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ProcurementPRO Support

ProcurementPRO Support

Access Procurement PRO

Before you get started with ProcurementPRO there are some tasks to complete and questions to consider:

  • Determine what you want to procure.
  • Perform an independent cost estimate before receiving any bids or proposals. This will improve the reliability of forecasting cost and can range from a simple to complex budget estimate based on product inspection and review.
    This process is particularly significant when there is no price competition, or when goods or services are dissimilar, and when prices seem unreasonably high. You can use this Independent Cost Estimate Worksheet to assist you.
  • Determine if you want to generate a procurement document (full ProcurementPRO version) or just get the federal clauses and certifications (QuickPRO version).
  • Find out if your agency has cost thresholds, procurement methods, or clauses and certifications that are different from those of the federal government.

Procurement Types

Architecture

Architecture has to do with the planning, designing, and constructing of structure, space, and appearance that reflect practical, technical, social, and environmental considerations. It is the creative coordination of materials and technology with scheduling, cost estimating, and construction administration. Documentation produced by architects defines the structure and its functionality that is to be or has been constructed.


Examples: Facility design, transit hub design, technical architecture, landscape architecture, effects of lighting and shadow in design.

Architecture & Engineering

Services for feasibility studies, architectural and engineering services (A&E), program management, construction management, surveying, mapping, preliminary engineering, or design services.


Examples: Program management, construction management, engineering and design, feasibility studies.

Construction

Services for design and construction of transit related facilities including bus maintenance and storage facilities, rail stations, ferry docks, and other multi-modal transportation operations.


Examples: Transit facility, transit hub, shelters, pole barns, bus wash, abatement system, rail station, construction of docks, rehabilitation or expansion.

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, skill, and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials, and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of people.


Examples: Civil engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering, system engineering, footing design strength, concrete slab design strength.

Materials and Supplies

Materials and Supplies consist of tangible property to be consumed in normal transit related operations. Purchases relate to operations, maintenance, parts, and repairs.


Examples: Office supplies, tires, bus equipment, lifts, technology, shop equipment, farebox technology (when purchased separately from rolling stock specifications).


Operations & Management

A transportation provider or management firm that will provide transit related services for a public or private entity under a contractual agreement.


Examples: Contracts for: program management, public transit services, paratransit services, maintenance services, a Mobility Coordinator, call center brokerage.

Professional Services

Services for planning, marketing, and other non-architecture and engineering (A&E) related professional services.        


Examples: Business managers/consultants, marketing & website development services, lawyers, accountants, public relations, researchers, real estate brokers, landscapers, janitorial services, insurance.

Rolling Stock

Rolling Stock is defined in the Buy America regulations (49 CFR Part 661.3) as: "transit vehicles such as buses, vans, cars, railcars, locomotives, trolley cars and buses, and ferry boats, as well as vehicles used for support services.”


Examples: Buses, vans, cars, railcars, locomotives, trolley cars & buses, ferry boats, vehicles used for support services.

Procurement Thresholds

Micro-Purchase.  Micro-Purchase procedures are used for acquisition of services, supplied or other property that cost less than $10,000.  A micro-purchase does not require obtaining competitive quotations, if it is determined that the price to be paid is fair and reasonable. It should be noted that construction contracts exceeding $2,000 do trigger the requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act and the Copeland “Anti-Kickback” Act, both of which protect construction employees.

Small Purchase.  Small purchase procedures are used for the acquisition of services, supplies or other property that cost between $10,000 and $250,000.  Small purchases do not require a full competitive proposal process, but subrecipients do have to get solicitations and quotations from at least two sources. This can be done either in writing or orally.

Large Purchase.  Large purchase procedures are used for the acquisition of services, supplies or other property that exceed $250,000.  Any purchase that is above $250,000 must have a competitive procurement, most commonly either through a sealed bid (also referred to as “invitation for bid method” or “formal competition”) or competitive proposal (also referred to as “request for proposals method” or “competitive negotiation”) process.

Note.  State or Municipal thresholds may be lower than federal thresholds, requiring competitive procedures to apply sooner if local match is involved. Subrecipients should become familiar with their State or Municipal procurement requirements to assure compliance is adhered too. 

Procurement Methods

  • Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

    A request for qualifications can determine the competitive range of prospective contractors that demonstrate a technically satisfactory approach and have satisfactory qualifications. FTA’s enabling legislation at 49 U.S.C. Section 5325(b)(1) requires the use of the qualifications-based procurement procedures contained in the “Brooks Act,” 40 U.S.C. Sections 1101 through 1104, to acquire A&E services, but also for program management, construction management, feasibility studies, preliminary engineering, design, architectural, engineering, surveying, mapping, and related services.


