Recommendation Concerning Contract Award for Re-Solicit Operator for Paratransit Services - Paul Nobles, Office of Purchasing, Purchasing Manager
That the Board approve one of the following options:
A. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement, subject to Legal review and sign-off, between Escambia County, Florida, and Innovative Transport & Logistics Solutions, LLC, per the terms and conditions of PD 16-17.068, Re-Solicit Operator for Paratransit Services as follows:
Year 1
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $28.85, Wheelchair $40.72
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $2.31, Wheelchair $3.26
In the amount of $2,711,265.63, based on 75% Ambulatory and 25% Wheelchair (2016 Data of 85,213 Trips);
Year 2
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $29.07, Wheelchair $41.03
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $2.32, Wheelchair $3.27
In the amount of $2,731,928.78, based on 75% Ambulatory and 25% Wheelchair (2016 Data of 85,213 Trips);
Year 3
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $30.07, Wheelchair $42.46
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $2.41, Wheelchair $3.40
In the amount of $2,826,302.18, based on 75% Ambulatory and 25% Wheelchair (2016 Data of 85,213 Trips);
Year 4
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $31.04, Wheelchair $43.82
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $2.49, Wheelchair $3.51
In the amount of $2,917,267.06, based on 75% Ambulatory and 25% Wheelchair (2016 Data of 85,213 Trips);
Year 5
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $32.20, Wheelchair $45.46
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees, Ambulatory $2.58, Wheelchair $3.64
In the amount of $3,026,339.70, based on 75% Ambulatory and 25% Wheelchair (2016 Data of 85,213 Trips);
OR
B. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement, subject to Legal review and sign-off, between Escambia County, Florida, and First Transit, Inc., per the terms and conditions of PD 16-17.068, Re-Solicit Operator for Paratransit Services, as follows:
Year 1
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $32.67
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $3.29
In the amount of $2,783,908.71, based on 2016 Data of 85,213 Trips;
Year 2
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $33.97
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $3.42
In the amount of $2,894,685.61, based on 2016 Data of 85,213 Trips;
Year 3
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $35.10
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $3.53
In the amount of $2,990,976.30, based on 2016 Data of 85,213 Trips;
Year 4
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $36.87
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $3.71
In the amount of $2,917,267.06, based on 2016 Data of 85,213 Trips;
Year 5
Per Trip rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $38.01
Per Mile rate including Living Wage of $11.23 for all employees $3.83
In the amount of $3,238,946.13, based on 2016 Data of 85,213 Trips;
OR
C. Reject all proposals associated with PD 16-17.068, Re-Solicit Operator for Paratransit Services, and advise staff to re-solicit based on revised scope and selection criteria for a 90 to 120-day extension for the solicitation process;
OR
D. Reject all proposals associated with PD 16-17.068, Re-Solicit Operator for Paratransit Services, authorize termination of the Memorandum of Agreement with the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged designating Escambia County as the Community Transportation Coordinator, advise staff to proceed with transferring responsibility for transportation disadvantaged services to the State of Florida, while assuming paratransit (ADA) services as part of the mass transit fixed route service currently provided by Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT), and direct staff to negotiate with First Transit, Inc., for a 90 to 120-day extension for the transference process.
[Funding: Fund 104, Mass Transit, Cost Center 320401, Object Code 53401/53404] |
The legal advertisement for this Request for Proposal was advertised in the Pensacola News Journal on Friday, June 23, 2017. A Mandatory Pre-Solicitation Meeting was held on Monday, July 3, 2017. Four firms attended this pre-solicitation meeting. Proposals were received from two firms on Friday, July 14, 2017. Selection/Negotiation Committee met on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 to select the firm. Negotiations were held on Thursday, July 20, 2017. On Monday, July 24, 2017, First Transit, Inc. filled a protest of the Selection Committee. Tuesday, August 1, 2017 the Informal Protest Hearing was held. The Purchasing Manager upon hearing all of the evidence upheld First Transit, Inc.'s protest.
The Protest provided by First Transit., Inc. included the following:
- Innovative Transport & Logistics Solutions, LLC's (ITL) proposal did not include an adequate description of its experience providing paratransit services in the State of Florida.
- ITL did not include any information concerning ITL’s understanding of the Florida Subcontracted Transportation Provider Agreement.
- ITL also failed to include the resume of the individual ITL proposed to serve as the General Manager for paratransit services.
- ITL identified five entities with whom ITL previously contracted to provide paratransit services, but did not specify the volume/trips per day or other ridership information related to these contracts as required in the evaluation criteria.
- Four of the five entities provided by ITL were identified as incorporated entities, but none appeared to be currently registered with the Florida Secretary of State’s Division of Corporations and could not otherwise be verified as viable businesses. The fifth was identified as the Escambia County School District, but the extent of any contractual relationship with the School District could not be verified.
- The RFP required recent references concerning the proposer’s past performance on prior contracts. ITL’s proposal included three letters of reference. One reference was provided by Groceries 2 Go, LLC. Records on file with the Division of Corporations indicate this company has the same principal address as ITL and is owned by Harold Griffin, Jr. and Braxton Griffin.
- The number of estimated annual trips for each optional cost proposal was lower than the number specified in Part IV of the RFP, which potentially skewed the total estimated costs. The RFP provide the 2016 data of 85,213 trips. ITL based their annual total on 81,500, broken down into ambulatory (75%) and wheelchair (25%).
Based on these and other concerns, the Purchasing Manager upheld First Transit, Inc.'s protest. |