National Academies Press: OpenBook

Third-Party Contracts for Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance: Performance Metrics (2023)

Chapter: Appendix A - Definitions of Contractual Relationships Terms

« Previous: References
Page 80
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Definitions of Contractual Relationships Terms." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Third-Party Contracts for Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance: Performance Metrics. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27074.
×

Image

APPENDIX A

Definitions of Contractual Relationships Terms

Table A-1 contains definitions of the terms used in NTD’s Contractual Relationships form and is shown in Table 7.

Table A-1. Definitions of terms used in NTD’s Contractual Relationships form.

Contractual Relationship Characteristic Definition
Type of Contract Describes how the contractual relationship was established between the transit agency and the contractor.
Competitively Bid Contract The contract was procured through a competitive process by which proposing contractors were evaluated based on their proposal. Competitive procurements could include sealed bids, requests for proposals, and two-step procurements.
Negotiated Contract or Agreement The contract was not competitive—that is, the contractor did not have to complete it to win the right to provide the transit service. A negotiated contract most often occurs when transit agencies contract with other public agencies.
Primary Payment Structure1 Describes the contract’s terms for how the transit agency pays the contractor.
The Agency Pays the Contractor a Negotiated Fixed Rate Per Unit of Service In this structure, the contract establishes a fixed rate per unit of service (e.g., a cost per revenue mile) that the transit agency pays for the outsourced service. The rate may change over time or under different levels of service.
The Agency Reimburses the Contractor’s Net Operating Expenses, Based on Approved Budget In this structure, the transit agency pays the contractor based on the actual costs incurred by the contractor. This structure usually has an established not-to-exceed value that represents the upper limit in payment.
Fares Retained by Describes which entity keeps the fares collected.
Agency The transit agency keeps the fares, as collected and passed on to the transit agency by the contractor.
Contractor The contractor retains the fares and may or may not deduct the fare revenue from its invoicing (depending on the contract terms).
Provision of Capital Assets Describes which entity provides capital assets like revenue vehicles and facilities.
Agency Supplies Vehicles to Contractor The transit agency procures the revenue vehicles and allows the contractor to use the vehicles for the provision of transit service.
Agency Provides Maintenance Facility to Contractor The transit agency constructs/procures the maintenance facilities and allows the contractor to use the facilities for the maintenance of revenue vehicles.
Other Public Assets Provided The transit agency may also provide other capital assets beyond vehicles and maintenance facilities.

Source: The National Transit Database Reporting Policy Manual (FTA 2021) as well as team expertise.

Note: 1In the NTD form, this field is labeled “Primary Feature.”

Page 80
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A - Definitions of Contractual Relationships Terms." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Third-Party Contracts for Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance: Performance Metrics. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/27074.
×
Page 80
Next: Appendix B - Excerpts from Performance Measures and LDs »
Third-Party Contracts for Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance: Performance Metrics Get This Book
×
 Third-Party Contracts for Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance: Performance Metrics
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Transit agencies can provide fixed-route bus transit services through direct operation, contracting out to a third party, or a combination of both. Contracting out can be done to another transit agency or a private firm, and may include specific modes, routes, or garages. The quality and cost efficiency of outsourced service depend on local, contractual, and managerial factors.

TCRP Synthesis 171: Third-Party Contracts for Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance: Performance Metrics, from TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program, focuses on the performance metrics used in contracts for fixed-route bus operations and maintenance, extending the 2018 findings of TCRP Synthesis 136: Contracting Fixed-Route Bus Transit Service.

READ FREE ONLINE

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!