Directions For Form BP: Bus Purchase Approval Form
General Instructions:
•Do not submit this application for a leased bus.
•A separate application submission is required for each school bus purchased.
•Use the Tab key, not the Enter key, to move from item to item, and to move from the form items to the function buttons at the bottom of the form.
•Please do not submit any purchasing documentation unless you are requested by SED to do so. The district is required to maintain
adequate records for claim verification purposes for every bus purchased. Records should include voter approval records and a detailed copy of the purchase order which includes a list of itemized options and cost of options. In addition; if the bus was locally bid a copy of the advertisement information, bid specifications, the successful bid proposal (listing all itemized options and cost of options) and board resolution must be on file and available upon SED request.
•When entering data in this form you may find that some fields are grayed out. If a field is not grayed out it is a required field. All required fields must be completed to save the bus form.
•Where drop-down menus contain multiple options, all the options appear in alphabetical order. Even if ‘Other’ or ‘Not Applicable’ is an option in a drop-down, it appears in alphabetical order, not at the end of the option list.
(ENTRY 1) Bus Number
Bus number entry requires 4 characters; these can be a combination of numbers, letters or a dash (-) only. If the actual bus number is less than 4 character’s districts will need to Left Fill with zero(s) (e.g., if the actual bus number is 57 the bus number 0057 must be entered).
It is highly recommended that districts assign each additional bus the next highest consecutive number from the last bus purchased. While SAMS does not rely on this district-assigned bus number to uniquely identify buses, consecutive numbering makes obvious any gaps in the bus number sequence, which may be an indication to the district that one or more purchased buses have not been entered.
It is highly recommended that districts assign each additional bus the next highest consecutive number from the last bus purchased. While SAMS does not rely on this district-assigned bus number to uniquely identify buses, consecutive numbering makes obvious any gaps in the bus number sequence, which may be an indication to the district that one or more purchased buses have not been entered.
(ENTRY 2) Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
VIN entry requires 17 characters/numbers in length, and the VIN must be entered a 2nd time to confirm correct data entry of the VIN. The accuracy of this entry is critical to the bus purchase system; therefore, please do NOT copy and paste when confirming the initial entry.
(ENTRY 3) Model Year
Model Year entry requires 4 digits (i.e. 2016).
(ENTRY 4) Capacity
Enter the capacity of the bus. If the capacity of the bus purchased is lower than the rated capacity of the bus, enter the rated capacity. (Example: If a bus had a rated capacity of 84 passengers, but was purchased with a capacity of only 72 to allow additional leg room, the rated capacity of 84 must be entered in the capacity field.)
(ENTRY 5) Chassis Type
Select the appropriate Chassis Type for the vehicle from the drop-down list. Please use this document to ensure the correct chassis type is chosen: School Bus Types. It shows the different chassis types of typical school buses as well as light duty vehicles (passenger cars, passenger vans, etc.), and includes pictures and descriptions of the different chassis types. Chassis Types include only the following:
•Bus: Medium Duty School Bus (Type C & D large bus).
•Cal (Carryall): Chevrolet Suburban-type vehicle purchased that was equipped with the school bus yellow paint, lights, signs and safety equipment required for a school bus. (If a Chevrolet Suburban type vehicle is purchased without the additional equipment required for a school bus then select SUV as the Chassis Type). (Light Duty Vehicle).
•CTL (Cutaway Long): Light Duty School Bus (Type A small bus) with optional extended body sections added that would increase the rated capacity to greater than 28.
•Cut (Cutaway): Light Duty School Bus (Type A small bus) with a capacity < or = 28.
•Pcr: Passenger Car (Light Duty Vehicle)
•Pvn: Passenger Van (Mini-Van type vehicle or a modified Multi-Purpose Vehicle, i.e. Ford Transit 350 Wagon or similar type vehicles with DOT approval) (Light Duty Vehicle).
•SUV: Sport Utility Vehicle (Light Duty Vehicle).
(ENTRY 6) Engine Classification
If the selection in Entry 5 is Bus, district must select the appropriate Engine Type for the vehicle from the drop-down list. Engine Types include only the following types:
•CN: Conventional (Type C) medium duty school bus (a Type C Bus is where the entire engine is in front of the windshield and the entrance door is behind the front wheels).
