The Department of Enterprise Services has developed a FAST Act compliant transit bus contract. The transit bus contract features both heavy-duty and light to medium duty as categories in the same contract. New categories for the transit bus contract include double-decker buses, refurbished, repowered, and rebuilt buses. This transit bus contract DOES NOT include school buses. The Department of Enterprise Services does not have a Master Contract for the purchase of school buses.

This contract is intended to be a State Cooperative Purchasing Contract under Section 3019 of the FAST Act and compliant with FTA Guidelines. The state of Washington, through DES, will contract with vendors to provide transit buses and related equipment to multiple participants, including transit organizations from other states.

Contact information

If you have questions on this contract please check our contract summary page or contact DES Bus Purchases Email.

Vehicles Available

Purchases under the contract are grouped in separate award categories. Each category was created with its own solicitation that had its own specifications and requirements in the solicitation to ensure that Contractors meet the purchasers' needs. Contractors may bid on a single category or multiple categories based on the services they offer. The information on the solicitation documents are available on our box account which has all posted documents regarding the solicitations.

Heavy-Duty 06719-01

The heavy-duty category is for mass transit buses. These buses carry 40-60 passengers. The heavy-duty category has requirements for buses based on chassis length and propulsion. This category includes chassis ranging from 30 feet to 60 feet articulated. The category contains the common propulsion systems including diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell, and electric propulsion systems.

Light and Medium Duty/Cutaways 06719-02

The light and medium duty category includes shuttles and minibuses. These buses carry around 10 to 20 passengers. Like the heavy-duty category, this category is will offer buses based on chassis and propulsion. Generally, light and medium buses operate on truck chassis, which are modified for use as buses. This category contains the common propulsion systems including gas, diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, hybrid, and electric systems.

Double-Decker 06719-03

The double-decker category is for heavy-duty double-decker buses. These buses are a separate category from heavy-duty because there are different manufacturers of double-decker buses and standard heavy-duty buses.

Rebuilt 06719-04

The rebuilt category is for purchasing pre-owned buses that have been fully refurbished and are offered for sale by Contractors. This allows transit agencies to save money on the purchase of a bus and supplement their existing fleet quicker than waiting on procuring a newly built bus.

Refurbishment/Remanufactured 06719-05

The refits/refurbishment category is for services to repair and replace component systems of mass transit buses to sustain and extend the usable life.

Repower/Conversion 06719-06

The repowering category is for services to convert the propulsion system of a current bus into an electric propulsion system.

 

Ordering/Approval System

Currently DES uses a simple Vehicle Purchase Request Form to approve purchases on the Master Contract. DES requires this form so that we may track use of the contract and assist in any purchases. The purchasing approval process is currently reliant on customers to complete the form and return it along with necessary information to the relevant entities for approval. Customers on this contract have expressed a desire for an online ordering system. We have listened to your feedback and are engaging our internal IT team to see what modifications can be made for use as an online bus purchasing system. We are currently developing a solution that will also serve as the online portal for tracking purchases and be used for approval of purchases by DES. We hope that the approval system will increase operational efficiency and reduce downtime between when a final purchase order is created and the transit agency receives official approval from DES and their DOT.

 

Cooperative Agreement

This contract was developed to be in compliance with section 3019 of the FAST Act and compliant with FTA Guidelines. The state of Washington, through DES, will contract with vendors to provide transit buses and related equipment to multiple participants, including transit organizations from other states. The contract incorporates FTA required clauses and certifications. Following Washington law any out of state agency that would like to purchase from this contract must have Enterprise Services permission. Enterprise Services has developed a cooperative under our state law to grant this permission to out of state entities.

If your state or organization would like to purchase from this contract, Enterprise Services requires a signed agreement with the state and the individual agency.

The relevant state agency with authority to join a cooperative must complete a Washington Transit Bus Cooperative Agreement. This agreement only needs to be completed once at the state level. This agreement authorizes any entity within that state's jurisdiction (check your local jurisdiction laws on applicability) to use the Washington State Transit Bus Master Contract. Generally this agreement would be signed by a participating state's department of transportation and/or relevant department that oversees contracting with the state (often departments of general services or administrative services).

Any purchasing entity must complete a Washington Transit Bus Cooperative Agreement. This agreement is with individual entities and governs the use of the Washington Master Contract for Transit Buses.