The Southington Board of Education voted 8–1 Thursday to award five-year transportation services bid 2026.01 to New Britain Transportation, the lower of two bids submitted for home-to-school, field/sports and summer routes.

Transportation Advisory Services (TAS), the district’s independent consultant, presented the results of a competitive procurement that drew two final offers: New Britain Transportation and First Student. Christopher Wojciechowski of TAS told the board New Britain’s bid was about $1.4 million lower over the five-year term — just under a 5% difference — primarily on home-to-school routes, which make up the largest portion of the service cost.

The board’s vote followed more than an hour of presentation and questions from members about reliability, labor, fuel and contract terms. “Both vendors can service the district very well,” Wojciechowski said. “But as a consultant … I would rather have the $1,400,000 in the classroom than spend on transportation.”

Wojciechowski outlined pros and cons for each bidder. He said First Student offers the advantage of scale, national purchasing power and a documented track record of following bid commitments, which can ease transitions and reduce implementation risk. Conversely, he said, New Britain Transportation — the incumbent — offered lower pricing, a strong local reputation and “personalized” service because of its smaller size, though it may have less access to capital later in the contract term.

Board members pressed TAS on labor and fuel risks. TAS said both bidders currently operate with nonunion workforces in Southington but that First Student’s Connecticut yards are generally unionized and that either contractor would be obliged to follow any collective bargaining agreement that applies if the workforce organized. On fuel and other variable costs, Wojciechowski said the bid documents include provisions and formulas to account for fluctuations and that bidders factored expected variable costs into their proposals.

Several board members sought assurance that the final contract language would be reviewed before execution. The superintendent and board staff said Shipman & Goodwin (the board’s counsel) will review the contract per Connecticut statute and that the finance committee will have an opportunity to review the final contract before the board executes it.

After discussion, a motion to award bid 2026.01 to New Britain Transportation passed on a roll-call vote: Yes — Darnowski, Brown, Carmody, O’Shaughnessy, Williams, Carson, Clark and one other; No — Jersey. The board’s vote authorizes the district to enter contract negotiations consistent with the bid documents; the board will review the attorney-approved contract before final execution.

The award completes a procurement process TAS described as a standard competitive solicitation that included a pre-bid conference and financial modeling of home-to-school, field/sports and summer transportation costs. TAS noted the contract may include renewal options tied to CPI if both parties agree.

Board members who spoke during the discussion emphasized two tradeoffs: lower immediate cost to the district versus the perceived stability and transition experience a national vendor could provide. The district’s administrators said they would return to the board with the final contract for formal approval before signing.