Active SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · VTA PURCHASING
AI Summary
VTA seeks proposals for a cloud-based Safety Management System software subscription to enhance safety, compliance, and hazard management for public transportation. The system must support regulatory requirements and provide comprehensive safety risk management across VTA operations. Proposals are due by June 25, 2026.
VTA currently utilizes the Vector Solutions Safety Management System (EHS platform) for incident tracking, inspections, observations, corrective actions, and hazard management.
VTA seeks proposals (each a "Proposal") for a comprehensive cloud-based, web accessible Safety Management System (SMS) software to support regulatory compliance, operations safety, vendor oversight, cybersecurity, and data privacy for a public transportation agency from responsive and responsible qualified firms (each a "Proposer") to enhance safety performance, regulatory compliance, vendor risk oversight, and agency-wide hazard and incident management.
The purpose of this SMS is to establish a comprehensive, proactive, and data-driven approach to managing safety across all VTA operations. The SMS ensures that safety risks associated with bus and light rail services are identified, evaluated, and mitigated through proactive and data-driven processes. It provides the framework for fostering a strong safety culture, achieving continuous improvement, and complying with all applicable regulatory requirements.
The Proposer shall provide a system that delivers this critical service and supports VTA’s compliance with applicable reporting, recordkeeping, and other requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Qualifications
(i) Required Minimum Qualifications
The following qualifications are the minimum required qualifications that a Proposer must have in order for a Proposal to be considered, and Proposers shall provide corresponding proof and documentation demonstrating compliance with these minimum qualifications. Proposers must also complete the Compliance Matrix in Appendix E and the checklist for all required proof and documentation as specified in Appendix D at the time of proposal submission. VTA reserves the right to verify all submitted proof and documentation.
A. Proposer shall have been in continuous operation providing safety management software solutions for a minimum of five (5) years prior to the proposal due date and shall have successfully implemented at least three (3) comparable safety management software systems within the past five (5) years. A ‘successful implementation’ is defined as a system that was deployed, accepted by the client, and placed into operational use.
B. At least one (1) implementation shall be for a public-sector organization. For purposes of this RFP, a public-sector organization includes federal, state, regional, or local government agencies, authorities, or publicly funded entities.
The Proposer shall demonstrate experience supporting enterprise-level deployments with multiple user roles and departments. For purposes of this RFP, “enterprise-level deployment” refers to a system implementation supporting multiple departments or divisions within an organization, with role-based access for different user groups and agency-wide workflows.
(ii) Preferred Qualifications-up to 20 points
Proposer demonstrates through its Proposal its qualifications to perform the Scope of Work and its experience in successful delivery and performance of comparable work on comparable projects, including demonstrated capability and experience in:
A. Any direct performance of safety management system software implementation and support services for organizations with similar operational complexity, regulatory requirements, and workforce characteristics as VTA, preferably within transportation, transit, aviation, or a regulated safety-sensitive industry, where the proposed system has been configured to support FTA Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) and SMS requirements. Include specific modules, workflows, and outcomes. Describe how the system supports hazard identification and reporting, risk assessment and mitigation tracking, safety performance monitoring, and safety communication & training. (Up to 8 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Qualifications")
B. Coordinating effectively with the project owner and multiple external stakeholders and third parties to support successful delivery of comparable projects. For the purposes of this evaluation criteria, "external stakeholders and third parties" refers to the applicable operating entity or department, Class 1 railroads, local jurisdictions, public and private utility owners, the California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") and other regulatory agencies, and other third parties and external stakeholders with jurisdiction over or an interface with, the applicable project. Experience involving coordination with public transit agencies or other public-sector transportation organizations is particularly relevant and is preferred. (Up to 5 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Qualifications")
C. Delivery and performance of comparable work on transportation projects utilizing a comparable delivery method. For the purposes of this evaluation criteria, a "comparable delivery method" means the Proposer’s experience delivering safety management software using an implementation approach similar to that anticipated by VTA. Comparable delivery methods include structured, enterprise-wide implementations performed under public-sector or similarly governed contracts, with defined scope, milestones, deliverables, and acceptance criteria. Comparable delivery methods should demonstrate experience with formal project governance, phased implementation, agency oversight and approvals, data migration, user acceptance testing, training, and go-live support. Experience delivering software solutions for public agencies or transportation organizations using fixed-price or milestone-based contracts is preferred. (Up to 4 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Qualifications")
D. Collaborating and coordinating effectively with other interfacing contractors and consultants when performing comparable work on a comparable project. (Up to 3 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Qualifications")
