Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
NOVEMBER 16, 2023
Subject
SUBJECT: TRANSIT OPERATIONS ENGINEERING SUPPORT
Action
ACTION: AWARD CONTRACTS
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to award and execute Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) task order-based Contracts No. AE100331000 and AE100331001 to HNTB Corporation and Gannett Fleming, Inc., respectively, for transit operations engineering support services for a combined not-to-exceed (NTE) amount of $116,000,000 for the four-year base period, and combined NTE of $20,000,000 for each of the three one-year options; for a combined NTE total amount of $176,000,000 subject to resolution of any properly submitted protest(s), if any.
Issue
ISSUE
The existing engineering support Contract No. PS46172000 for transit infrastructure maintenance expires on December 31, 2023. Therefore, the Operations Infrastructure Maintenance and Engineering (IM&E) Department is seeking assistance from engineering and technical resources to develop and execute capital improvement projects, support expansion projects, and meet the day-to-day engineering needs necessary to maintain Metro’s transit infrastructure assets and systems. The transit operations engineering support services contracts will enable the IM&E Department to supplement the in-house resources needed to maintain the end-of-life infrastructure assets, deliver improvement projects on time and within budget, and support expansion projects.
Background
BACKGROUND
The IM&E Department is responsible for maintaining Metro’s system-wide infrastructure assets at Union Station Gateway (USG), bus facilities, rail facilities, and wayside systems in a State of Good Repair (SGR). In addition, the department oversees the delivery of capital projects within the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and supports expansion projects, joint development projects, security projects, and zero-emission charging infrastructure projects.
Since May 2018, Contract No. PS46172000 with Gannett Fleming in the amount of $31,000,000 has been providing a range of engineering services for train control, traction power, communications, track, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and civil design. Also included were support services for project management, construction management, engineering design, and computer-aided design and drafting (CADD). Over the course of the past three fiscal years, the capital improvement program has significantly grown from $335 million to over $1 billion in the life of capital (LOC) budgets.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Metro has a growing Capital Improvement Program, and many transit expansion projects are being implemented at the same time. There continues to be a strong need to provide timely support for the large number of projects from these programs in accordance with the project schedules. This includes reviews of alternative technologies and deliveries coming from the progressive design build alternative delivery approach to the capital projects which will require substantially more reviews than traditional design deviations from the MRDC. This has created a challenge for in-house engineering resources to support the day-to-day maintenance of infrastructure assets and deliver infrastructure renewal SGR projects. IM&E staff reviewed the capital work program and calculated that a base cumulative contract value of $116,000,000 is needed to augment and support in-house resources on a task order basis. The transit operations engineering support services contracts will provide the IM&E Department with sufficient qualified resources across a wide spectrum of disciplines in a timely manner to manage and support day-to-day engineering maintenance and project delivery. Work task orders will be competitively issued between the two firms and awarded based upon best value. Also, awarding work on a task order basis provides the IM&E Department with the flexibility to scale in-house support up or down depending on Metro’s USG, bus, rail, wayside, and other CIP needs. The competitive selection process for each task order will include transmitting to the firms a statement of work and evaluation criteria specific to the task order that describes the task description and implementation schedule. The proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria for required items such as qualifications, work experience, key personnel, team availability, execution plan, cost estimate, (when applicable) schedule, and subcontractors including Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation. Attachment C provides a list of supported project uses.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The engineering services from these contracts will contribute to maintaining transit infrastructure assets in a State of Good Repair as recommended by Metro’s Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan, which is essential to providing a safe and reliable service for riders who use the Metro transit system daily.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
As work task orders become necessary, funding will be provided from the appropriate project requiring support. For FY24, funding of $500,000 is included in the operating budget, and $12,153,000 is included in the capital project budget under various cost centers and projects, account 50316 - Professional and Technical Services.
Since this is a multi-year contract, the Project Manager will ensure that the balance of funds is budgeted in future Fiscal Years.
Impact to Budget
The current sources of funds for this action are Federal, State, and Local. This funding is eligible for Capital and Operating Projects.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The benefits of this action are to ensure that Metro transit infrastructure assets are maintained in a state of good repair, including assets in Equity Focus Communities (EFC). Metro is committed to keeping transit assets in good working order so that transit services are dependable and accessible. Transit infrastructure assets are progressively maintained in both EFCs and non-EFCs based on asset manufacturer life cycles. This allows Metro to deliver dependable transit services that connect marginalized groups with jobs, housing, education, food services, family, and health care.
…Implementation_Of_Strategic_Plan Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Approval of this recommendation supports the following Metro Strategic Plan Goals:
Goal # 1 Provide high-quality mobility options that allow people to travel less.
Goal # 2 Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system.
Goal # 3 Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity.
Goal # 5 Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization.
These transit operations engineering support services contracts will help maintain safety, service, and reliability standards in an effort to provide a world-class transportation system that enhances the quality of life for all who live, work, and play within Los Angeles County.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
There were two alternatives considered for this, and one of them is to solicit open competitive proposals for each work order as it becomes required. This is not recommended as it would require extensive additional staff time to process each request, resulting in project delays due to the lead time required to complete each procurement cycle. Additionally, procuring these services on a per-assignment basis would impose an additional burden on the Vendor/Contract Management (V/CM) Department.
An additional alternative is to utilize existing in-house engineering staff to provide the required technical support. This is not feasible as the current budgeted IM&E Department capacity is fully utilized to maintain Metro's existing systems and oversee the acceptance of the new rail lines. Also, there would not be sufficient existing staff to re-assign to provide technical support to the various capital improvement projects concurrently.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will execute Contract No. AE100331000 to HNTB Corporation and AE100331001 to Gannett Fleming, Inc. to provide transit operations engineering support on a task-order basis.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - DEOD Summary
Attachment C - List of Project Uses
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Kelvin Zan, Executive Officer, Operations Engineering, (213) 617-6264
Errol Taylor, Deputy Chief Operations Officer, Infrastructure Maintenance and Engineering, (213) 922-3227
Debra Avila, Deputy Chief Officer, Vendor/Contract Management (213) 418-3051
Reviewed_By
Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3034
