Commuter Bus Transportation

The purpose of this notice is to perform SOURCES SOUGHT/MARKET RESEARCH. This is NOT a solicitation. This announcement is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, implied or otherwise, to issue a solicitation or award a contract.

Background:

The Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) is a U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) installation, operated by Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS or CONTRACTOR), comprising approximately 3,561 square kilometers (1,375 square miles) of federally owned land located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada. Located approximately 105 kilometers (65 miles) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, the NNSS is accessed from U.S. Highway 95, which roughly forms the southern boundary of the site.

The MSTS also operates the North Las Vegas Facility (NLV); the Remote Sensing Lab at Nellis AFB, North Las Vegas, NV (RSLN); the Remote Sensing Lab at Andrews AFB, Maryland (RSLA); Special Technologies Lab at Santa Barbara, CA (STL); Livermore Operations at Livermore, CA (LO); and Los Alamos Operations at Los Alamos, NM (LAO).

Objective:

Due to the remoteness of the site, security requirements, and requirements included in the Project Labor Agreements MSTS is required to provide transportation to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) from the Greater Las Vegas and Pahrump areas and return. 

Description of Work:

MSTS is seeking local vendors within 100-mile radius of the NNSS. The bus yard and buses must remain local in the Clark County District with access to onsite bulk fueling.

The OFFEROR shall ensure all drivers performing on this subcontract hold a current commercial driver’s license and current medical examination. Drivers must be dedicated to assigned routes/charter services and reliable drivers in good standing.

Commuter Service Requirements:

OFFEROR shall furnish all equipment, transportation, personnel, facilities, material, management, and services necessary to operate and maintain reliable on-time, uninterrupted Commuter Route services between points within the NNSS, the greater Las Vegas, NV area; Indian Springs, NV; Pahrump, NV; Crystal, NV; and other locations as required.

Commuter service shall be in accordance with published routes and schedules provided by MSTS. Current routes are included in Attachment 1 to this Exhibit. Routes are subject to change by MSTS.

At any time during the period of performance, MSTS may add routes causing additional motor coaches for commuter service to increase.

MSTS shall provide written notice thirty working days in advance of the increase.

At any time during the period of performance, MSTS may remove routes causing the number of motor coaches for commuter service to decrease. MSTS shall provide written notice four working days in advance of the decrease.

MSTS has the exclusive right to modify boarding procedures, at no cost to the OFFEROR, using electronic devices/or passes.

Charter Services Requirements:

The OFFEROR shall provide Charter service to locations within Nevada, and potentially other neighboring states, and between points within the NNSS; the greater Las Vegas area; Pahrump, Nevada; and other locations. Charters shall be in accordance with written itineraries provided on FRM-1590, Charter Motor Coach Service Request by MSTS with notification three working days prior to the charter. If the Charter will be for multiple days, the OFFEROR will provide/arrange room accommodations for the driver.

All motor coaches used for Charters shall be equipped with internal public address systems, digital video disc players, thumb drive capability and a minimum of four video monitors. A minimum of one motor coach meeting the minimum Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines and equipped with internal public address systems, digital video disc players, and video monitors will be available, upon request with three working days written notice, to transport persons with disabilities.

Call-Out Service Requirements:

OFFEROR shall provide call-out service on an as-needed basis. A call-out is a commitment, other than a regularly scheduled route, with one working day (24-hour) written notice provided by MSTS, to transport personnel to and from the NNSS. Call-outs, modeled after established commuter routes, are run on any day or time and may be infrequent.

Equipment Requirements:

At the commencement of the Work, OFFEROR shall provide over-the-road type motor coaches, Prevost as the standard or approved equal with the mandatory requirement for floor rails for easy seat adjustments, not to exceed five years (month/year) at the date of award and not to exceed eight years throughout the period of performance of the subcontract with 56-passenger seat reconfigured to a 48 passenger (equally spaced) seat capacity for leg room. The entire fleet standard shall be the same manufacturer and model through the entire performance agreement except the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) motor coach shall be equal to the Prevost if unable to obtain standard. OFFEROR shall have up to 60 days after award to provide 56-passenger buses reconfigured to 48-passenger buses for commuter routes. OFFEROR may provide 56 passenger buses during this 60-day period as long as the buses do not exceed five years (month/year) at date of award and not to exceed eight years throughout the period of performance of the subcontract. All 56 passenger buses must be reconfigured to 48-passenger (equally spaced) within 60 days after award. Charter buses will remain at 56-passenger seating capacity. All motor coaches shall have lavatory, Wi-Fi services and are equipped with heating and air conditioning systems capable of maintaining an interior temperature of 75 degrees. All equipment furnished shall be operated and maintained or caused to be maintained by and at the expense of the OFFEROR. The motor coaches shall comply with the latest EPA emission standards for exhaust emissions and fuel economy. The motor coaches approved during the evaluation process will be the only coaches approved for the resulting subcontract unless otherwise approved by the MSTS.

It is expected that the motor coaches are configured with minimal road vibrations and breakdowns, and higher quality matching tires (Goodyear, Michelin, or approved equal).

OFFEROR shall maintain a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) or equivalent from the Nevada Transportation Authority.

At time of award, OFFEROR shall provide the finalized listing of the MSTS approved motor coaches for use in the performance of this Subcontract. The approved motor coach list shall include a minimum of one motor coach meeting the minimum Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines and equipped with internal public address systems, digital video disc players, and video monitors will be available, upon request with three working days written notice, to transport persons with disabilities. OFFEROR shall maintain the list of motor coaches and provide same to MSTS when changes are made. The motor coaches will be identified by:

• Make
• Model
• Month/Year (Manufacturer’s Date {mm/yy})
• Equipment number (Bus Number)
• Seating capacity
• Configuration (i.e., video system, ADA equipped)

NOTE: The use of the approved motor coaches is dedicated to the contract only.

