Five school transportation companies have formally asked the Puerto Rico General Services Administration (ASG) Auction Review Board to revoke the award of a bid to provide school transportation for the public school system next year and to launch a new bidding process. Cotto Bus Line, Transporte A. Cruz, Transporte Escolar SR, Transporte Escolar Víctor and Transporte Rosado filed the appeal on October 23, citing "acts of arbitrariness and excess of authority."
They argue the ASG Auction Board, since the bid was launched in March, evaluated requirements that were not properly explained, accepted incomplete proposals from some bidders but not others, and let some companies correct errors while others could not. The Auction Board issued its award resolution on September 11 and, on October 2, an amended resolution selecting 147 proposals.
The appellants say the amended resolution was issued while a review request was pending before the Review Board, so the Auction Board lacked jurisdiction. They also say ASG first said there were no maximum or minimum rate parameters, then referred to an undisclosed economic study. Cotto Bus Line and Transporte A. Cruz were rejected for exceeding a "margin of reasonableness" they say was never discussed.
Transporte Escolar SR submitted a 90-day bid bond instead of 180 days. Transporte Rosado lacked a signature on an annex and used incorrect initials. Transporte Escolar Víctor did not submit electronic proof of its bid bond, though it filed it on paper.
ASG Administrator Karla Mercado told El Nuevo Día on October 20 that the review dismissed collusion claims, since officers with the same names at different companies were different people.