In 2022, Montgomery County MD Public Schools committed to 326 Battery Electric Buses. How's it going?

[Caribbeans]

New report says Montgomery County Public Schools wasted millions on electric buses

by Scott Taylor | July 31 2024

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — In 2022 Montgomery County Public Schools(MCPS) was touting itself as one of the leading school districts in America regarding electric buses.

It signed a contract a year earlier with Highland Electric Fleets to deliver more than 300 electric buses to replace its diesel-powered buses.

Our investigation two years ago uncovered that not all buses arrived on their original delivery dates. Four months in only 7 out of the promised 25 buses were transporting your children.

Now a scathing report from the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General reveals the $160 million contract with Highland for 326 electric school buses turned into a massive delay of buses for years...more
https://www.wjla.com/features/i-team/montgomery-county-public-schools-mcps-electric-buses-montgomery-county-inspector-general-report-highland-electric-fleets-contract-deisel-powered-buses-mechanical-issues-charging-issues-maryland-schools-school-bus-transportation

Plus, 280 times buses were not able to complete their routes due to mechanical or charging issues.

Link to tweet

It's almost as if those guiding and directing policies and investments were stockholders or something.

Full Montgomery County Inspector General investigation at MontgomeryCountyMD.gov (PDF)

https://montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGActivity/FY2025/MOI-FY25%20MCPS%20Electric%20Bus%20Fleet.pdf

[elleng]

1. NOT GOOD. $160 million contract

Four months in only 7 out of the promised 25 buses were transporting your children.

[NJCher]

2. Test programs

This is why you do tests before making a substantial commitment.

[Think. Again.]

4. From the report, it seems the Office of Inspector General is accusing...

...the school system itself of writing a bad contract, not holding the supplier accountable, and purchasing additional diesel buses when that wasn't necessary....

"MCPS’s failure to hold the contractor accountable to the terms of the contract and their decision not to include provisions to offset incurred expenses has led to millions of dollars in wasteful spending," the OIG report stated."

The wasted money has nothing to do with Electric Buses themselves.

Inspector General's report here(only on PDF): https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGActivity/FY2025/MOI-FY25%20MCPS%20Electric%20Bus%20Fleet.pdf

[Think. Again.]

3. Apparently the late deliveries....

....were covered by a clause in the contract that allowed for up to 3 months of delivery delay.

I guess both the purchaser and seller were aware of the covid-caused supply chain issues when they negotiated the contract.

Edit to add;

But still, the Inspector General is accusing the school system of flagrantly wasting money, and from the investigation report it seems the school system was doing that deliberately.

[NJCher]

5. Thanks for the input

A test would have exposed this, that is, if anyone was watching.. That they didn’t should have been a red flag.

When I worked in automotive fleet purchases, it wasn’t uncommon to do so and this was with major manufacturers. In this situation, we’re talking about a different technology with which few people have had much experience.

Really, I can’t even fathom a blunder of this size. It has happened with solar, though.

[Think. Again.]

6. It really doesn't have anything to do with the items purchased...

Yes, covid related supply chain delays were a problem with this particular purchase as well as others but the delays were all within the contract's conditions except the the school system didn't excercise the contract's remedies, and then proceeded to spend even more unnecessary money instead.

It seems to be a problem with the school system's purchasing people, I would hope other large contracts made by the school system will also be looked at.

[NJCher]

7. I'm talking about a general business principle

Not particulars of a contract.

[Think. Again.]

8. Yes, I agree....

The people responsible for that school system's large purchasing transactions need to be more thoroughly investigated, they obviously were not practising general business principles which ended up costing the school system a lot of lost money.