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If the City chooses to hold proposer interviews, has a target date or date range for those interviews been identified? Will they be in person or virtual?
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:11:50 AM EST
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A need for interviews and a date range will be determined upon bid closing and review of proposals, both in-person and virtual options will be provided.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 12:12:08 PM
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When does the City anticipate issuing a Notice to Proceed?
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:12:10 AM EST
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Upon City Council Approval, preferrable as soon as possible after award.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 12:10:56 PM
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| Q: |
A DBE goal of 2.55% is identified in Exhibit B. However, DBE participation does not appear to be part of the evaluation criteria. Please confirm the DBE goal of 2.55% is applicable to this procurement.
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:12:25 AM EST
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While the DBE goal of 2.55% does not appear in the evaluation criteria, it's applicable to this procurement.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 9:33:47 AM
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| Q: |
What is the composition of the Transit Steering Committee? (e.g., City staff, citizen representatives, etc.)
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:12:49 AM EST
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To be determined.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 12:10:24 PM
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| Q: |
Are all Sun Tran vehicles equipped with Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs)?
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:13:04 AM EST
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Yes, however, APC Data is not certified for NTD Reporting.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 12:09:55 PM
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| Q: |
What, if any, preliminary work has the City completed with respect to the (cost-benefit) feasibility study? Is such information available for review?
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:13:22 AM EST
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No work in any capacity has been done on this project.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 12:09:31 PM
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The proposed project includes two distinct components. Is it the City’s desire the COA component be completed prior to the feasibility component? Or should bidders plan to conduct the two components concurrently?
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:13:40 AM EST
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Both components should be completed concurrently.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 12:06:41 PM
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| Q: |
Has the City identified a not-to-exceed amount for the proposed project? If so, what is the amount?
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:13:54 AM EST
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No, a not-to-exceed amount has not been set.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 2:16:04 PM
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| Q: |
Is it the City’s intent to conduct a BAFO with short-listed firms?
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:14:13 AM EST
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Please refer to Section 2.4 Evaluation Process and Criteria (pages 11-12) of the Request for Proposal.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 2:19:55 PM
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| Q: |
Will the City provide venues for the eight “informational meetings”?
Posted by:
Allison Moore
2/3/2026 9:14:29 AM EST
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Yes. Venues to be determined.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/3/2026 2:20:28 PM
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| Q: |
Task 2.1 Methodology describes an “Origin and Destination Survey.” Is SunTran requesting both of the following: 1. Statistically significant on board survey of rider origin-destination activity AND 2. Survey of bus rider stop-by-stop level on and off activity (described in Task 2.4)
Posted by:
Erin Athas
2/16/2026 10:59:57 AM EST
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1. Yes 2. Yes
Posted by:
David Williams 2/16/2026 11:31:33 AM
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Is the rider survey described in Tasks 2.4 through 2.6 intended to supersede the information currently available from the existing AVL system? What is the level of confidence in existing AVL system data? What proportion of the fleet is equipped with working equipment?
Posted by:
Erin Athas
2/16/2026 11:00:40 AM EST
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1. Yes 2. APC System has not been verified, confidence level is unknown. 3. 100% however, APC Data is not certified for NTD Reporting
Posted by:
David Williams 2/16/2026 11:32:51 AM
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| Q: |
1. Would the City please provide a sample contract? 2. On page 6 of the General Terms and Conditions - Warranty, the City is requiring the design professional to provide a warranty that it’s services will be without defects. Would the City please remove this requirement? Design professionals do not provide materials or supplies like a vendor, instead we provide professional services. To require a warranty related to professional services is requiring perfection, which no one can achieve. We can however warranty that our services will be per the standard of care. 3. On page 10 of the General Terms and Conditions – Indemnification - as currently worded, we believe that the indemnity provision is not in compliance with FL Statute 725.08 and is unenforceable. Would the City please consider rewording same to conform with the statute? Suggested language per FL Statutes 725.08: “The design professional shall indemnify and hold harmless the City, and its officers and employees, from liabilities, damages, losses, and costs, including, but not limited to, reasonable attorneys' fees, to the extent caused by the negligence, recklessness, or intentionally wrongful conduct of the design professional and other persons employed or utilized by the design professional in the performance of the contract."
Posted by:
Erin Athas
2/16/2026 11:04:36 AM EST
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We have reviewed your specific inquiries and have determined that, while they may be (1) reasonable requests given the circumstances of this RFP; and (2) adjustments to a final agreement with which the City of Ocala may be willing to agree, those determinations would be more appropriately made during the contract negotiations following the conclusion of the solicitation process.
We will make note of these requests and, in the event that your firm is selected, we will be happy to discuss them again at that time.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/17/2026 9:55:32 AM
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| Q: |
Please provide clarification on how the proposal price is scored. Does the respondent get full points by providing a detailed project budget, following the task list provided in the scope of services or is the fee compared to what is provided by the other respondents? If it is the latter, what is the formula for how points are awarded?
Posted by:
Susan Suggs
2/17/2026 2:38:42 PM EST
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Price Proposals will be scored based on the Evaluation Criteria on page 12 of the Request for Proposal.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/17/2026 2:57:06 PM
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| Q: |
Could you provide additional clarification on the DBE question? Is there a penalty for not including a DBE in your proposal?
