Step 3.1: Procure Electric School Buses and Other Services
Overview
While school districts can opt to buy electric school buses through their existing dealer, contractor or a state contract, many will put the school bus and charger purchase out to bid to fully evaluate the vendors and new business models associated with electric school buses.
Some districts, especially those that are considering multiple business models and/or full fleet electrification, will want to begin with a Request for Information (RFI), a solicitation process that is helpful for information-gathering and understanding the market of available providers and services.
Other districts will go straight to a Request for Proposal (RFP), which is a solicitation process that ends with the district accepting a bid from a vendor. If considering a turnkey solution, some districts may consider an additional RFI/RFP process for project management support to determine the appropriate process and follow all legal requirements.
You should carefully consider what should be included in the final contract. For example, you may include warranties, maintenance, trainings for drivers and maintenance workers, requirements for local hiring or unionized labor, workforce development and more.
Things to do:
- Meet with your procurement and budget office
- Arrange demonstrations with manufacturers/dealers/service providers
- Develop and run an RFI and/or RFP as needed
- Select a vendor
- Get approval from school board or city council
- Issue purchase order/execute contract
Ways to include equity:
- Incorporate environmental, equity, disability access, and/or workforce goals into Requests for Proposal (RFPs) or Requests for Information (RFIs)
- Invite students and drivers to the demonstration as they will be the most impacted by procurement decisions
- Evaluate vendors based up environmental, social equity, and accessibility criteria (labor practices, manufacturing location, overall sustainability, etc.) rather than just focusing on cost
- Make decision-making processes transparent and accessible to stakeholders and communicate how their input impacts decisions
- Adjust procurement requirements to avoid mandating the lowest-cost vendor
- Conduct focused outreach to inform Minority, Women, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (MWDBE) firms of the bidding opportunity
Questions to consider:
- Are you planning to own or lease your electric school buses, or are you interested in turnkey fleet services?
- Should your district run an RFI and/or an RFP?
- What values and criteria are you looking for in a vendor? Are there environmental or equity criteria that you should include in your vendor selection process?
- Will you need to hold a site visit or teleconference for prospective bidders?
- Who should be involved in a bid evaluation committee? Is there an opportunity to bring in representation from the school or broader community?
- What is the contract approval process and what do you need to do to get buy-in from district leadership?
- What opportunities exist to include equity in the contract? Could you include requirements for accessibility features, local hiring, unionized labor and/or workforce development and training?
- What accessibility features are needed to best serve students with disabilities in your district?
- Which electric school bus manufacturers can provide school buses that comply with federal disability laws and that have the accessibility features needed?
- Can you align your procurement with existing fleet turnover and budget cycles?
- What warranties, maintenance and training need to be included in the contract?
Potential stakeholders:
- District transportation director
- District business staff
- District procurement staff
- District superintendent
- School board or other entity that approves contracts and purchases
- Manufacturers/dealers/as-a-service companies
- Students
- School bus contractor (if applicable)
Resources:
- Electric School Bus US Market Study and Buyer's Guide – WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: This comprehensive guide offers an overview of the electric school bus market and a catalog of available bus models with detailed vehicle specifications.
- All About Electric School Bus Business Models – WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: This article considers the benefits of various arrangements of roles, responsibilities and financial obligations in the school transportation market.
- All About Electric School Bus Repowers – WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: The article shares how repowered electric school buses can play an important role in the electric school bus transition.
- School Bus Electric-as-a-Service (EaaS) Directory – WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: This resource includes firms that offer services that can aid school districts in the transition to electric fleets.
- Electric School Bus Price Tracker — State-Level Sources – WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: This appendix to the Electric School Bus U.S. Market Study and Buyer’s Guide includes information on the current landscape of electric school bus prices.
- Request for Information (RFI) template – WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative: A customizable template that school districts can modify to run an RFI.
- Request for Proposal (RFP) template – WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative: A customizable template that school districts can modify to run an RFP.
- How Electric School Bus Fleet Owners Can Ensure That Their Used Vehicle Batteries Avoid the Landfill – and Reap Economic and Environmental Benefits: WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative: For school districts and other electric school bus fleet owners, gaining value from used vehicle batteries starts during procurement.