"Highland has been working for nine months on plans to equip the five bus depots it’s targeting for charging loads" [9 months prior to Feb. 2021 would be Before RFP Issued by MCPS]

 MCPS Request for Proposal for Electric School Buses: 

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/procurement/uploads/9462.1/RFP%209462.1%20Electric%20Buses%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf

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Article on Highland Electric evaluating MCPS bus depots: 

Highland Electric Raises $235M, Lands Biggest Electric School Bus Contract in the US

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Electric school buses don’t just eliminate the carbon and pollution emissions of their diesel-fueled counterparts; they also cost less to fuel and maintain over the long haul. 

Unfortunately for cash-strapped school districts, the upfront cost to purchase an electric school bus is still more than twice as much as the cost of a diesel bus today. And that’s not counting the cost of new charging infrastructure or the risk that those charging costs may drive a district’s electric bills through the roof. 

Highland Electric Transportation says it can remove those barriers for school districts and transit authorities by taking on the financing and management of an EV school bus fleet in exchange for a fixed annual leasing fee...

...The cost of that service, $169 million, will be spread out over 16 years, and will fit into the existing budget structures for its existing diesel bus fleet, said Todd Watkins, the district’s transportation director. After seven years of budget-neutrality, the contract will end up saving the district money compared to what it could have expected to spend on its existing bus fleet, he said. 

And the district won’t be stuck with the uncertainties of what it will cost to install charging stations, pay for the electricity they use or keep the buses running, because all of that is Highland’s responsibility. 

While the district did have access to a small amount of upfront electrification funds from the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” settlement, Watkins said he is “not a huge fan of grant-supported pilot programs in any area, because if you can’t sustain it, it’s too risky.”..

...For example, Highland has been working for nine months on plans to equip the five bus depots it’s targeting for charging loads that will eventually grow to 5 megawatts apiece, he said. It ended up prioritizing one depot first, based on the relatively lower cost of connecting it to the existing utility grid infrastructure. The other four depots will be equipped over the next 18 months.

Four of those depots are served by utility Pepco, and the fifth is served by Allegheny Power...

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/on-heels-of-253m-raise-highland-electric-lands-biggest-electric-school-bus-contract-in-the-u.s