The City of Fairfield operates Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST). FAST provides local, commuter, and paratransit transportation services for the cities of Fairfield and Suisun City, and commuter service to the Bay Area and Sacramento. The City owns the vehicles and facilities used to provide transit services. City staff is directly responsible for planning, financing, marketing, procurement, asset management, fleet maintenance, and overall management of the transportation services. However, day to day operation of the transit services are contracted out.

MV Transportation, Inc. (MV) has been the City’s transit contractor since 1998. The current contract agreement became effective on July 1, 2014, and had a three-year initial term. The City has exercised all options to extend the 2014 contract for three more years and the contract will expire on June 30, 2020. Therefore, the City must execute a new contract.

RFP 2019-001 was issued on August 28, 2019, to solicit proposals to provide transit operations services under a four-year firm contract term and three one-year extensions at the City’s option. A mandatory pre-proposal conference was conducted on September 18, 2019. The City requested proposers attending the pre-proposal conference submit clarifications and questions by October 9, 2019. On October 31, 2019, the City issued an addendum in response to clarifications and questions received.

Three proposals were received on December 4, 2019. The proposals from First Transit, Inc (First) and MV included all required elements. After consultation with the City Attorney, the City determined Transdev’s submission did not meet all RFP proposal requirements. Transdev was advised their proposal was deemed non-responsive and would not receive further consideration.

City staff conducted a formal RFP process that complied with the “Best Value” process outlined in Federal Transit Administration Circular 4220.1F. FAST’s “Best Value” process identified criteria to evaluate prospective operators seeking to provide the day-to-day operations for FAST’s local fixed-route, intercity fixed-route, and paratransit services. An Evaluation Committee, consisting of the City’s Interim Transportation Manager, Senior Management Analyst, and the Transit Manager from El Dorado County Transit, conducted interviews with First and MV on January 16, 2020. Out of 1,000 maximum possible points, the Evaluation Committee unanimously ranked MV the most qualified under all of the four evaluation criteria noted below.

• Experience (25%) or 250 maximum possible points
• Employee Protection (10%) or 100 maximum possible points
• Thoroughness and Comprehensiveness of Proposed Plans and Supporting documentation (40%) or 400 maximum possible points, and
• Pricing and Value (25%) or 250 maximum possible points.

The City requested First and MV provide Best and Final Offers (BAFO). Both MV and First submitted BAFOs. After the ranking scores for BAFO pricing were reevaluated with the technical scores, the initial Evaluation Committee rankings did not change. The rankings with scores and prices are shown below.

The Evaluation Committee unanimously felt the proposal from MV Transportation, Inc., offers the “Best Value” for FAST and recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution approving the Agreement for the Provision of Fixed-Route and Paratransit Service by and between City of Fairfield and MV Transportation, Inc.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, FAST partnered with MV to ensure the safety and well-being of FAST passengers and drivers. Under the authority of Fairfield’s March 18 Proclamation of Existence of a Local Emergency, FAST entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) allowing for reduction of contract service during the pandemic. With uncertainty as to how transit ridership and service will be impacted post-COVID-19, FAST and MV intend to enter into a new MOU effective July 1, 2020 allowing modification of service levels to continue for one year with the ability to amend the MOU for a longer term. This MOU is included as an informational attachment to the agenda packet.