With Seattle Public Schools potentially days away from confirming First Student with a three-year contract as the district’s primary school bus provider, their competition has accused the district of “arbitrarily and improperly” awarding the contract to First Student.
Zum contends that they provide cheaper wheelchair accessible buses than First Student, and had that been considered in their score with the district, they would rate higher in SPS’ evaluation as their proposal would factor out to approximately $7 million cheaper, according to a spokesperson with Zum.
Seattle Public School has declined to offer supplemental information on how the district arrived at the score that was, ultimately, pointed to as the rationale for its selection of First Student: “The selection was made through a competitive RFP process, which drew proposals from First Student and Zum Services,” Tim Robinson, spokesperson with Seattle Schools, wrote to MyNorthwest in late April.
Raney notes that in Oakland, the RFP process is internal and districts throughout California have internal discretion in how they evaluate potential contractors. According to the February proposal, Zum Services originally bested First Student across variables other than price: relevant experience, vendor’s approach, references, qualified personnel, and willingness to accept terms and conditions. As an aggregate, they scored 23 points higher than First Student, but their bid of $33.9 million was bested by First Student’s $30.2 million.
An attorney with the law firm which represents First Student, Davis Wright Tremaine, has called the accusation “entirely without merit,” citing “a misunderstanding of procurement guidelines and the discretion afforded SPS by the terms of the [request for qualifications],” correspondence with SPS’s chief financial officer notes.