Pennsylvania issues vehicle services RFI

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) Office of Public Private Partnerships (P3 Office) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input for co-locating a full service Commercial Driver/Vehicle Services Center (CDVSC) and a new Capital Area Transit (CAT) administration, operation and bus maintenance facility with commercial business operations, the P3 Office said.

The agency is considering various scenarios, including the co-location of both facilities or procuring the facilities under separate contracts. In the former case, PennDOT would own the property and facility and perform all CDVSC and CAT operations; in the latter instance, the property and facility for the CDVSC and CAT would be owned by PennDOT and CAT, respectively, according to the RFI.

The facilities would be located in the greater Harrisburg area.

Requirements for the Commercial Driver/Vehicle Services Center include a 40,000 square foot-facility to process associated vehicle and driver license transactions for commercial vehicle owners and operators; parking; and routine operations and maintenance.

As for the Capital Area Transit facility, PennDOT is exploring the possibility of co-locating a new CAT facility with a commercial business. The state’s existing CAT facility was originally designed and constructed in 1904 as a maintenance centre for horse-drawn carriages. While still in use, the facility is considered insufficient and obsolete.

Requirements for this facility include an administration/operations building that can accommodate 205 staff; a vehicle maintenance building, separate parking lots for employees and visitors, interior parking for CAT’s current fleet of 130 buses; and routine operations and maintenance.

In addition to meeting current needs, the design for the CAT facility must also include plans for future expansions.

PennDOT is considering procuring and delivering the facilities as a design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) project where the private entity or entities selected would be responsible for the design, construction, routine maintenance and operations of the project or project elements as well as securing the financing to fund all or a portion of the design, construction, and life-cycle maintenance, according to the RFI.

The deadline for submitting information is May 2.

This is the third RFI that has been issued this year for a project in Pennsylvania. In February, PennDOT launched an RFI for the redevelopment of 11 train stations along the Amtrak Keystone line, while in March the Port of Pittsburgh Commission issued an RFI for the further development of its wireless waterway service aimed at advancing communications within the country’s inland river system.

Currently, PennDOT is in the process of procuring the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, which aims to replace or upgrade at least 500 bridges across the state. The agency announced four short-listed teams last month.