On behalf of the New York State (“NYS”) Office of General Services (“OGS”), Procurement Services requests information from entities that manufacture, sell, or prepare FTA-compliant transit buses to be distributed for sale in New York State.

For the purposes of this Request for Comments (“RFC”), OGS is looking for information concerning Transit Buses that are:

a. “Buy America” compliant as defined in 49 CFR U.S.C. 5323(j); and

b. Eligible for funding subsidies provided by the Federal Transit Administration for the Section 5310 Program – Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities, https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/policy-and-strategy/public-transportation/specialized-transportation/5310 and for the Section 5311 Programs - Public Transportation in Nonurbanized Areas, https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/policy-and-strategy/public-transportation/rural-programs/5311; and

c. Certified as a motor vehicle or transit bus under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS); and

d. Certified via a STURAA Test Report (a.k.a. "Altoona Testing"); or

e. Have been certified under FTA provisions as "exempt" from STURAA Testing

The purpose of this RFC is to acquire information regarding recent demand and build changes of new Transit Buses. This RFC also seeks to determine the availability of, and demand for, new types and configurations of battery powered electric Transit Buses. NYS will use the information received from this RFC to review the available options and solutions in making a determination regarding future contracting strategies.

The Request for Comment (RFC) documents are located on the NYS Procurement Bid Calendar on the OGS Website: https://ogs.ny.gov/procurement/bid-opportunities .

Since this RFC is designed as a tool to collect information and will not result in a procurement contract for Transit Buses by a State Agency, it does not fall under the requirements of State Finance Law §§139-j and 139-k (the Procurement Lobbying Law) and there is no restricted period. However, we ask that you direct your questions and responses in writing to the email address listed below.

The RFC consists of two documents which are labeled ‘RFC_23033_TransitBuses.pdf’ and the associated attachment ‘RFC_23303_TransitBusesSpecs.xlsx’ . Please submit completed responses by email to SST_auto@ogs.ny.gov no later than March 20, 2023. Please email any related questions to the same email address.

NYS will use the information received from this RFC to review the available options and solutions in making a determination regarding future contracting strategies.