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bus issues
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 2020 SCHOOL BUS SERVICES TENDER
BCA LEGAL ADVISOR NINA JIRKOWSKY PROVIDES MEMBERS WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE MINISTRY’S CURRENT POSITION ON THE 2020 SCHOOL BUS SERVICES TENDER.
As most people in the bus and coach industry will be aware, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is in the midst of a pro- gramme of work to contract for daily bus and technology services beyond the expiry of existing contracts in December 2020. As part of this programme, MoE held a num- ber of workshops around the country in July for existing service contract holders to explore options from 2021 onwards.
ese workshops provided an oppor- tunity for thought-sharing and testing out expectations about school transport ser- vice procurement with the MoE leadership team. MoE stated a clear expectation of the continuance of a safe and reliable service for students, as well as signalling a wish to explore the ability to install technology in school eets, such as the upcoming procurement process outlined at the work- shops - shown in the box on the right.
Based on the number of variables yet to be decided, it is clear many uncertainties around the 2020 tender will remain until the Government decides what the required vehicle and service standards will be. e Bus and Coach Association will continue to work closely with MoE and update you as more information becomes available. In the meantime, the MoE website www. education.govt.nz/school-bus-tender is the best place to nd the most up-to-date 2020 tender information.
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MOE’S UPCOMING PROCUREMENT PROCESS
1) QUESTIONS FOR GOVERNMENT
To determine the speci cations of this tender round, MoE rstly needs to know the level of services the Government is willing to pay for. ey are seeking wider Government advice about speci cations relating to:
■ vehicles, such as required emission standards, electric vehicles, age etc.
■ drivers, such as their required training, experience and responsibilities
■ passenger experience, such as whether Wi-Fi, air conditioning, seat belts or seat
speci cations should be required.
2) DECISIONS FOR MOE
Once Government has decided on the standards of the service, MoE will need to determine how to best implement the Government’s decision. is will include deciding:
■ What contract model best supports the Government’s decision:
• isdecisionwillinvolvecontractduration,andwhethercontractextensionswillbe available. MoE will also have to consider what the performance requirements (KPI’s) should be.
■ How to approach the market to run this tender:
• MoEhaspreliminarilyindicatedthatthiswillbeatwo-stepprocess,andhascreated
an evaluation panel to assist throughout:
■ e rst step will be a quali cation stage, during which operators register their
interest and undergo pre-quali cation testing.
■ e second step will be a nance and capacity assessment stage. An Audit NZ
representative is included in the evaluation panel to provide probity.
■ How to organise the services:
• MoEwilldecidewhethertoo erservicesinclusters,orindividuallydesignedroutes.
MoE has rightly signalled no preference for any current or future suppliers.
Recap – Time Line
Foundation Stage
Tender Stage
1/01/2020 30/04/2020
Implementation Stage
1/01/2021
1/12/2017
31/08/2018
31/12/2018
1/10/2019
Individual and Group TSP discussions/ workshops
Determine Tender Bid
Prepare Tender and Contract Documents
Tender is Open
Tender Award Window
New Contracts
Transition Period
Procurement Process
Engagement
Planning
1/10/2017 1/01/2018 1/04/2018 1/07/2018 1/10/2018 1/01/2019 1/04/2019 1/07/2019 1/10/2019 1/01/2020 1/04/2020 1/07/2020 1/10/2020 1/01/2021 1/04/2021 CA DR Service
1/09/2017
2021
Heavy Industry Contact Minimal Industry Contact Heavy Industry Contact
30/06/
12 CIRCULAR SEPTEMBER 2018
WWW.BUSANDCOACH.CO.NZ
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