Maryland Transit Solutions (MTS), comprising Dragados USA and OHL USA, has been deemed to offer the best value. The new contractor was picked by Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP), in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA).
Fluor had left the project last year after working on it since 2017.
The Purple Line will be a 21-station light rail line providing a rapid transit service between New Carrollton in Prince George’s County and Bethesda in Montgomery County. The east-west line will connect with five branches of Metrorail, three MARC commuter rail lines, Amtrak and a host of bus services.
The next steps in the procurement process include finalising contracts as PLTP advances efforts to secure required financing. MDOT MTA intends to return to the Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) with the selected contractor, replacement design-build contract and amended P3 Agreement, which will include an updated project cost and schedule for completion.
Following anticipated BPW approval, commercial and financial is anticipated for February 2022. MTS is expected to resume full construction of the Purple Line next spring.
“We’re very excited to bring on MTS so the Purple Line can begin serving the people of Maryland as soon as possible,” said Jane Garvey, chairman of the PLTP board of directors. “In their proposal, discussions and oral presentation, MTS showed they possess all the right qualities – thorough knowledge of the project, across-the-board expertise and a demonstrated spirit of partnership – to get the job done efficiently and with excellence.”
“I’m excited to partner with Maryland Transit Solutions to move full speed ahead with construction and delivery of this regionally important project,” said MDOT secretary Greg Slater. “We have made a lot of progress in this interim period. Today’s news is one more step towards completion and one more step towards Marylanders riding on this critical transit connection. I want to thank everyone for their continued patience as we work hard to get the Purple Line back on track.”
The client said that procurements of this magnitude can take 18 months to two years to complete but that the replacement of the Purple Line contractor is on track to be completed in just over a year. The process began in January 2021 when PLTP issued a request for qualifications, followed in March by a shortlisting of teams and issuing a request for proposals (RFP). During the summer and autumn, PLTP and MDOT MTA held one-on-one discussions with proposal teams and refined the RFP. I
In October, PLTP received compliant and responsive proposals from MTS and a joint venture of Tutor-Perini and Lunda, while a third shortlisted team, Halmar International, opted not to submit a proposal.
“Working in lockstep with MDOT MTA, we’re heartened that our procurement effort attracted two quality bids and we thank Tutor-Perini/Lunda for their strong proposal,” Garvey said.
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