•FC: One of the Type D medium duty school buses. A Type D FC (forward-control) Bus is a "transit-style" school bus, where the engine is behind the windshield and beside the driver’s seat, also referred to as forward-engine or "FE". The entrance door is ahead of the front wheels.
•RE: One of the Type D medium duty buses. A Type D RE Bus is a "transit-style" school bus, where the engine is at the rear of the bus, behind the rear wheels, also referred to as rear-engine or "RE". The entrance door is ahead of the front wheels.
•NA: Not Applicable. Entry 6 will auto-fill with 'NA' if the Chassis Type selected in Entry 5 is anything other than 'Bus'.
(ENTRY 7) Fuel Type
Select the appropriate Fuel Type for the vehicle from the drop-down list. This Fuel list contains only the following types:
•C – CNG (Compressed natural gas)
•D – Diesel
•G – Gasoline
•P – Propane
•O – Other types not included in this list. If 'Other' is selected here, district is required to complete Entry 8.
(ENTRY 8) Other Fuel Type
If Other was selected in Entry 7 district must select the appropriate Fuel Type for the vehicle from the drop-down list.
This Fuel list contains the following types:
•BD – Bio-Diesel
•EL – Electric
•ET – Ethanol
•H2 – Hydrogen
•LNG – Liquefied Natural Gas
•LPG – Liquefied Petroleum Gas
•CA – Compressed Air
•LN – Liquid Nitrogen
•CL – Coal
•OT – Other
•NA – Not Applicable. Entry 8 will auto-fill with 'NA' if the fuel type selected in Entry 7 is not 'Other'
(ENTRY 9) Wheel Chair Lifts
Enter the number of wheel chair lifts installed on the bus.
(ENTRY 10) Wheel Chair Stations
If Entry 9 is greater than zero, district must enter the number of wheel chair stations installed on the bus. If no wheelchair stations were installed at the time of purchase you must enter a 0 in Entry 10. If no wheelchair lifts are reported at Entry 9, Entry 10 will be auto-filled with '0'.
(ENTRY 11) Purchase Type
Select the purchase type from the drop-down indicating if the bus was purchased via a State Contract or a Local Bid process.
(ENTRY 12) State Contract Information
If the bus was purchased through a State Contract, district must complete this section.
•Contract Year – Enter the year of the State Contract used to purchase this bus. If the State Contract was a multi-year contract, enter the actual year in which district purchased the bus. (Example: If the state contract ran 2016- 2019, and the district purchased the bus in 2017, select 2017 as the contract year)
•Group Number – Enter the Group Number of the State Contract used to purchase this bus. This number is listed on the face of the State Contract or can be obtained from the vendor.
•Award Number – Enter the Award Number of the State Contract used to purchase this bus. This number is listed on the face of the state contract or can be obtained from the vendor.
•Vendor Name – Select the Vendor Name from the dropdown list. If the vendor is not in the list, please select the "Other" option and enter the name of the vendor in the text box provided. Do not include any company name designation in the vendor name (e.g., Inc, Co, Corp, LLC, LTD, etc.).
•Vendor Discount – Enter the Vendor Discount that was applied to the MSRP Options. (Example: A fifteen percent discount would be entered as 15.00, a seven and one-half percent discount would be entered as 07.50, etc.).
(ENTRY 13) Was the Vehicle Purchased Used?
Select Yes or No from the drop-down box.
(ENTRY 14) Will this Vehicle be Used for any Purpose Other than Transporting Students?
Select Yes or No from the drop-down box. (The cost of vehicles used for purposes other than the transportation of pupils is not aidable. Districts should be able to substantiate a response of 'No' to this question if documentation is requested by SED.)
(ENTRY 15) Description of Vehicle Usage if Other than Transporting Students
If district answered Yes to Entry 14, a description of the other usage must be provided in this entry. (This text box holds a max of 500 characters).
(ENTRY 16) Was a BAN or Bond used to finance the purchase?
Select Yes or No from the drop-down box.
(ENTRY 17) Purchase Order Date
Click the calendar icon to the right of the box to select the Purchase Order Date. Use these arrows 
in the calendar to move back or ahead one year. Use these arrows 
in the calendar to move back or ahead one month.
(ENTRY 18) Was this Vehicle Purchased as an Emergency Replacement?
Select Yes or No from the drop-down box. Note that failure to meet NYS DOT inspection is not a valid justification for emergency purchase.
