Business
Action Item |
DATE: | Tuesday, June 9, 2015 |
TO: | School Board Members |
FROM: | Jeff Eakins, Acting Superintendent |
SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS | |
Approve School Bus Brand Options, and Purchase Utilizing the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) School Bus Bid #2015-01 for the Purchase of School Buses and Optional Equipment with Matthews Buses, Inc. (Business Division) | |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY | |
The purchase of 100 replacement school buses is outlined in the 2013/2014 capital replacement plan. The 100 replacement school buses consists of 20 buses with a 65-passenger capacity, Type C conventional bus with lift and 80 buses with a 77-passenger capacity, Type C conventional bus without lift.
There are three state-approved manufacturers of school buses available under the FLDOE contract. The manufacturers are Blue Bird Corporation, Integrated Coach Corp. (IC), and Thomas Built Buses, Inc. (Thomas). After reviewing the school bus specifications and options, we constructed a spreadsheet to review what the manufacturer dealerships were offering in regards to the Type C, conventional school bus. The pricing, warranties, and available options have been verified. The data used for our decision was based on past and present staff experience, National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) recommended best practices, a survey of other Florida school districts, and the survey from our own Hillsborough County Public School bus drivers. The NAFA best practices recommend five specific items:
After following the above best practices, it is recommended we purchase Thomas buses sold via Matthews Buses, Inc. The buses manufactured by Thomas are estimated to have the lowest life-cycle cost based on initial cost, as well as fuel consumption over a 14-year period. |
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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES | |
FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted: Yes) | |
Funding for the current year school bus purchase and beyond will be comprised of Capital Millage (1.50 Mills) dollars; Community Investment Tax (CIT) dollars; Capital Improvement dollars (pari-mutuel revenue); dollars generated from the sale of buses, and if needed General Fund Non-Recurring dollars. | |
EVALUATION | |
SUBMITTED BY: James Beekman, General Manager, Transportation Department |
Christopher Farkas | Gretchen Saunders | |
Chief Facilities Officer (813) 272-4004 |
Chief Business Officer (813) 272-4270 |
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A 6.14 | ||
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20150609_693 (Board Meeting) * Section A Item# 6.14 |