A. Proposer team. The Proposer demonstrating through its Proposal a cohesive team with a clear and effective division of responsibility between the Proposer Members (if applicable) and between the Proposer and the proposed Subcontractors to support successful delivery of the Scope of Work. Demonstrated experience of Proposer and/or of Proposer Members (if applicable) and the proposed Subcontractors working together performing comparable work on comparable projects is preferred. (Up to 8 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Staffing and Project Organization")
B. Key Personnel experience, capability, and qualifications. The Proposer demonstrating through its Proposal the capability, experience, and qualifications of its nominated key personnel necessary to satisfy the minimum requirements for Key Personnel under the Scope of Work Attachment A and to successfully deliver the Scope of Work ("Key Personnel"). Demonstrated experience of Key Personnel successfully working together performing comparable work on comparable projects is preferred. (Up to 11 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Staffing and Project Organization")
C. Organizational and management structure. The Proposer demonstrating through its Proposal a well-defined and appropriately-resourced organizational management structure that: (A) supports effective communication and issue resolution, (B) incorporates those Key Personnel and other personnel that bring relevant experience from comparable projects (including from the Reference Projects), best practices, and lessons learned, and allocates those Key Personnel and other personnel to those roles that enable them to utilize that experience and those best practices and lessons learned to support successful delivery of the Scope of Work, (C) demonstrates the Proposer's understanding of the Scope of Work, including the schedule for the Scope of Work, and (D) demonstrates the adequacy of the labor commitment for the Scope of Work, including taking account of the requirements to scale-up and/or scale-down the labor commitment according to the phasing of the Scope of Work. (Up to 6 allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Staffing and Project Organization")
A. Project Understanding. The Proposer demonstrating through its Proposal a clear understanding of Contract requirements and the risks, challenges, and opportunities for the Project and how, by reference to specific examples, the Proposer's experience delivering comparable work on comparable projects (including the Reference Projects) will be utilized to address those risks, challenges, and opportunities when performing the Scope of Work. (Up to 6 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Work Plan and Approach")
B. Work Plan. The Proposer demonstrating through its Proposal a well-defined and credible work plan for delivering the Scope of Work that: (A) aligns with the Contract requirements and Project objectives, (B) supports timely delivery of the Scope of Work in accordance with the defined milestones, (C) manages and mitigates risks to the Project, (D) establishes clear communication, coordination, and issue resolution protocols supporting productive working relationships between the Proposer and VTA, interfacing contractors and consultants, and external stakeholders, and (E) incorporates, by reference to specific examples, best practices and lessons learned from the Proposer's experience delivering comparable work on comparable projects (including the Reference Projects). (F) demonstrates functional and technical capabilities: supports incident and near-miss reporting, provides hazard identification and risk management functionality, supports corrective and preventive action tracking, includes audit, inspection, and investigation capabilities, allows configuration to Agency workflows without excessive customization, and demonstrates reliability, scalability, and performance, (G) exhibits strong usability and accessibility principles: overall ease of use for VTA staff, mobile and tablet accessibility, role-based user access and permissions, accessibility features (e.g., ADA compliance), and ability to promote user adoption across diverse user groups, (H) features comprehensive data analysis and reporting tools: provides standard and customizable reports, supports dashboards and key performance indicators, enables trend analysis and performance monitoring, exports data in commonly used formats, and supports audit, oversight, and public reporting requirements, (I) Offers a cohesive system architecture and a comprehensive integration framework: compatibility with existing VTA systems, availability of application programming interfaces (APIs), supports for Single Sign-On (SSO), hosting options and system scalability, and alignment with VTA IT standards and policies (Up to 12 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for “Work Plan and Approach”)
C. Data Security, Privacy, and Compliance. The Proposer demonstrating through its Proposal, a well-defined, comprehensive approach to: (A) data ownership and control provisions, (B) security architecture and access controls, (C) Encryption of data at rest and in transit, (D) audit logging and monitoring, (E) backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity, and (F) compliance with applicable data privacy and security requirements, during the performance of the Scope of Work. (Up to 6 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Work Plan and Approach")
D. Implementation Approach and Ongoing Support. The Proposer demonstrating through its Proposal a well-defined and executable technical submittal for (A) proposed implementation methodology and schedule, (B) data migration strategy, (C) training approach for Agency staff, (D) post-implementation support services, and (E) customer service availability and response times, and supports successful on-time and to-budget delivery of Project in accordance with the Contract requirements. (Up to 3 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Work Plan and Approach")
E. Quality Management. The Proposer demonstrating through its Proposal, a well-defined and credible approach to quality assurance and quality control during the performance of the Scope of Work. (Up to 3 points allocation for sub-criterion out of total points for "Work Plan and Approach")
In accordance with VTA Administrative Code, Section 9-11, Preference for Local Firms, 10 points will be awarded to a Proposal if at least fifty percent (50%) of the dollar value of services to be rendered under that Proposal will be performed by a local firm. An additional point will be awarded for each additional ten percent (10%) of the dollar value of services to be performed by a local firm, to a maximum point award of ten percent of total evaluation points.
