TRANSIT: D.C. moves forward with streetcar initiative

Support of the overall concept and for a two-step Request for Qualifications (RFQ)/Request for Proposal (RFP) procurement process, as well as identification of project complexities, were among the emerging themes of the responses to the recent DC Streetcar Request for Information. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will begin follow-up steps related to points raised in the submissions.

“Responses to the RFI identified key areas of the project where additional analysis is needed prior to issuing a Request for Proposals,” stated DDOT Director Terry Bellamy. “This is exactly the type of information we were hoping for when we issued the RFI. It will allow us to produce a more informed and, therefore, a more effective RFP.”

The project areas identified by the respondents for additional analysis include:

• ·         Complexities of integrating bus and streetcar operations;
• ·         Plans and status of the environmental review process for streetcar segments;
• ·         Information on potential funding streams; and
• ·         Inclusion of streetcar vehicles with the overall procurement.

The DC Streetcar team is beginning follow-up steps related to these topics. The process will include internal analysis and additional industry outreach. Bellamy will host an industry forum and webcast in November to discuss the feedback gained from the RFI process and share the District’s plans moving forward. Additional industry sessions will cover the overall program as well as individual project components. The results of these steps, along with input from the Mayor’s Streetcar Financing and Governance Task Force, will inform the future RFQ/RFP process.

“Proposals of this magnitude are often time and resource intensive. Respondents indicated support of a two-step process where firms or teams would be short-listed after a Request for Qualifications,” said DDOT Chief Engineer Nick Nicholson.