Commercial Carrier Services

The Pinellas County School Board (the District) requests proposals to establish a list of qualified and experienced vendor(s) to provide Commercial Carrier Service for in county and out of county travel for students, staff and chaperones for extracurricular activities, on an as needed basis. Awarded vendor(s) must be able to service all school sites within Pinellas County.

It is the desire of the Districts’ Risk Management & Insurance Department to establish a pre-qualified list of vendors to provide charter bus service in and out of Pinellas County for field trips, athletic activities and extracurricular activities. Awarded vendor(s) will be included on a list of approved providers posted on the District’s Website.

General Requirements

• The District reserves the right to inspect drivers, buses, licenses, and vehicle maintenance reports at any time during the contract period.
• Bookings: Trips will be booked as soon as possible prior to scheduled departure. A District Purchase order is required to Book a Trip. [...] Vendor must confirm all arrangements with requesting school or department in the form of a written quote.
• Cancellations: School cancellations made less than 72 hours before may be subject to a flat cancellation charge. The vendor is not authorized to cancel a scheduled trip once confirmation is forwarded to the requesting department/school.
• Drivers must be available via cell phone at all times. All charters will be contracted for a minimum of four hours [...].
• On all extended/overnight trips, the vendor must plot the trip from the school to the destination point(s). Clear directions and route itineraries for each driver will be developed by the vendor and one copy must be provided to the school.
• Vehicles must be clearly identified with the owner’s name, company name, and vehicle number; they must be clean, inside and outside, and have a full tank of fuel upon arrival at the school site. All vehicles must be equipped with a cell phone and be handicapped accessible.

Vehicle Requirements

• All buses, regardless of passenger capability, must be 2003 models or newer and air-conditioned. Older models are not acceptable. Buses must be capable of carrying 20 passengers or more.
• Prohibited vehicles include mini vans and passenger vans capable of seating more than nine passengers, and sport utility vehicles (SUV’s) with a wheelbase of 110 inches or less.
• Vehicles should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure from the school location.
• An adequate number of spare vehicles must be maintained to ensure continuity of service in the event of a breakdown, mechanical failure, or emergency.
• Subletting of charter buses will not be allowed unless approved on the District’s Authorized Commercial Carrier’s List prior to the trip.
• In addition to providing proof of completion of annual DOT vehicle inspections, District commercial carriers are required to provide proof of completion of District commercial carrier inspection form on an annual basis and as requested.

Submission

All submittals are due electronically through the District’s OpenGov Procurement portal: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/pcsb. Proposals are due before **4:00 pm on November 30, 2026**.

Minimum requirements

The following MUST be present in order for your proposal to be considered. Certificate of Liability Insurance (COI) for General and Auto Liability coverage, listing Pinellas County Schools as ADDITIONAL INSURED AND CERTIFICATE HOLDER. Minimum General Liability limits of **$1,000,000** per occurrence, **$2,000,000** general aggregate. Minimum Automobile Liability combined single limit **$1,000,000** in-state or **$5,000,000** inter-state. Certificate of Insurance verifying Workers’ Compensation coverage as required by FL statute.

Evaluation

All proposals will be evaluated using a weighted point system applied to a list of both objective and subjective criteria. The maximum score a proposal may receive is 100 points. This contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible receiving the highest score after all proposals are evaluated.

Contract period

The Contract Period shall commence on 01/27/27, and end on 01/26/28. By mutual consent of the School Board of Pinellas County, Florida, and the successful Proposer(s), this contract may be renewed for three (1) year renewals.

For the purposes of calculating the amount of a protest bond, this contract is valued at approximately 2,000,000.00.