(ENTRY 19) Type of Emergency
If the response to Entry 18 is 'Yes', the district must select an emergency type from the dropdown list and must provide additional details about the emergency situation in the text box provided. Examples of additional details should include at least the number of the bus this vehicle is replacing, the date the destruction occurred and some additional details about the event. (This text box holds a max of 500 characters).
Districts must retain documentation about the emergency replacement should SED request such information, including further details, the number of the bus being replaced and a copy of the board resolution, which is required to purchase emergency replacement buses without voter approval. (Entry 19 will auto-fill with ‘Not Applicable’ and a greyed-out text box if the response to Entry 18 is 'No').
(ENTRY 20) Board Resolution Date
Click the calendar icon to the right of the box to select the date the Board Resolution was passed for the emergency purchase. Use these arrows in the calendar to move back or ahead one year. Use these arrows in the calendar to move back or ahead one month. (This item will auto-fill with N/A if the response to Entry 18 is 'No').
(ENTRY 21) Gross Cost of Bus
Enter the Gross Cost of the bus including options, and after all discounts have been applied, rounded up to the nearest dollar. DO NOT include the cost of aftermarket equipment in the gross cost of the bus (e.g., purchase and installation of cameras, radios, etc.). Equipment should not be included in the cost of a bus. It should be coded in the ST-3 equipment account code(s) A5510.2 and/or A5530.2 and claimed on Form FT Schedule G for aid purposes.
(ENTRY 22) Trade-In Allowance
Enter any Trade-In allowance applied to the purchase of the vehicle, rounded up to the nearest dollar.
(ENTRY 23) Federal or State Grants
Enter the amount of any Federal or State Grants applied to the purchase of the vehicle, rounded up to the nearest dollar.
(ENTRY 24) Net Purchase Price
SAMS calculation: Entry 21 minus (Entry 22 plus Entry 23).
(ENTRY 25) Approved Cost for Aid
Once a district has successfully saved a bus purchase form, the Approved Cost for Aid will be automatically calculated and displayed at Entry 25; however, the bus will not generate any Transportation Aid until the superintendent has electronically certified the accuracy of the data on the form.
(ENTRY 26) Certified Date
This item will not be visible to the user until the bus is certified by the Superintendent, at which point the bus may be considered 'approved' for aid at the Approved Cost for Aid displayed at Entry 25. Successful certification of a bus triggers the creation of an assumed amortization in SAMS. Districts may view the details of that amortization, as well as all other data entered for the bus, by selecting the 'Bus Detail Report' from the Bus Purchase Reports menu. If there is no date displayed at this item, the bus has not been certified and is not approved for aid.
Below are brief instructions for steps to take after entering and saving one or more buses. For more detail on these and other functions of the SAMS Bus Purchase Approval System, see the Bus Purchase System User Manual.
Entry of additional bus(es)
After a bus has been entered in SAMS and has been successfully saved, a blank application form will be returned so the user can add additional buses. If there are no additional buses to enter, this form can be closed and the district can return to the previous Bus Purchase Approval page, refresh the page and view the bus(es) entered.
Readying the bus(es) for certification by the superintendent
A bus must be 'readied' before it can be certified. Once the user has completed entering, saving and checking the bus(es) for accuracy, return to the Bus Purchase Approval page and refresh the page. The saved buses should appear on list. The user can select the box to ready one or more buses individually, or select the box to ready all saved buses. After selecting the bus(es) to be readied, click on the 'Ready Selected Buses for Superintendent Certification'.
Certification of bus(es) – Once a bus has a status of Ready it can be "Certified" by the superintendent. Select the Bus Purchase Certification Form under ‘Form BP: Bus Purchase’ on the main form tree. On the Bus Purchase Certification form, the superintendent can either select the box to certify one or more individual buses or select the box to certify all readied buses on the list. After selecting the bus(es) to be certified click on the 'Certify and Submit' button at the bottom of the screen. Certification can be verified by returning to the Bus Purchase Approval screen and checking that the status of the buses is now "Certified", and/or by returning to each Bus Form and viewing the Certified Date at Entry 26, and/or by viewing the date in the date certified column of the Bus Detail Report. A bus for which certification is displayed in any of these ways is the district’s documentation that the bus has been approved for aid.