OFFEROR shall have a two-way communication system for the dispatch function and communication with the motor coaches. The system must have coverage from points of departure to route destinations, including the entire Highway 160 route, 95 North of Indian Springs and dead zones to any route destinations. Any required radio frequency licenses shall be provided by OFFEROR at no cost to the MSTS. For communications systems using two-way radios, OFFEROR shall, at its expense, furnish and install repeaters. Available locations will be designated by MSTS. Currently, repeater locations are designated at Skull Mountain and Angel Peak (see Attachment 2, “Repeater Locations”). Known dead zones can be mitigated with other means such as satellite phones. A map of such locations will be provided upon award of the subcontract. Proposed frequencies shall be provided to MSTS prior to use for review of potential interference with other frequencies used on site. MSTS will survey the communication system and coverage after award. OFFEROR will make necessary adjustments as required by MSTS

OFFEROR shall provide a two-way communication system plan for the dispatch function and communication with the motor coaches. A DRAFT plan, including technical specifications, make, model, type, etc. of the equipment, is due with the Proposal. An all-points coverage survey with MSTS will be completed prior to start of work. Prior to making changes to the plan during the Period of Performance, OFFEROR must receive written approval from MSTS.

Motor coaches shall be manufactured and maintained in accordance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (49 CFR 571).

Prior to dispatch, each motor coach must be maintenance and safety inspected per Department of Transportation. The exterior must be washed prior to Monday service.

The interior motor coach must be disinfected against bacteria and viruses using a cleaning agent nightly.

• The interior motor coach must be cleaned and sanitized before each run as listed herein:
• Wipe down all handles and handrails with Clorox wipes or equal
• Wipe down cup holders with Clorox wipes or equal
• Wipe down leather seating with Clorox wipes or equal, if applicable
• Clean all inside windows with Windex or equal
• Wipe down driver’s panel with Clorox wipes or equal
• Wipe down air vents next to the windows with Clorox wipes or equal
• Wipe down bathroom door with Clorox wipes or equal
• Clean entire restroom with Clorox or equal bathroom cleaner and wipe down

OFFEROR shall provide and maintain the sanitary toilet facilities on board the coaches to the standards listed herein:

• Lavatories must be clean, sanitary and functional and serviced daily to include dumping holding tank.
• Lavatories must be supplied with toilet tissue, soap, paper towels, and fresh wash water, or towelettes/hand sanitizer that kills at least 99% of germs in lieu of soap, paper towels and water, during the entire commuter/call-out route or charter.

General Requirements:

The OFFEROR shall have a written Management Plan describing the OFFEROR’s overall approach to the utilization of resources for achieving successful performance of this subcontract. This plan shall, as a minimum, address:

• Contingencies for managing unexpected occurrences that may prevent passengers from arriving at their destination on time, i.e. overloads, breakdowns, etc. (Protection Bus);
• Plan for transferring passengers in the event of a breakdown;
• Dispatch capabilities and procedures;
• Maintenance (service intervals, services performed at each interval, maintenance record keeping, staffing of maintenance personnel);
• Exterior washing and interior cleaning of motor coaches, including lavatory;
• Plan for maintaining regulatory compliance (USDOT number and Nevada CPCN);
• Motor coach operator qualification and training;
• Drivers’ operating procedures;
• Rules of ridership; procedures for dealing with disruptive passengers;
• Medical emergencies en route;
• Emergency Evacuation Contingency Plan

The OFFEROR motor coach operators must ensure that every passenger has a seat as passengers standing while the motor coach is in operation is not allowed under any circumstances. Motor coach operators must immediately invoke the OFFEROR’s written overload/contingency plan (contained in the Management Plan) if such conditions arise.

The OFFEROR is responsible for the collection of MSTS-generated tickets from each passenger boarding the motor coaches except or in the event of an emergency site-wide evacuation. A ticket is required for each one-way trip to or from the NNSS; cash fares are not permitted. All tickets will be destroyed by the motor coach operators upon receipt. Passengers traveling within the NNSS may board a motor coach without surrendering a ticket.

The OFFEROR is responsible for the passengers’ safety at time of boarding. The OFFEROR’s responsibility will terminate when the last passenger is off-loaded at their destination.

OFFEROR shall provide an emergency evacuation contingency plan (contained in the Management Plan) for approval and implementation of it. The minimum requirements must contain a dispatch contact number for the M&O Contractor STR to make notification; and how many available badged drivers and buses can be used to assist in the case of an emergency evacuation at the NNSS and timeframe of onsite arrival.

OFFEROR shall operate a return shuttle, “Mercury Shuttle”, to transport motor coach operators/drivers from the Forward Areas to Mercury to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Parking for remaining buses is available in Area 6 (Forward Area) and Mercury. “Mercury Shuttle” does not transport passengers and does not require stops.

Responses to this notice should include the following:

1. Company name and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to confirm company is registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov)
2. Company business size for NAICS code 485510
3. Capability statement and/or brochure or applicable past performance information that demonstrates that the service can be provided by your company.

General Conditions

The submission of a response to this opportunity does not create any implied or express contract between an Offeror and MSTS obligating MSTS to review or evaluate the sources sought or to make an award in accordance with the evaluation and selection criteria specified herein. The sources sought and the information specified herein are strictly for the convenience of MSTS.  By submitting a response to this opportunity, Offerors acknowledge and agree that they shall not be entitled to any compensation, damages or remuneration of any kind whatsoever in the event that MSTS fails to follow, or deviates from, these sources sought.