The short:

The Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) has launched an independent non-profit spin-off corporation, CUTZEB™, which stands for the Canadian Urban Transit Zero Emissions Bus joint procurement initiative.

This independent, stand-alone organization will lead Canada’s first national joint procurement program for electrified public transit infrastructure focusing on turnkey zero-emission transit solutions for small- to mid-sized agencies. It will provide a uniquely
synergistic, comprehensive and cost-effective process for joint procurement nationwide.

Kicking off in November 2022, the CUTZEB™ joint procurement initiative is governed by an independent transit-led Board of Directors and client-focused Program Steering Committee composed of Round 1 clientele – namely, the London Transit Commission and Burlington Transit. Procurement-ready transit agencies with specifications aligned with current clients will have an opportunity to join the first round of the multi-year initiative until December 31, 2022. Interested transit agencies may also join subsequent rounds following completion of planning studies.

The long:

The Government of Canada has established the goal of deploying 5,000 zero-emission buses (ZEBs) by 2026, yet significant financial and technical gaps remain in many transit agencies’ plans to procure and deploy these vehicles along with their supporting infrastructure.

The Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) has launched an independent non-profit spin-off corporation, CUTZEB™, which stands for the Canadian Urban Transit Zero Emissions Bus joint procurement initiative. This independent, stand-alone organization will lead Canada’s first national joint procurement program for electrified public transit infrastructure focusing on turnkey zero-emission transit solutions for small- to mid-sized agencies. It will provide a uniquely
synergistic, comprehensive and cost-effective process for joint procurements nationwide.

CUTZEB™’s Joint Procurement Initiative will expedite commercial-scale deployment of zero emissions technologies by facilitating bulk purchases of equipment and energy supply for multiple transit agencies across the country. It will coordinate procurement based on local operational requirements of participating transit agencies and standardize technical specifications through zero emissions bus (ZEB) feasibility and implementation planning studies to enable significant procurement, deployment and  capital cost savings, while enabling the efficient handling of technology risks at the transit agency level.

CUTZEB™ will convene multiple transit agencies and equipment suppliers to achieve the following goals:

• Develop a robust plan for long-term joint procurement efforts by leveraging the expertise of a Board of Directors, which constitutes Canada’s foremost transit electrification leaders
• Coordinate collective bargaining to achieve cost reductions and enhanced post-deployment manufacturer support by leveraging a non-profit mechanism to support procurements, especially for small- and mid-sized transit agencies through a “winner-takes-all” supplier model
• Set the foundation for efficient execution of future fleet-decarbonization projects by developing scalable and replicable templates for procurements 
• Set standardized specifications for battery electric bus (BEB) propulsion systems and charging infrastructure and hydrogen fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) propulsion systems and fuelling infrastructure.
• Manage technology and operational risks by facilitating knowledge and experience-sharing among transit agencies through a Program Steering Committee that operates both pre- and post-procurement and Technical Affairs Committees that operate post-procurement. This will include joint procurement consortium-based sharing of empirical performance data, issues logs and risk registers outlining measures to mitigate issues and optimize deployments of vehicles, charging and fuelling systems and supply chains, among and between participating agencies.
• Enable longer-term supply chain planning for manufacturers and energy suppliers by expanding demand volumes in procurement contracts.
  
  

The future:

CUTZEB™ plans to complete multiple rounds of joint procurements to support the Government of Canada’s zero-emission bus target over the next decade, and to assist transit agencies and municipalities across the country in reaching their zero-emission transit fleet goals.

Newly interested transit agencies will be onboarded for subsequent rounds of procurement through seamless entry ramps for participation. CUTZEB™ will assess procurement readiness of onboarding agencies and provide ZEB Feasibility and Implementation Planning guidance to address any pre-procurement gaps that may prevent an agency from qualifying fully for the Zero Emissions Transit Fund (ZETF) for capital procurements.

For more information about CUTZEB™, please contact Jessica Hanson, Project Manager: Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Initiatives by email at jessica.hanson@cutric-crituc.org