Posting Language
Title
Authorize negotiation and execution of a professional services contract for engineering services for IH35 Cap & Stitch - Connecting Austin Equitably Mobility Study project with Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $1,400,000.
[Note: This contract will be awarded in compliance with 49 CFR Part 26 (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program) and City Code Chapter 2-9A (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program) by meeting the goal with 7.00% DBE participation].
Body
Lead Department
Financial Services Department.
Managing Department
Transportation and Public Works.
Fiscal Note
Funding is available in the Capital Budget of the Transportation Public Works Department.
Purchasing Language:
The Financial Services Department issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQS) 6100 CLMP374 for these services. The solicitation was issued on February 6, 2024 and closed on March 7, 2024. Of the four offers received, the recommended consultant submitted the best evaluated responsive offer. A complete solicitation package, including a log of offers received, is available for viewing on the City’s Financial Services website, Austin Finance Online. This information can currently be found at https://financeonline.austintexas.gov/afo/account_services/solicitation/solicitation_details.cfm?sid=140386.
For More Information:
Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to the Financial Services Department - Central Procurement at: FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500. Respondents to the solicitation and their Agents should direct all questions to the Authorized Contact Person identified in the solicitation.
Additional Backup Information:
In February 2023, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) selected the City to receive the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program Grant, to fund the Our Future 35: Connecting Austin Equitably Mobility Study. The Study will continue to build on existing preliminary design, engineering, and equitable development plans for potential caps and stitches over Interstate-35 (IH-35), all of which will be developed in coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation’s IH-35 Capital Express Central Project. The Our Future 35 project represents an opportunity to physically reconnect the fabric of east and west Austin by providing public space, amenities, and multimodal connections on caps and stitches over the IH-35 highway.
The City is seeking an external consultant to conduct the Connecting Austin Equitable Mobility Study for the cap and stitch program. This study will evaluate critical transportation, equitable mobility, and environmental justice outcomes (air pollution, heat island, noise mitigations, etc.) needed to move the City’s community vision of Our Future 35 forward. Through this study, the consultant and City staff will analyze the impact of caps and stitches, provide recommendations that will directly inform future design and engineering phases, and capital improvement projects of the surrounding City transportation network.
Information produced through this study will help the City apply for more than $250M of federal funding for the construction of the IH-35 caps and stitches. Any delay in onboarding the consultants would make the discretionary grant applications less competitive. In addition, the study is funded through a USDOT grant which has a deadline of two years for all funds to be expended.
This request allows for the development of an agreement with the selected firm. If the City is unsuccessful in negotiating a satisfactory agreement with the selected firm, negotiations will cease with that firm. Staff will return to Council so another qualified firm may be selected, authorizing new contract negotiations.
This project is located within District 1, 3, 4 and 9.