TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Quick Build Construction Contract Award
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider delegating one-time authority to the General Manager to award and execute a fixed price construction contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder whose bid has been determined to be fair and reasonable for the MacArthur Boulevard/Durant Avenue and International Boulevard Quick Build Projects and direct the General Manager to report back on the contract at a future meeting.
Staff Contact:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
The proposed improvements are intended to improve service reliability, reduce travel time, and improve safety along the International Boulevard Corridor (Oakland), Durant Avenue Corridor (Berkeley), and MacArthur Boulevard (Oakland).
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The Quick Build Project (Project) is funded by various federal, state, and regional agencies including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Local matching funds came from $143,029 in District Capital funds approved in the Capital Budget and Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) funds. The contract, if awarded, will not exceed the available grant funds, city contributions, and existing approved District Capital funds.
The District is also receiving contributions from the cities of Oakland ($475,717) and Berkeley ($330,120) to cover the expanded scope and project limits requested by each city during the design process. Funding agreements are in place with each city.
A 10% Small Business Enterprise (SBE) goal is set for this project.
Because this is a pre-authorization request, there is no contract award summary included in this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
In 2021, the Board approved two Quick-Strike projects (Durant/MacArthur and International Boulevard) for submission to ACTC’s CIP program. MTC awarded a grant to fund these projects through their Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Program to fund local projects that can be implemented quickly to benefit communities responding and adapting to the COVID-19 environment.
Quick Build Transit Lanes
The Durant Avenue Transit Lane project includes a red transit lane between Fulton Street and College Avenue in Berkeley and curb extensions at bus stops. This will reduce the number of through travel lanes. The project will complement the City of Berkeley’s Southside Complete Street Project. The City of Berkeley is contributing funds to extend the transit lane along Durant.
The MacArthur Boulevard Project is located on a segment of MacArthur Boulevard between Alma Avenue and Park Boulevard along the Oakland High School. The project will improve bus stops at Alma Avenue, frequently utilized by students, and complements the City of Oakland’s MacArthur Smart Corridor Project.
The International Boulevard quick build project would add tactile warning features to existing median bus lane striping, additional pavement markings/paint, and additional signage to reduce unintentional lane violations between 14th Avenue and 107th Avenue. This preliminary project will evaluate several tactile warning features along different segments of the corridor. After the evaluation AC Transit will seek additional funding for a final project to implement effective tactile warning features in the future along the entire corridor.
The City of Oakland expanded the scope of original District International Boulevard project from 14th Avenue to 42nd Avenue and added the 42nd Avenue to 107th Avenue segment which is Caltrans right-of-way. Full construction for this additional 42nd Avenue to 107th Avenue segment would require further contribution from the city (beyond the amount mentioned above) to construct/implement. Since the committed funding is less than the estimated cost for the full implementation the proposed project will implement treatments covering approximately 75% of International boulevard between 14th Avenue to 107th Avenue.
Staff worked with the cities of Berkeley and Oakland with respective projects in developing project scope, including project elements, outreach/notification, and approval processes. Staff expects public outreach meeting(s) to occur in the fall of 2023. Staff will continue to work with the cities of Berkeley and Oakland in developing the project design and implementing the projects. Staff will also work with Oakland staff and the designer to expedite design review and approval through Caltrans for the segment along International from 42nd to 107thAvenues. Once the design is complete and approvals received, staff will issue an Invitation For Bid (IFB) for construction services. Simultaneously, construction management (CM) services will be immediately tasked from AC Transit’s existing on-call CM contracts. While staff strive to work with the cities to develop and deliver the projects quickly, the projects will follow the same design review and approval process for other similar scale capital projects in the public right-of-way.
The District and the design consultant are committed to help the City of Oakland expedite the project implementation by investigating other possibilities as follows:
• Delivering the corridor improvements in the city’s right-of-way from 14th to 42nd Avenues (City right-of-way segment) first, slightly ahead of the Caltrans segment.
• Utilize the city’s on-call construction contractors to expedite the start of construction.
• Work with Caltrans to expedite approval for design and start constructing improvements on the State Highway segment from 42nd Avenue to 107th Avenue and closely following the city’s segment as soon as possible. (Phased approach)
• Waive the city construction permitting process as this project does not require intensive civil construction.
• Expedite approval of traffic control plans for construction so as not to delay starting construction activities.
• Approve night work to expedite completion.
The Quick Build Project requires fast development and project delivery. Streamlining procurement is critical step in fast project delivery. The Procurement Department will evaluate bids to determine the lowest responsive, responsible bidder and verify the bid is fair and reasonable. Based on this evaluation, the summary of results and recommendations will be reviewed by executives and the General Manager, before awarding the construction contract. This will allow the project to immediately begin construction once the Notice to Proceed (NTP) is issued by the Procurement Department. Staff can share details of this award in a future Board Meeting. Granting General Manager authorization to award the construction contract in advance can save approximately two months of time during the contractor procurement process.
To expedite project delivery schedule of the Quick Build Project, staff requests the Board pre-authorize the General Manager to award a construction contract of a firm fixed price contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder whose bid has been determined to be fair and reasonable. This will accelerate the procurement process which will allow construction to begin sooner.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
Authorizing the General Manager to award the construction contract prior to the completion of the procurement process will expedite the start of construction by approximately two months; however, the Board will not have the ability to review bid results and the Procurement Department’s evaluation/recommendations before a contract is awarded.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
The Board can require staff to follow the District’s standard protocol and present bid results before requesting authorization to enter into a construction contract. This will allow the Board to review bid results and the Procurement Department’s recommendation; however, the start of construction will be delayed. Staff does not recommend this approach. The project cost is minimal, resulting in minimal risk to the District compared to other contracts.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Staff Report 21-241 - Funding from the ACTC Comprehensive Investment Plan and the MTC Quick Strike Program
Staff Report 22-107 - Authorization to issue an Invitation For Bid (IFB) for Construction Services associated with the Quick Build Project.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
Prepared by:
Wil Buller, Traffic Engineer
In Collaboration with:
Jim Cunradi, Transportation Planning Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development and Planning
Jill A. Sprague, General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer
Fred Walls, Director of Procurement and Materials
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Phillip Halley, Program Manager, Compliance & Diversity-Contracts