    • Examples: Contractors performing program management, project design, construction management or engineering services in which that contractor would select the finished products to be acquired for an FTA-assisted construction project must be selected through qualifications-based procurement procedures. For further guidance on the performance of qualification-based procurement, please see Federal Circular 4220.1F.
  • Sole Source

    When supplies or services are available from only one responsible source, and no other supplies or services will satisfy its requirements, the recipient may make a sole source award pending acceptable justification.


    • Examples: Property or services available from only one source, change to a contract that is beyond the scope, patents or restrictive data rights, substantial duplication of costs, unacceptable delay, unique or innovative concepts.
  • Non-Competitive Quotation

    Acquisition of property and services valued at less than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold by obtaining only quotations. The recipient may set lower thresholds for small purchases in compliance with state and local law, or otherwise as it considers appropriate.


    • Examples: The following purchases, if valued at less than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold: materials and supplies, computer hardware and software, shop equipment, used equipment, facility enhancements.
  • Request for Proposals (RFP)

    The use of competitive proposals is a generally accepted procurement method when price alone is not the determining factor, and the recipient expects that more than one source will be willing and able to submit an offer or proposal.


    • Examples: Bus acquisitions, non-A&E design services, consulting services, information technology, intelligent transportation technology.
  • Invitation for Bid (IFB)

    Sealed Bids (formal advertising) are a generally accepted procurement method in which bids are publicly solicited, and a firm fixed price contract (lump sum or unit price) is awarded to the responsible bidder whose bid, conforming to all the material terms and conditions of the invitation for bids, is lowest in price.


    • Examples: Construction, renovations, materials and supplies, buses and other rolling stock, service contracts.
  • Piggyback

    Piggybacking is the post-award use of a contractual document or process that allows someone who was not contemplated in the original procurement to purchase the same supplies or equipment through the original document or process.


    • Examples: Existing bus contract containing additional options, existing material and supplies contract containing additional options.

State Portal

A State Portal ensures both Federal and State documents are downloaded by your subrecipients who are creating procurement documents through ProcurementPRO. To assist with creating a State Portal, we recently updated our State Portal Instruction Guide. It is a simple step by step guide to walk you through state document collection and organization, uploading documents into the portal and finally the testing process. The Guide can be downloaded here:

State Portal Instruction Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

  • I already have an account with National RTAP in the Cloud. Do I need a new one?

     Yes. This is a brand new system and no user data will transfer.

  • Where do I go to access the new apps?

    Make sure you’re logged into the system using the “Cloud Login” or “Cloud Signup” buttons in the top right of the page. Once logged in, the application dashboards will appear under the “Web Apps” menu.

  • How do I edit my profile?

    You can edit your profile by logging in and going to Web Apps > My Account.

  • When I click on ProcurementPRO or QuickPRO to download the document nothing happens.

    Make sure that your browser is set to allow popups for nationalrtap.org

  • Do I have to edit my documents online or can I just print them?

    You can simply print your documents by clicking the “Save and Close” button in the bottom left of the document editor. This will return you to the Project List Dashboard. Once there, click the “Procurement PRO” button to download the project PDF.

  • Is there a limit to how many projects I can run?

     There is no limit.

  • What is the difference between QuickPRO and ProcurementPRO?

    QuickPRO is a shortened version of ProcurementPRO built for those who wish only to download the federally-required clauses and certifications necessary for a given project. The full ProcurementPRO provides the federally-required clauses and certifications, as well as checklists and other documentation for your project. It allows you to edit your project documents; creates a printable document; and is organized by tabs to help you manage your project flow and files.

  • Can I access my projects from the old system?

    Yes. Legacy Procurement PRO can be accessed until 6/30/2019

  • What is the difference between Active and Archived Projects?

    Moving a project to Archived simply clears up space in the main project list.

  • I’m a state or local government agency and we would like to have our own portal. How do we create one?

    Email info@nationalrtap.org with your contact information, organization info, and reason for needing your own portal. Someone from the National RTAP team will reach out with additional information. There is no cost to maintain your own portal.

  • Why am I am not seeing any Third Party Contract Provisions?

    The applicability of Third Party Contract Provisions excludes micro-purchases (purchases valued at less than $10,000) with exception of Davis Bacon which applies to contract exceeding $2000.

Additional Support

If you have a question or need assistance on a rural or tribal transit topic, contact us at 888-589-6821, info@nationalrtap.org, or start a live chat. We welcome comments and suggestions on National RTAP products as well. 


For individual staff email addresses and phone numbers, see the Staff page.

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