Photo Courtesy: SEPTA

Photo Courtesy: SEPTA

With all the steps involved in creating specs for new bus procurements, transit and motorcoach operators can become overwhelmed. The process requires extensive organizing and analysis of information and staff coordination, even before the purchasing stage.

The American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) thoroughly researched and revised Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines offer a clearer, simpler format to make the process easier for OEMs and agencies, and will hopefully be a useful tool, instrumental in streamlining the process. Additionally, one OEM provides recommendations for ensuring operators use specs to get exactly what they need the first time around.

Standards overhaul

APTA's Guidelines were revamped last year and offer uniformity across the board in bid documents and other standard forms, clauses and terms, so agencies, OEMs and suppliers know what to expect and where to find what they need.

The new guidelines are organized in a more straightforward format, with the best practices that operators are using in their RFPs in one document that the entire industry can use. The guidelines are available at www.apta.com and can be downloaded by anyone for free.

 "The OEMs [are now able to] have a better understanding of agencies' expectations, saving time and money on both sides," Jeff Hiott, senior program manager-Standard Program & Bus Technical, APTA, says.

On the technical side, the guidelines include information for multiple bus lengths and propulsion types in one document. Agencies can now be confident that the technology they are specifying is up to date and vetted by the industry, Hiott adds.

The guidelines, as Hiott describes them, are terms and conditions updated from the former "white book," as it is known in the industry, which was published in 1997. It was a shorter version, and lacked the depth that the new guidelines provide, particularly on regulations, including Buy America.

"It is a living document. It will be updated annually, to reflect any changes in the industry, especially on the technical side," Hiott explains.

APTA also plans to accommodate regulations changes more frequently, if necessary, with online updates.

The new standards were initially presented at the 2010 Bus & Paratransit Conference in Cleveland as a draft for industry input. For the first two and a half years before it actually hit the street, parts of the guidelines were already being used by agencies.

"We reached out to agencies that were putting together an RFP and could use the document to give us some feedback and final comments," Hiott says.

Throughout the summer, after APTA addressed the feedback and retooled, it officially released the published document at its annual meeting in October.

The new guidelines incorporate bus sizes ranging from 30 feet to articulated, as well as all propulsion types, including diesel, hybrid, electric and CNG. Previously, technical specs were limited to a single propulsion or bus type.

The biggest impact is probably on small- to medium-sized agencies, with smaller procurement staff, Hiott says. The guidelines still allow for agency flexibility, with places in the forms for agencies to add, where needed, their own technical information and terms and conditions.

The FTA fully funded the development of the guidelines, which allowed APTA to gather a wide range of industry representatives to provide input. In addition to the association's technical committees and the FTA, transit agencies, including the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, King County Metro Transit; as well as OEMs, including Daimler Buses North America, Nova Bus, New Flyer and Motor Coach Industries (MCI); and sales and technical staff and vendors and suppliers gave input. A total of 200 people were involved in developing the guidelines.

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Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority procured 67 Gillig clean diesel buses in 2010. The agency begins its spec'ing process by using APTA's bus procurement guidelines.

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority procured 67 Gillig clean diesel buses in 2010. The agency begins its spec'ing process by using APTA's bus procurement guidelines.

Staying up to date

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) procured 67 clean diesel buses in 2010. The procurement is its second multi-year contract with Gillig.

"It took about nine months to hammer out the specification and make sure it was current with everything we could possibly think of," Jeff Sweet, director of engineering, says. "After we received submittals, it took another three months to make an award."

 The agency always starts with the APTA bus procurement guidelines, Sweet adds, because of the extensive industry research they use to create the specs. "To me they're the golden standard out there," he says.

The agency's legal staff also keeps track of pending regulations or new laws on federal grants and standards from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and New York Department of Transportation requirements. For example, a new ADA standard recently went into effect for a shallower slope on a wheelchair ramp. NFTA was able to accommodate it ahead of time with its current bus contract, Sweet explains. After that, NFTA further customizes its vehicle specs for what will work in the Buffalo, N.Y. region.

