A district transportation RFP can run to dozens of pages, and the forms are scattered through it: one in the instructions, one in an appendix, one in an addendum that came out last Tuesday. Miss one and the whole proposal can be rejected before anyone looks at your price. This school bus RFP checklist for contractors gathers what districts commonly ask for in one place: the forms, the proof about your company, and the final check before you seal the envelope.
Every district's list is a little different. Use this one to get your papers ready early, then tick it against the package in front of you, line by line.
School bus RFP checklist for contractors: the forms
| Form | What it is | Where you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Bid or proposal form (price sheet) | Your prices, in the district's own format and units — per route per day, per bus, per hour or per mile, with lines for aides and extras. | The bid package. Never retype it in your own format. |
| Signature or authorization page | Signed by someone who can legally bind the company, often with the company's legal name, address and tax ID. | The bid package. |
| Acknowledgment of addenda | Proof you received every change the district issued. | The bid package; list each addendum by number. |
| Bid security | A bid bond, certified check or cashier's check that's kept if the winner won't sign. One Pennsylvania district asked for at least 5% of the first year's price. | A surety company (for a bond) or your bank. |
| Performance bond commitment | A letter showing a surety will issue the performance bond if you win. | Your surety. |
| Non-collusion affidavit | A sworn statement that your price was set on your own, without agreements with other bidders. Often notarized. | The bid package. |
| Certificates of insurance | Proof of auto liability, general liability, workers' compensation and often umbrella and abuse coverage, at or above the district's limits. | Your insurance agent. Send them the district's requirements page. |
| Ownership disclosure | Who owns the company. New Jersey, for example, requires bids to name each person with an ownership interest. | The bid package, or your state's standard form. |
| State and district certifications | Things like an affirmative action or equal opportunity statement, a drug and alcohol testing statement, and other state-specific certifications. | The bid package. |
| W-9 and business registration | Your tax ID, and proof you're registered to do business in the state. | IRS form W-9; your state's business registration. |
Tip: Ask your insurance agent and your surety for their part the day the RFP comes out. They're the two items you can't produce yourself at 10 PM the night before.
The proof: what to show about your company
An RFP that's scored, not just priced, asks you to prove you can run the routes safely. Expect some or all of these:
- Experience and references: the districts and schools you've served, with a contact for each, and how long you've run routes like these.
- Driver roster: each driver's license class and expiry, endorsements, medical card date, hire date and training. Leave out Social Security numbers, home addresses and pay unless the district's form truly requires them.
- Screening and training: background checks, drug and alcohol testing, initial and in-service training. Our driver qualification file checklist covers what to keep for each driver.
- Vehicle list: fleet number, year, make, capacity, VIN, inspection dates and equipment — wheelchair lift, stop arm, cameras — plus your spare buses.
- Maintenance program: your preventive maintenance schedule and who does the work. See the school bus preventive maintenance schedule.
- Safety program: your written procedures — the child check, evacuation drills, accidents, weather.
- Accident history: incidents in recent years, with what you changed afterwards.
- Aides: their clearances and training, for routes that need them.
- Financial information: financial statements or a bank reference, so the district knows you can carry payroll until the first payment.
- Your yard and a contingency plan: where buses are kept, and how you'll cover a breakdown or a driver calling out.
Before you seal the envelope
- Every form in the package is filled in, in the order the package lists them.
- Every page that needs a signature is signed, and every page that needs a notary is notarized.
- Each addendum is acknowledged by number.
- Prices are in the units asked for, the arithmetic is checked, and no conditions are added.
- The bid security is in the envelope, for the right amount and naming the right district.
- Insurance certificates show limits at or above what the district asks for, and dates that cover the contract start.
- You have the number of copies asked for, plus the electronic copy if one is required.
- The envelope is sealed and labeled exactly as the package says, with the bid name and due date.
- Someone is booked to deliver it early — or it's uploaded, with the portal's confirmation saved.
Tip: Keep a master bid binder — every form, certificate and roster you've used — and refresh it each quarter. The next RFP then takes days, not weeks.
Doing it in FleetCommander
FleetCommander keeps most of the proof an RFP asks for, ready to print. In Reports, Driver roster lists every driver with their Employee ID, Status, Phone, Hired, License class, License expires, Medical cert expires and Vehicle; Training & screening status shows each driver's Training, Background check and Drug/alcohol test status and their training certificates. Vehicle age gives each bus's year, age and odometer, and Inspection compliance, Preventive maintenance compliance, Incidents by vehicle and Incident trends cover the safety record. Tick just the rows you need, then Print, or export to CSV, Excel or PDF. A driver's SSN never appears in exports or reports. See the Reports guide.
Insurance keeps each policy's carrier, type, limits, premium and dates, with the certificate of insurance attached — and reminds you before one expires (Insurance guide). Before you submit, the Compliance Center lists anything expired or expiring, and its Drivers missing papers and Vehicles missing papers cards show what was never added — a missing license number, a vehicle without a VIN or registration. Where Aides are switched on for your company, each aide's background check, child abuse clearance and CPR / first aid dates are kept with their record (Aides guide).
A last check before the envelope goes: ask Ava (Beta), the assistant in FleetCommander, Any expired insurance?, What's expired? or What's our compliance score? See her page.
Related reading: how to bid on a school bus contract, how much school bus contractors charge per route, the school bus audit checklist and how to find school bus contracts near you.
Good to know: Required forms, bond amounts and insurance limits differ by state and by district, and change from one RFP to the next. This checklist is general guidance, not legal advice: follow the bid package you're answering, check your state's procurement and pupil transportation rules, and ask your attorney, insurer and surety.
Questions people ask
- What is a non-collusion affidavit in a school bus bid?
- A sworn statement, usually signed by an owner or officer and often notarized, that your price was set on your own, without any agreement with other bidders. Most public bids ask for one.
- What insurance do school bus RFPs ask for?
- Commonly auto liability, general liability and workers' compensation, often with umbrella coverage and sexual abuse and molestation coverage, at limits the district sets. The winner usually names the district as additional insured.
- Should I include driver SSNs in an RFP driver roster?
- Only if the district's form truly requires them. A roster usually needs names, license class and expiry, medical card dates, training and screening — not Social Security numbers, home addresses or pay.
- What gets a school transportation RFP rejected?
- Most often a late delivery, a missing signature, notarization or bid bond, an addendum not acknowledged, or prices not in the bid form's units.