The federal government has set a priority to increase the number of zero-emission buses (”ZEBs”) used by public transit authorities and school boards across Canada, and specifically to facilitate the purchase of 5,000 ZEBs over five years.
The CIB has developed and launched an initiative to help accelerate the adoption of ZEBs in Canada in support of that priority, by providing a unique financing solution to transit agencies and school boards (the “Initiative”).
Under the Initiative, the CIB will make direct loans to transit and school bus owners and operators to cover the higher upfront capital costs of ZEBs and charging infrastructure versus comparable green house gas emitting buses (“GHG Buses”). A brief overview of the Initiative can be found in Schedule C - “CIB ZEBs Initiative Overview” attached to this RFP.
The CIB intends to make this financing solution available to transit and school bus owners and operators to facilitate their purchases of transit ZEBs.
The purpose of this RFP is twofold:
- Vendor of Record: The CIB expects to require technical advisory services to support potential future projects under the Initiative. The CIB is seeking to select one or more preferred technical advisor(s) (each a “Vendor of Record”) for the Initiative. When Services (as defined below) for a future project are required, the CIB will seek to engage a technical advisor from the list of Vendors of Record through a simplified competitive process based on the specific project.
- Immediate Projects: In the near term, the CIB is looking to identify and engage the most suitable technical advisors from the list of Vendors of Record to provide the technical advisory services set out in this RFP for two specific projects: the purchase and implementation of ZEBs and charging infrastructure by OC Transpo (the “OC Transpo Project”) and the City of Brampton (the “Brampton Project” and collectively with the OC Transpo Project, the “Immediate Projects”).
Submission of a proposal for the Immediate Projects is not mandatory. Respondents (as defined below) are welcome to submit a proposal to be included as a Vendor of Record and one, both or neither of the Immediate Projects.
