TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: DBROC Cooperative Agreement
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider authorizing the General Manager to enter into an extension of the Dumbarton Bridge Regional Operations Consortium (DBROC) Cooperative Agreement from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023, in conjunction with the proposed six-month extension of the service contract.
Staff Contact:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
Extending the cooperative agreement will ensure a structure of administration, governance, and oversight for the Dumbarton Express during the proposed six-month contract extension period.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no expected budgetary impact of extending the Cooperative Agreement term by six months. Except for a minor amount of AC Transit staff time, the Dumbarton Express service itself is fully funded by Regional Measure 2 bridge toll revenues and EasyPass program revenues generated by Stanford University and Stanford Medical Center.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The Dumbarton Bridge Regional Operations Consortium (DBROC or the Consortium) consists of the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), the City of Union City (Union City Transit), the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) under a Cooperative Agreement dated December 19, 2011. The Cooperative Agreement also codifies oversight and governance of the service. The Cooperative Agreement has been extended concurrently with the contract for MV Transportation to operate the Dumbarton Express service; like that contract, the Cooperative Agreement was set to expire December 31, 2021.
At the February 10, 2021, Consortium meeting, the City of Union City confirmed that it would lead the procurement process to have a contract in place for a Dumbarton Express service provider effective January 1, 2022. In conjunction with a new contract, a new Cooperative Agreement with the same duration would have been executed.
Before the end of 2021, the City of Union City informed District staff that the release of the Request for Proposal (RFP) was delayed. In consultation with Consortium members, the contract for the Dumbarton Express was extended for a six-month period covering January 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022. The goal of the extension was to permit time for the RFP to be developed and released and to avoid an interruption in Dumbarton Express service; the Cooperative Agreement was likewise extended.
Unfortunately, the City of Union City was unable to complete the procurement before July 1, 2022. As a result, the Consortium recommended a second extension through December 31, 2022, which was subsequently executed by AC Transit to maintain service continuity while the procurement continued. Union City staff declared recently it is now unable complete the procurement at all due to capacity and capability issues. As of the writing of this report, the Consortium has not formally met to determine how to advance the procurement, but it is scheduled to do so on October 25th. Three possible outcomes include the District assuming the procurement, another Consortium member assuming the procurement, or another Consortium member assuming the procurement pending approval from their executive level to do so. These are only the scenarios that are immediately evident, but others may exist.
With concurrence from the Consortium, staff has recommended authorizing a subsequent extension of the Dumbarton Express contract with MV Transportation for approximately six months to permit uninterrupted service and allow completion of the procurement. In order to preserve the established administrative and governance structure, staff recommends an extension of the Cooperative Agreement for the same six-month period.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The advantage of extending the Cooperative Agreement is that AC Transit is able to continue its administration and oversight of the Dumbarton Express service. In addition, extending the Cooperative Agreement would help to maintain continuity of the service and the decision-making process. There are no known disadvantages to extending the Cooperative Agreement.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
The alternative is that the District could let the Cooperative Agreement expire. Staff does recommend this because there would be no formal framework for administration and oversight of the Dumbarton Express service.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Staff Report 11-256n Dumbarton Bridge Regional Operations Consortium (DBROC) Cooperative Agreement
ATTACHMENTS:
1. None
Prepared by:
Howard Der, Senior Transportation Planner
Approved/Reviewed by:
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development and Planning
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Jill A. Sprague, General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer