District rejects and will reissue RFP for school‑bus infraction detection after pricing/statutory discrepancies
Summary
Purchasing staff reported pricing inconsistencies and statutory uncertainties in four timely proposals for the bus infraction detection RFP; the board approved rejecting all responses so the district can resolicit with corrected pricing rules and avoid potential protests.
The school board on July 29 approved staff's recommendation to reject all responses to RFP 103‑2026 for a school-bus infraction detection system after purchasing staff reported pricing and statutory discrepancies in the proposals.
Purchasing staff described the procurement review: four timely proposals were received (two late responses were not considered). During administrative and cost reviews staff found pricing structures that included per‑infraction fees that staff interpreted as not statutorily allowed, and one vendor proposed a $25 fee directed to the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund that procurement staff said would apply to law‑enforcement citations rather than a vendor‑installed detection system. To keep fair competition, staff said they elected not to proceed with the evaluation team and instead rejected all bids on July 7 with intent to resolicit using corrected pricing instructions.
Staff explained state statute language that permits agencies to keep submitted replies exempt while a solicitation is reissued (exemption no longer than 12 months); the district's 72‑hour window for protests closed with no filings, they said, and their plan is to reissue the solicitation promptly with clarified allowable pricing and scope. The board voted unanimously to approve the reject‑all action and reissue the RFP.
Purchasing staff said they will update solicitation language to remove disallowed fee structures and will coordinate with transport, risk management, and legal staff before reissuing the RFP.
