THE CITY OF YONKERS/YONKERS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUREAU OF PURCHASING, One Larkin Center, 3RD Floor, Yonkers, New York 10701 (Located in the Yonkers Riverfront Library Building across from the Metro-North train station) will receive sealed Proposals at the above location for the following project until 2:00 PM, on January 30, 2026. Two (2) original hard copies and one (1) electronic (flash drive) copy of the proposal must be submitted.   The building is open from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM for receiving packages via courier services and in person. If delivering proposals in person, individuals must see the Public Safety Officer in the library atrium, who will contact Purchasing to meet the individual at the 3rd floor elevator.   Solicitation documents are available for downloading from the Empire State Purchasing Group website at http://www.empirestatebidsystem.com/. The City welcomes and encourages participation by local and minority and women owned business enterprises.   Request for Proposal No. 539 - Due date January 30, 2026: Transportation Services for the Yonkers Public School District - General Education Transportation Services, Special Education In-District – Special Services Transportation (In-District Sick Van and In-District Related Services), Special Education Out-of-District Transportation - New Locations and Special Services (Out-of-district sick vans and out-of-district caravans – intake appointments), Athletic Trips, and Summer School for the 2026-2027 School Year.    In the event that a contract is awarded, the Yonkers Public Schools District, at its sole discretion, may elect to renew this contract in subsequent years at a price to be negotiated, but in no event at a rate in excess of the percentage increase of the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) as approved annually (June of each year) by the State Education Department, unless regulations relative to contract renewals are modified during the term of this contract.   Transportation services are provided to qualifying Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8 students, other service types may cover Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 students. Students must be transported to and from school regularly, promptly, safely and without interruption or adverse incidents. It shall be the primary obligation of the Contractor to conduct its activities so that students will be assured of continuous and reliable service; and that their interests shall take precedence over the interests of the Contractor, or its drivers.   The Contractor and all Contractors’ employees must meet all the requirements of The NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, The NYS Department of Education, The NYS Public Service Commission, and The NYS Department of Motor Vehicles Article 19A division, as well as complying with any other applicable laws, including Yonkers City Code Section 112 and New York Education Law § 305 and 8 NYCRR § 156.12.   Section 112 of the City’s code requires school bus drivers to be licensed to operate a bus within the City of Yonkers. The Code provides that Application for a school bus and/or omnibus driver's license must be filed with the Police Commissioner. The City/School District will award the RFP conditionally, i.e., the potential awardees will not be required to obtain proper licensing and permits until they are awarded the contract, however, all conditional awardees are required to comply with the City Code and contact the Yonkers Police Department within thirty days after receiving notice of a conditional contract award to obtain the required licenses. Failure to comply within thirty days after notice of conditional contact award may result in the City rescinding the conditional contract award.   All submitted Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of ten, weighted criteria pursuant to 8 NYCRR § 156.12 and New York Education Law § 305. The ten criteria and their weightings are:   (1) Previous experience of proposer in school bus  transportation             10 points (2) Name of each additional transportation company in which proposer     5 points is or has been a principal and the proposer’s experience with same         (3) Safety programs implemented by proposer. Please include                    10 points supporting documentation in your proposal.         (4) Record of accidents in motor vehicles under the control of the               5 points proposer for the past five (5) years, if applicable. List insurance runs and ratio of injury versus physical damage  (5) Driving history of employees of the company and driving practice      7.5 points Please include abstracts and driving records  (6) Inspection records and model year(s) of the motor vehicles under       10 points the control of proposer NYS DOT BUSNET score. Include BUSNET for ALL Westchester County locations  (7) Maintenance schedule of the motor vehicles under the control of       7.5 points the proposer.  (8) Financial analysis of proposer (include financial statements)                   5 points (9) Compliance with motor vehicle insurance requirements and the             5 points state and local insurance bonding requirement. Include all insurance certificates required.  (10) Overall cost of proposal over the period of time requested.                 35 points   The minimum score for award of a contract is 65 points, and the maximum score that can be attained is 100 points.   Deadline for Proposal Submissions: Due by Friday, January 30, 2026 by 2 PM EST   Two (2) original hard copies and one (1) electronic (flash drive) copy of the proposal must be delivered to:   Nicole Galdi, Principal Buyer City of Yonkers / Yonkers Public Schools Purchasing Department One Larkin Center – 3rd floor Yonkers, NY 10701 (Located in the Yonkers Riverfront Library Building across from the Metro-North train station.) 914.377.6068 Email: Nicole.Galdi@YonkersNY.gov   Optional proposal information session to be held via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 11AM EST . If planning to attend, please pre-register by accessing the following link:    https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/13caf464-8c8a-43a9-b42d-f2da6ad4c6a3@09533c45-de29-4dba-8669-eab2811487fe   Deadline for receipt of written questions: Monday, December 22, 2025 at 12PM EST. All questions must be submitted via email to Nicole.Galdi@YonkersNY.gov  11870972