Posted by:
Susan Suggs
2/17/2026 2:40:05 PM EST
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Please refer to ATTACHMENT 3 – DBE Utilization Form.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/17/2026 2:58:51 PM
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| Q: |
What is the projected start date for this project? Is there a desired end date for the project?
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:29:12 PM EST
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The desired start date (TBD) is after all proposals have been evaluated, the selection committee meetings are completed, and City Council approves the recommended award. The duration to complete the study must be no longer than 9 months from kick-off meeting with City staff.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/17/2026 3:49:52 PM
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| Q: |
May we use 11” x 17” pages for the project schedule and price proposal to enhance legibility? And if so, will those still count as 1 page?
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:29:36 PM EST
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Yes, 11" x 17" pages is acceptable and each page will be counted as one page.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/17/2026 3:51:15 PM
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| Q: |
Please clarify the difference between the information requested in Tabs 1 and 3. Tab 3 seems to include information (Proposed Approach and Methodology) that would be included in Tab 1 (Scope of Work).
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:29:52 PM EST
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A:
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TAB 1 – PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK. Here, Proposers should provide detailed evidence demonstrating their ability to comply with the requirements and specifications set forth in this Solicitation, see page 9 of the RFP.
TAB 3 – PROJECT UNDERSTANDING, PROPOSED APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY, IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, AND PROJECT SCHEDULE Here, Proposers should demonstrate how the Project will be implemented pursuant to the objectives, requirements, and specifications set forth in this Solicitation. Proposers shall demonstrate knowledge of the City’s Project objectives and existing conditions, identify potential implementation issues, and present a comprehensive plan for completing the specified work, see page 9 of the RFP.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/17/2026 3:52:55 PM
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| Q: |
What is the methodology for the proposal price criteria? Is it based on price or on fulfilling the questions in the evaluation criteria table?
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:30:05 PM EST
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A:
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Price Proposals will be scored based on the Evaluation Criteria on page 12 of the Request for Proposal.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/17/2026 3:53:40 PM
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| Q: |
Are the APCs functional in collecting quality data? Are the APC units installed on both large and small buses? Are they rotated around the system for data collection? If so, will this data be available to the consultant team?
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:30:20 PM EST
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A:
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1). Are the APCs functional in collecting quality data? ANSWER: APC System has not been verified, confidence level is unknown 2). Are the APC units installed on both large and small buses? ANSWER: Yes, APCs are in 100% of the Revenue Vehicle Fleet 3). Are they rotated around the system for data collection? If so, will this data be available to the consultant team? ANSWER: APC Data will be available for the team
Posted by:
David Williams 2/18/2026 11:00:59 AM
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Please provide, if possible, additional information for the purposes of survey scope and budgeting:
a) Please confirm that only one bus operates on each route at a time and they pulse at the downtown transit center.
b) Please provide route level average weekday and Saturday ridership
c) Please provide route level weekday and Saturday vehicle hours
d) Does the fare media technology record transfer information? If so, please provide an estimate of percentage of riders board or alight at the downtown transit center
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:31:02 PM EST
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A:
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a) Please confirm that only one bus operates on each route at a time and they pulse at the downtown transit center. ANSWER: This is correct b) Please provide route level average weekday and Saturday ridership ANSWER: email Buyer for this information at dwilliams@ocalafl.gov c) Please provide route level weekday and Saturday vehicle hours ANSWER: No weekend deviation in vehicle revenue hours, daily service total revenue hours approximately 115 hours per day for routes 1-7 plus an additional 8 hours for route 8 d) Does the fare media technology record transfer information? If so, please provide an estimate of percentage of riders board or alight at the downtown transit center ANSWER: SunTran currently uses a manual system for fares,
Posted by:
David Williams 2/18/2026 11:04:19 AM
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| Q: |
Please confirm/clarify the following two distinct surveys are requested in the RFP
a) Origin/Destination survey with location of passenger start and end points, as well as trip purpose
b) Passenger count survey to understand stop level ridership by route
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:31:26 PM EST
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A:
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a) Origin/Destination survey with location of passenger start and end points, as well as trip purpose ANSWER: No trip purpose will be collected b) Passenger count survey to understand stop level ridership by route ANSWER: yes, collect data at stop level
Posted by:
David Williams 2/18/2026 11:05:13 AM
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| Q: |
Would the Origin/Destination survey be used for future travel demand model (TPO) calibration/updates?
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:31:39 PM EST
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A:
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No.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/18/2026 11:05:44 AM
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| Q: |
What are the current data reporting requirements of RATP Dev and will these datasets be available to the consultant? Will RATP Dev be available for interviews?
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:31:53 PM EST
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A:
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All route and ridership data that is collected will be available and RATPDev will be available for interviews.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/18/2026 11:06:20 AM
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| Q: |
Is there a desire for the consultant to recommend governance, such as Board of Directors, or General Manager structure?
Posted by:
Jeanne Martin
2/17/2026 3:32:07 PM EST
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A:
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No recommendation for governance. A detailed review of the In-House Operations and Maintenance Cost and Feasibility Study Analysis should include additional structure to support the option.
Posted by:
David Williams 2/18/2026 11:06:40 AM
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