Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines - APTAStandards.com

Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines
PREFACE
Purpose
The Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines (SBPG) are a model for solicitation of offers and contracts
for the supply of transit buses. They are intended to be a starting point for a transit agency assembling
a solicitation of offers and to assist in a cost-effective procurement. While the guidelines provide
many options to the agency and the agency must, at a bare minimum, modify the guidelines to
comply with state law, adherence to the guidelines will facilitate competitive offers from
manufacturers, who are familiar with the guideline terms and conditions. In addition to the reliability
of using a standard procurement tool, and the efficiency of manufacturers’ response to the
solicitation, adherence to the guidelines will promote understanding and reduce the likelihood of
disputes. In these ways, the SBPG are intended to promote the financial health of the bus
manufacturing industry and the overall cost-effectiveness of urban bus transportation.
History
The SBPG are intended to supersede the Baseline Advanced Design Transit Coach Specification or
“White Book,” which was developed 20 years earlier for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Published in April 1977, it was intended for use by FTA grantees to facilitate normal transit bus
purchases and to establish production of Advanced Design Buses (ADBs) through the use of a
standard, complete bus procurement package. The White Book was periodically updated by
addendum for several years after original publication. In the late 1970s, FTA made the White Book a
requirement for all federally-supported advanced design transit bus procurements. The requirement
was lifted in the 1980s. Although the White Book was not formally updated for many years, a large
number of transit authorities continued to use it for current bus procurements.
In November 1993, the Executive Committee of the American Public Transit Association (APTA)
established a Procurement Steering Committee, comprised of senior representatives of both transit
operators and suppliers. At its initial meeting on January 13, 1994, the Steering Committee (attached)
concluded that a comprehensive revision of both the procurement guidelines and the technical
specifications contained in the White Book should be undertaken. FTA supported the project
enthusiastically with a grant that funded the first edition of the SBPG and with technical assistance
during development. The Steering Committee met in seven long, plenary conferences to reach
consensus on a new document. Analysis and drafting between conferences was performed by KPMG
Peat Marwick LLP in association with Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. and Lea + Elliott, Inc. Parts 1
(two alternative versions), 2, 3, and 4, consisting of the solicitation, general contractual provisions,
quality assurance provisions, and warranty provisions were completed on May 1, 1996.
Upon the completion of the new parts 1, 2, 3, and 4, constituting the commercial terms and conditions
of the SBPG, Federal Transit Administrator Gordon Linton issued a letter of support and
endorsement, a copy of which immediately follows this preface.
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