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118
recruiting employees because the pay is higher than other scheduling service for both advance and same-day service
companies. MV Transportation increased hourly pay for the requests. Out of the 300 or so MV Transportation employees,
Palm Tran contract, and the general manager reported that about 215 of them are vehicle operators.
this has helped to retain operators.
The general manager also reported that she aims to main-
Procurement/Contractual Provisions
tain a stable operator workforce and works towards adhering
to contract requirements. She uses the liquidated damages In the survey, Phoenix reported that it had moderate success
clauses set forth in contracts as incentives to provide good when specifying that a stable, experienced vehicle operator
service. workforce was expected, and also moderate success when
including a "livable wage" requirement in its procurement and
contract documents. While there is no living wage ordinance
Reported Results
in Phoenix, the City understands that a livable wage scale is sig-
Palm Tran CONNECTION's Fiscal Analyst reported that, nificant for job retention and stability.
generally, contractors perform well and meet their contractual The City's RFP requests a detailed plan with specific strate-
requirements. There are rarely, if ever, any uncovered runs. gies for maintaining a stable workforce. The City encourages
Turnover has become less of a problem not only because of the proposers to be creative in their approach to operator reten-
RFP provisions, but as unemployment rates have increased, tion, stating that preference will be given to proposers who can
operators tend to hold onto to their jobs for longer periods successfully demonstrate to City their ability to retain quality
of time. operators. In addition to requiring the proposer to outline hir-
ing, training, and retraining programs for operators, Section VII
of the RFP asks proposers to respond to the following:
City of Phoenix Public Transit Department,
Phoenix, AZ Discuss the PROPOSER'S philosophy on providing a "livable
The City of Phoenix Public Transit Department is responsi- wage" given the current state of the economy and how the pro-
posed employee wage and benefit package and other innovative
ble for the overall supervision of the City of Phoenix Transit programs ensure that they meet that standard.
System. The City manages local buses, Phoenix Dial-a-Ride Describe in detail the methods to be taken in order to attract
paratransit, Reserve-a-Ride senior service, RAPID and Express and retain the appropriate staffing levels. Include any incentive
commuter services, and several neighborhood circulators. and/or merit programs to award outstanding employees.
The City's paratransit service is called Dial-a-Ride. The Describe in detail the type and level of employment benefits
provided or available to employees addressing vacation, sick and
service operates seven days a week in almost all areas within
other leaves, health and welfare benefits, wage and salary classi-
Phoenix city limits. Dial-A-Ride serves individuals who are fications and progressions, and employer contributions for all
ADA paratransit eligible as well as seniors. ADA paratransit programs for all job categories.
customers are encouraged to call at least one day in advance
for service; where possible, same day demand service is also When evaluating RFP responses, a points system is utilized.
available after reservation requests have been scheduled. The Director of Transportation Contract Services explained,
The City also manages Reserve-a-Ride, a specialized, door- "Our approach is that we want to make sure the company we
to-door transportation service for senior citizens over 60 years hire is going to fulfill our needs as far as service--we take an
old and certified persons with disabilities. Reserve-a-Ride pro- approach of service over price." The evaluation criteria out-
vides transportation to senior centers, medical appointments, lined in the RFP are the following:
social service agencies, and shopping. The primary responsi-
bility of the service is to provide transportation to and from Qualifications 50 points
Professional References 50 points
senior centers, and other trip requests are accommodated wher-
Management 150 points
ever possible. These two services, Dial-a-Ride and Reserve-a-
Maintenance and Operations Experience 100 points
Ride, are operated by the same contractor with the same fleet
Understanding of Scope 400 points
of vehicles.
Price 250 points
The RFP also provides a system of incentives and sanctions
Use of Contractors for ADA Paratransit
to reward exemplary performance and ensure adherence to
MV Transportation has been the City's paratransit contrac- performance standards, but the survey indicated that these
tor since 2001. MV Transportation manages all day-to-day incentives and/or penalties did not have even a moderate
operations, including maintenance on over 100 vehicles and impact on contractor performance.
