, and Parochial Schools for the 2026-2027, 2027-2028, 2028-2029, 2029-2030, and 2030-2031 subject to voter approval; and (2) Summer Transportation for the summer of the 2026-2027, 2027-2028, 2028-2029, 2029-2030, and 2030-2031 school years; with the option to extend each contract in accordance with applicable law. This Request for Proposals, including forms of proposals, certification, conditions, and specifications may be obtained from the District's Business Office at 1 Craig B. Gariepy Avenue, Islip Terrace, New York 11752 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays, commencing on March 12, 2026. Specifications may be requested via telephone at 631-224-2031. In all cases, it must be understood that the conditions and specifications set forth in the Request for Proposals issued by the East Islip Union Free School District shall apply. Sealed proposals will be received until April 09, 2026 at 11:00 am at the District's Business Office located at 1 Craig B. Gariepy Avenue, Islip Terrace, New York 11752, at which time and place all proposals will be publicly acknowledged. All proposals shall be clearly marked "Pupil Transportation Proposal - Do Not Open Until April 09, 2026 at 11:00 am." The Board of Education reserves the right to reject all proposals, waive any informalities in a proposal and to negotiate any portion of a proposal(s). Questions regarding this Request for Proposals will be accepted by the School Purchasing Agent until March 26, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. and answers to all questions will be distributed in the form of an addendum to all potential proposers by March 30, 2026. Please submit your questions in writing via email to jenny.bejarano@eischools.org . A pre-proposal conference will be held on Wednesday, March 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the East Islip Union Free School District, District Administrative Offices, 1 Craig B. Gariepy Avenue, Islip Terrace, New York 11752. All interested bidders are strongly encouraged to attend. Attendance at this meeting is restricted to a maximum of three (3) representatives per firm. Any deviations from the terms and conditions set forth in the specification must be listed on a separate sheet attached to the Bidder's Proposal. In all cases not indicated by the Bidder as a deviation, it is understood that the terms and conditions set forth in the RFP specifications shall apply. The Board of Education reserves the right to consider experience, service and reputation in the student transportation field, as well as the financial responsibility and specific qualifications set out herein of the prospective bidder, in considering proposals and awarding the contracts. The Board reserves the right to reject any or all proposals in whole or in part, when in its sole discretion it deems that it will serve the best interests of the School District to waive technical defects, irregularities and omissions; and to select in its sole discretion which of two or more identical bidders shall be awarded the contract. Separate and independent proposals shall be submitted for each contract. When a board of education of a school district elects to receive proposals submitted in response to a request for proposals, such board of education shall evaluate each proposal from a responding contractor according to criteria established by the Commissioner of Education, which criteria shall include, at a minimum: (i) the previous experience of the contractor in transporting pupils, (ii) the name of each transportation company the contractor has been an owner or a manager, (iii) a description of any safety programs implemented by the contractor, (iv) a record of accidents in motor vehicles under the control of the contractor, (v) driving history of employees of the contractor, (vi) inspection records and model year of the motor vehicles under the control of the contractor, (vii) maintenance schedules of the motor vehicles under the control of the contractor, (viii) financial analysis of the contractor, (ix) documentation of compliance with motor vehicle insurance requirements, and (x) total cost of the proposal. Proposals will be evaluated and awarded based on the following criteria by the School District pursuant to Sections 305 and 3625 of the Education Law and Section 156.12 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. Category Weight 1 Previous Experience of Contractor in School Transportation 20 2 Names of Previous Transportation Companies where the Contractor 5 has been an Owner or Manager 3 Description of Safety Programs Implemented by the Contractor 10 4 Record of Accidents in Vehicles under the control of the Contractor 10 5 Driving History of Employees of the Contractor 10 6 Fleet Inspection Records, Model Year of each of the Vehicles under the 5 Control of the Contractor 7 Maintenance Schedules of Vehicles under Control of the Contractor 10 8 Financial Analysis of the Contractor 5 9 Documentation of Compliance with Motor Vehicle Insurance Requirements 5 10 Total Cost of Proposal- Total Cost to Provide the Transportation Services 20 under the Contract 20 TOTAL 100 The above-referenced scoring of the criteria will be used for each of the contracts for the term of the contract awarded under this Request for Proposals for transportation services. In the best interest of the School District, the Board of Education reserves the right to award the transportation contracts for a period of one (1) year, three (3) years or five (5) in accordance with applicable law and subject to and conditioned upon the approval of the East Islip Union Free School District voters. In the event, the voters do not approve a multi-year agreement, the District will entertain the award of a one year contract. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special, or local law or charter, a board of education or a trustee of a district, pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner, may award a contract for the transportation of pupils involving an annual expenditure in excess of the amount specified for purchase contracts in the bidding requirements of the General Municipal Law in compliance with the bid law or subsequent to an evaluation of proposals submitted in response to a request for proposals prepared by or for the board of education or trustee of a district. The Commissioner, in addition to his existing statutory authority to approve or disapprove transportation contracts, may reject any award of a transportation contract that is based on an evaluation of proposals submitted in response to a request for proposals if he/she finds that (1) the contractor is not responsive to the request for proposals or (2) the proposal is not in the best interests of the district. Security in the form of a bond or certified check payable to the East Islip Union Free School District in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the first year of each contract is required to be submitted with each proposal. A performance and payment bond in a sum of 100% of the annual amount for each of the awarded contracts will be required as set forth in the request for proposals. Proof of the ability to furnish said performance bond must be submitted with the proposal. Dated: March 12, 2026 Board of Education East Islip Union Free School District 1 Craig B. Gariepy Avenue Islip Terrace, New York 11752