Panel Arrangement for the Supply, Modification, Delivery and Service and Maintenance of New Buses

The Department of Education (the Contract Authority) is seeking to establish a whole-of-Department Panel Arrangement for the supply, modification, delivery, servicing, and maintenance of new school buses to support student transportation across Western Australian (WA) public schools.

Student transportation plays a vital role in enabling equitable access to education and supporting the delivery of curriculum and extracurricular activities. School buses are used to:

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  Assist families of children with disabilities by providing accessible transport to and from school;

  
  
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  Facilitate student participation in off-site educational activities such as excursions, swimming and athletics carnivals, and other school events;

  
  
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  Enable students in regional areas to attend inter-regional events including country week, school camps, and other recreational and educational excursions.

  
  

WA public schools have a requirement for buses to provide a mode of transport for students to support the delivery of education.

The proposed Panel Arrangement consists of the following four (4) categories:

Category

Bus Size

Number of passenger seats

Class A

Small bus

Omni Style or truck-based bus with 4 x 2, all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive variants.

13 - 20

Class B

Mid-size bus

Omni Style or truck-based bus with 4 x 2, all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive variants.

21 - 30

Class C

Medium bus

31 - 40

Class D

Large bus

41+

The Respondent(s) may submit Offers for one or more of the above categories.

The resultant Head Agreement will constitute a standing offer, whereby the Customer can place Orders on an ‘as required’ basis during the Term.

Use of the Panel Arrangement is mandatory for schools located within the Perth metropolitan area and non-mandatory for schools in regional areas. A map of Western Australia showing the Contract Authority’s eight (8) Education Regions with the approximate number of public schools is included in the Department of Education Annual Report 2023/24 (source: https://www.education.wa.edu.au/annual-reports).

Further details can be found in Schedule 2 – Specification/Statements of Requirements in the Request.