HEADLINES
Requests for Proposals: Useful Examination or Waste of Time and Money?
By Stephane Babcock It is not a requirement for every school
bus and school-bus-related product, but when districts are looking to make large or first-time purchases, they usually start the process off with a request for pro- posal, or RFP. It can be as simple as a quick expla-
nation of what they are looking for or a manuscript detailing every step of the process as well as too many require- ments to count. “Having been a government bureau-
crat for 24 years and understanding the need to be responsible with taxpay- ers’ money, I can understand, a little bit, about the need to do a good job
of making sure you spend the taxpay- ers’ money wisely,” said Zonars system’s Don Carnahan, whose career in pupil transportation includes serving as state director for Washington State, president of both NAPT and NASDPTS, and chair of the National Standards Conference for School Transportation, now called the National Congress on School Transportation. “It’s such a convoluted process
that in many cases the person that wants to purchase something that will do what they need to have done doesn’t get what they want, and then they’re stuck with it after they get it.” Tere are a number of reasons
why Carnahan and others in the industry said they find the process frustrating at times. Sometimes the needs of a district are not always clearly defined, according to Every- day Wireless’ Dave Pettine. “Often times the pricing request
is for the upfront costs only, and there is no analysis of total cost of ownership for a five- and 10-year time period,” added Pettine. And it is the long-term costs that
Stow gear safely!
Fibreglass bus luggage that retrofi ts to any full-size bus.
Easy to install • Light-weight Durable • 3 sizes available School Bus Yellow Finish Stainless Steel Hardware
1-800-201-8589
www.americanbusproducts.com
are missing in many proposals, in Carnahan’s view. Tere are also times when the specs included in the RFP are so specific that they can only be met by one vendor, as in the case of Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools, where the district’s RFP for GPS systems dictated that the district could only work with a certain carrier that only one vendor could offer.
‘EXERCISES IN CREATIVE WRITING’ No matter what one company can
offer in writing, the proof is in the pud- ding, so to speak. Districts sometimes receive proposals
from vendors that
promise more than they can deliver, such as a refund via the federal E-rate
24 School Transportation News Magazine May 2010
According to Mike Darling, senior vice president of business development
for
Edulog, RFPs rarely result in the district ac- tually purchasing what it wants or needs. “By default, their very nature always
favors the vendors, who can play games and wiggle past key requirements by us- ing obscure interpretations that benefit their response,” said Darling. But, sometimes overly eager reps can
sour the punch for certain vendors. After the RFP due date arrives and the proposals are first read, any communi- cation between vendors and the district is usually very restricted. Everyday’s Pet-
program on cellular data charges for transmitting GPS information. “Sometimes there are egos and em-
pires involved in the process that just makes it crazy,” said Carnahan, adding that if school districts believed this, they would “get burned” if they followed this inaccurate advice.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68