NFTA created its current spec procedure in 2000, when it completed its first RFP process. The agency performs a multi-year procurement and uses the request for proposals process, scoring and evaluating different criteria, with technical compliance being the most important. Creating the specs is an ongoing process, Sweet says, one that doesn't just happen before procurement.

The biggest issue NFTA dealt with last year, he adds, was the EPA 2010 emissions. Installing the new engine was a big part of the process. However, within one week after the buses arrived, they were in service.

"It was wonderful that we could get 56 buses and put them all on the road, considering all the new EPA 2010 technology on them," Sweet says.

Streamlined reviews

The challenge in creating bus specs for procurement for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is dealing with the bureaucratic side of the process, ­Emille Williams, manager of engineering buses, says, primarily securing the funding and then committing to the process. One critical tool that has helped is conducting a systems ­review.

The agency's new in-house system enables engineers to review vehicle maintenance information and accumulate, over the years, a significant amount of data on fleet performance.

"Before, we used to interview the maintenance technicians and get varying opinions on what worked and what didn't," Williams says. "Now, we have hard data to support what systems are reliable and what methods and improvements are needed as we move forward with spec'ing particular components and systems."

SEPTA uses APTA's guidelines format, especially in the technology, warranty and OEM production sections. The agency tries to stay within the 12-year lifecycle of buses when it develops its replacement plan. Running 1,300 buses total, SEPTA aims to replace about 600 every year.

"That way we keep the fleet fresh. We've been able to keep the average age of buses at six or seven years," Williams explains.

The agency's most recent procurement was 400 New Flyer low-floor LF and LFR 40-foot buses with options.

When beginning the replacement cycle, the engineering department completes one review of federal regulations, cafeteria standards on testing and brakes from SAE and another on specs for the buses to be replaced. This entails reviewing maintenance: Checking for any systems or components, including brakes, powertrain, cooling packages, and transmission repairs, that were not reliable over a period of time; and looking into the latest technology.

"If something is not currently available, but might be in the next four years, especially if we're doing a multi-year contract, we may incorporate it in a particular spec," Williams says.

The engineers also look to make improvements either to the bus itself or to at least provide creature comforts for passengers and incorporate those into the new spec.

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Operators need to remember that investing in some amenities, such as the driver's seat, can be crucial to the value of the vehicle.

Operators need to remember that investing in some amenities, such as the driver's seat, can be crucial to the value of the vehicle.

OEM tips

In addition to considering the function of the vehicle, passenger load and fuel economy, there are many other factors that go into spec'ing a bus, either for transit or motorcoach operations. For additional guidance, Michael Melaniphy, vice president, public sector, MCI, and Aram Nikitas, regional VP of new coach sales, offer some tips. In short: Don't sacrifice money or time.

1. Work with highly knowledgeable, professional sales staff to assure that the options selected will be compatible to other coach components, Melaniphy recommends.

2. Buy America compliance remains important in the public sector market, especially as the FTA just issued a letter stating that they will not waiver on Buy America requirements, Melaniphy says. Requirements impact the model and the options selected. "There is a certain percentage of components that must comply and vendors are required to provide documentation that its parts meet Buy America criteria."

3. Don't place low purchase price ahead of low operating cost, Melaniphy advises. A bigger upfront investment often provides lower costs over the long term.

Nikitas agrees, adding that some operators take value out of the coach to cut costs that they may regret later, such as operators selecting a cheaper, standard driver seat, instead of a more comfortable air-operated seat, sacrificing comfort for the driver, who needs to sit there eight to 10 hours at a time.

The biggest concern, Nikitas warns, is operators minimizing options that their customers are used to, and that the competition has, such as window shades. "It's much more efficient to build the coach right the first time, with the options they want. It's naturally going to cost more to retrofit it the way they should have done it to begin with," he says.

4. Take the time you need. Melaniphy advises not putting anticipated time lines on determining the best configuration for your vehicle. "Buying new equipment is a huge investment. You'll have the coach for years to come, so take the time to do it right," he says.

 

About the author
Nicole Schlosser

Nicole Schlosser

Former Executive Editor

Nicole was an editor and writer for School Bus Fleet. She previously worked as an editor and writer for Metro Magazine, School Bus Fleet's sister publication.

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