For the purposes of this Section 3.1.2(e), local firms are those that currently have their main office or a branch office with meaningful production capability located within Santa Clara County, or those firms who, upon award of the contract by VTA, will establish such a local office. This preference shall not apply when prohibited by law or regulation, or whenever its application will disqualify VTA from receiving federal funds.
At the time of its Proposal submission and at VTA's request following Proposal submission, including upon or prior to Notice of Recommended Award, the Proposer must provide to VTA evidence reasonably acceptable to VTA that the local firm meets the requirements of the paragraph above.
Cost Proposal will be scored up to 15 points based on the reasonableness of cost proposal.
Refer to Section 4. Proposal Submittals and Forms of the RFP for details on response requirements that are to be submitted in this response section, and upload your COMPLETE Proposal here. Upload the cost proposal separately in the next step.
Submit the following forms as part of your Proposal:
PROPOSAL FORM 1A. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND PROPOSER GENERAL INFORMATION
PROPOSAL FORM 3: DESIGNATION OF SUBCONTRACTORS
PROPOSAL FORM 4: LISTING OF SBE PROPOSER OR SUBCONTRACTORS
PROPOSAL FORM 5: LITIGATION DISCLOSURE
PROPOSAL FORM 6: GENERAL CERTIFICATIONS
PROPOSAL FORM 7: NON-COLLUSION DECLARATION
PROPOSAL FORM 8: REFERENCES
PROPOSAL FORM 9: KEY PERSONNEL STATEMENT OF AVAILABILITY
PROPOSAL FORM 10: DESIGNATION OF PROPOSER'S REPRESENTATIVE
PROPOSAL FORM 11: LOCAL FIRM CERTIFICATION
PROPOSAL FORM 12: LEVINE ACT STATEMENT
Proposers shall submit a Cost Proposal for the services requested in this RFP.
Submit the following forms:
PROPOSAL FORM 1B. COST PROPOSAL
Each bid shall be accompanied by a certified cashier’s check, or bid bond, in the amount of 10% of the total bid price, payable toSanta Clara Valley Transportation Authority, as a guarantee that the bidder, if its bid is accepted, will promptly execute the Agreement. The bidder shall guarantee the total bid price for a period of 60 days from the date of the bid opening.
Please scan and upload a copy of your bid bond/cashier's check. Bidder must also MAIL bid guarantee with a postmarked date no later thanThursday, June 25, 2026 addressed to:
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Qianying Qiao
3331 North First Street
San Jose,CA95134
Please have the Bidder Name, Contract Title ("Electronic Safety Management System Subscription"), and Contract Number ("S25309") listed clearly on the outside of the envelope.
The contract shall be executed by the successful bidder and shall be returned, together with the Payment Bond, Performance Bond and Certificate(s) of Insurance to Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority so that it is received within 14 working daysafter the bidder has received the contract for execution. Failure to do so shall be just cause for forfeiture of the proposal guaranty.
Please type your SBE Certification ID. This will be verified by the Cal eProcure Website
Would you like to have bidders respond to an electronic pricing table through ProcureNow?
Choose this if:
Will this solicitation require a bid bond?
If not using the Electronic Pricing Table, do you want your bidder to separate a Price Proposal from the rest of the Response?
Would you like to define the Evaluation Criteria for this solicitation?
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
SamSearch Platform
AI-powered intelligence for the right opportunities, the right leads, and the right time.