In Fall 2020, the Portland City Council directed PBOT to conduct additional outreach and start the transition from a pilot program that issued permits to shared e-scooter companies to a long-term program. The new program should have PBOT partner with the e-scooter industry, by hiring one to two companies to be operators, more like the bureau's relationship with BIKETOWN, the bike-share program. The bureau plans to extend current providers as needed through the transition, to ensure there are no interruptions in e-scooter service.
We’re responding to what we’ve heard from the community: While PBOT has heard from many Portlanders who hold a variety of opinions about e-scooters since 2018, PBOT then conducted additional outreach to understand stakeholder perspectives on specific management strategies the agency should consider to ensure a long-term e-scooter program benefits as many Portlanders as possible. PBOT received specific feedback on topics like cost and payment, rider education and behavior, parking requirements, safe infrastructure, complaints and customer service, and more. A summary of what we heard can be found here.
How was the RFP developed?
Based on lessons learned from PBOT’s two pilot programs and the bureau's research on best practices in other cities, PBOT next worked with the City Procurement Office (CPO) to develop a Request for Proposals for one to two companies to operate shared electric scooter services throughout the City of Portland. CPO released the RFP on June 3 and it can be found in the city’s contract portal BuySpeed here.
What’s in the RFP?
For more details about what’s included, please see the RFP and the Sample Contract, which can be found here. (Note: *tentative Fall 2022 rollout of long-term program stated in RFP)
What’s next in the RFP process?
A mandatory pre-proposal meeting was held on June 15, 2022, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Proposals were due Friday, August 5 at 4 p.m. PST. After that, the City Procurement Office will manage the RFP review, scoring, interview, and equipment demonstration process per city rules before PBOT selects one to two company(s) to negotiate contract(s) with. For questions, please see the RFP or contact Mark Ariza, Senior Procurement Specialist, Procurement Services at (503) 823-5680, Mark.Ariza@portlandoregon.gov
PBOT plans to extend the ability of current e-scooter providers in Portland to operate until operations begin with the company or companies that are successful responders to the RFP. We hope to start service under the new contract or contracts in 2023, or as soon as possible.