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Home >Pupil Transportation >School Bus Purchasing Program

STATE SCHOOL BUS PURCHASING PROGRAM

SAU PARTICIPATION PROCEDURE

This procedure applies to the purchase of school buses through the State School Bus Purchasing Program only. School buses purchased through this process are limited to Conventional Type C school buses having a capacity of 66, 72 or 77/78 passengers and Transit Type D school buses having a capacity of 78 or 84 passengers.

We continue to develop this program as a cooperative effort between the Department and the School Administrative Units to establish contract(s) for the purchase of school buses at affordable pricing based on quality and volume. All public school administration units are invited to participate in this program. Purchase Information, Qualifying Vendors, Pricing, and Technical Specifications for the vehicles available through this program are accessible for your review on this web site. Participation in this program allows an SAU to meet all of the requirements of MRSA Title 20-A, Section 5402 without independently conducting a public bid process.

SAUs that want to purchase a school bus through this program will be required to submit a Letter of Intent (EF-T-23) to the Department of Education prior to placing an order with one of the participating vendors. The SAU will be responsible for issuing the final purchase order to the vendor and for arranging payment of the order. Standard format for the Letter of Intent is available through the Forms listing on the Department of Education’s home page or by clicking on the form icon provided at the end of these instructions. The form number is EF-T-23. A list of steps to be completed by the SAU is provided on the following page.

Your input, questions and suggestions are an important part of making this a truly “value added” program. We have attempted to specify a good school bus that will provide many years of safe and efficient service to our schools. The specifications and approved options listed each year will be modified and possibly expanded in future years based on your selections and the information that you provide to us. It is important to purchase as many buses as possible through this program in order to present volume-leveraged package to the vendors and school bus manufacturers. In this way we will be able to expand the program to include additional bus types, capacities and quantities at best possible quality and best available pricing levels as the program continues to grow.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this program, or if you would like to review the specific bid information submitted by a vendor, please contact Rick Soules by phone at 207-624-6884 or email at Richard.J.Soules@Maine.Gov.

What the SAU needs to do to purchase a School Bus through this program:

Review the program procedures, the technical specifications, pricing and vendor information available on this web site. From the Approved Vendor List, select the vendor that you wish to purchase from.

 

  1. Submit a completed Form EF-T-23 (Letter of Intent) to the Department of Education indicating your commitment to purchase one or more school buses through this program. This form must be completed and submitted to the Department prior to contacting a participating vendor to arrange a purchase.
  2. Contact the Vendor that you have selected to initiate the order, finalize your election of optional equipment, and to establish the final price, delivery location and delivery date.
  3. Prepare the final purchase order and submit it to the vendor with a copy to the Department of Education, Transportation Specialist (inclusive of the list of options that you ordered over the standard equipment listed for the basic bus).
  4. Arrange financing or lease-purchase contract if you intend to purchase the bus over time.
  5. Upon receiving a notice of availability from the vendor, arrange delivery and payment for the school bus.
  6. Submit a completed EF-T-20 (School Bus Purchase Report) and required financing information to the Department of Education as soon as the final pricing and delivery date are known.
  7. Note: participation in this program makes the district eligible for increases in approval level to support safety or assistive technology options selected. Actual funding above the initial approval level will depend on the balance of uncommitted funds remaining for bus purchases at the end of each fiscal year.