What the buyer needs
AI summaryThe government authority in Spartanburg, SC needs full-service operation and management for its separate fixed-route bus and microtransit public transportation systems. The selected contractor operates and maintains the city-owned fleet and manages day-to-day service delivery. Required scope includes employing drivers, dispatching, providing customer service, managing technology and fare collection, and delivering planning, marketing, branding, and grant support. Additionally, the contractor provides trip booking, complaint resolution, accessibility assistance, dynamic routing, real-time passenger information, data security, and website content. The city retains vehicle ownership and policy authority. Eligible bidders must be onshore within the USA, and the contractor performs work onsite. The buyer requests proposals for the budget and offers a five-year contract period. Key dates include an optional pre-submittal meeting on October 14, 2026, and a final question submission deadline of October 30, 2026.
Scope of work
- Full-service operation and day-to-day management of SPARTA fixed-route and SpartaGo microtransit services
- Staffing, recruiting, training, and supervising drivers and support staff
- Preventive and corrective maintenance of City-owned vehicles and daily routine facility maintenance
- Full-service dispatching, scheduling, real-time monitoring, dynamic routing, and incident response
- Customer service including trip booking, scheduling, general transit information, complaint resolution, lost-and-found, and accessibility assistance
- Providing and supporting operational technology, CAD-AVL, dynamic booking software, real-time passenger info, and fare collection
- Ongoing transportation planning support, route and schedule analysis, and annual service reviews
- Marketing, branding, grant development, grant administration, and capital planning support
How proposals are evaluated
| Criterion | Weight / scoring |
|---|---|
| Transit Operations & FTA-Funded Experience | 25% |
| Innovative Approach (Operations, Technology, Planning) | 25% |
| Marketing and Grant Administrative Capacity | 20% |
| Staffing, Transition, and Labor Relations Plan | 10% |
| Cost (including degree of fixed pricing) | 15% |
| References and Regional Experience | 5% |
Minimum qualifications
- Required to obtain a City of Spartanburg Business License
- Experience operating FTA-funded transit systems
- Experience managing a service within budget
- Experience managing unionized transit workforces
Documents to include with your response
- Executive summary
- Brief company profile, overview of services, and firm qualifications
- Technical and innovative approach for operations, technology, fare collection, and planning
- Marketing and branding approach, grant development, and administrative capacity
- Staffing plan, transition plan, and labor relations approach
- Pricing proposal
- References (minimum three comparable transit contracts)
- Required forms / certifications
How to submit
- Method
- Electronic via BidNet Website
- Instructions
- Uploaded to the BidNet Website. Submissions will be publicly opened and read aloud in the City Offices Conference Room.