Duxbury School Committee awards three‑year bus contract to First Student

The Duxbury School Committee voted to award a three‑year school bus transportation contract to First Student after a consultant‑led bidding process and staff review.

Consultant Rich Lee of Alliance Education Associates told the committee the district issued bid specifications on Jan. 12, answered bidder questions through three addenda and publicly opened bids on Feb. 11. Three bids were submitted; one was disqualified for failing to meet bid‑bond and specification requirements. Lee said First Student, the incumbent, was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder and that the firms’ three‑year totals differed by roughly $216,000 (about 3.26%). He recommended awarding the contract to First Student and noted the district may negotiate on limited terms consistent with M.G.L. c. 30B.

Lee explained market pressures driving higher prices: “The transportation industry has changed a lot in the last three or four years post‑COVID,” citing a national CDL driver shortage and competition from private carriers that raised wages and benefits, costs ultimately passed to districts.

Committee members asked several technical questions about the bid. Staff and the consultant said the bid base covers 180 days of daily routes for 21 buses plus kindergarten midday transportation; other items shown as “if required” (for example, late buses, athletic trips, and minibus/van alternates for special‑education routes) are priced as alternates so the district can decide whether to implement them during the contract term. On fuel pricing, the contract includes a monthly fuel indexing mechanism tied to a market metric (for example, the Journal of Commerce or a cooperative purchasing index) that triggers adjustments when average fuel changes exceed a small threshold.

The committee discussed budget implications and how the district will handle fuel volatility; staff said the district budgeted for a roughly 9–10% increase in transportation costs and expected the extra 1% variance to cover near‑term fuel pressures. Committee members also noted that special‑education transportation costs are tracked separately and may require additional contract arrangements.

During the meeting a member moved to award the contract to First Student; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The bid packet included a three‑year total shown as $6,635,228.60. The committee noted the selected three‑year term avoids the need for town‑meeting approval that longer contracts would trigger.

Next steps: staff will finalize contract documents consistent with the bid specifications and return any required contract paperwork to the committee for signature or administrative handling as appropriate.