‘Ultimate’ Florida P3 shortlist looming

A bidder shortlist for a multi-billion-dollar public-private partnership (PPP; P3) in the ‘Sunshine State’ – named the ‘I-4 Ultimate Project’ – should be determined in June.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is evaluating a respondent pool to a request for qualifications (RFQ) in April. FDOT has set June 5 as its date to announce a shortlist.

The PPP is a 40-year design, build, finance, operate and maintain (DBFOM) concession involving a 21-mile section of Interstate 4 (I-4) in Florida.

Seven private consortia responded to the RFQ, including:

-‘4wardPartners,’ led by Meridiam Infrastructure, VINCI Concessions and Walsh Investors, with AECOM Technology Corporation, Archer Western Contractors and The de Moya Group;

-‘I-4 Development Partners,’ teaming Macquarie Capital and Obrascon Huarte Lain (OHL), with FCC Construccion and HNTB Corporation;

-‘Ultimate Mobility Partners,’ comprising InfraRed Capital Partners, Fluor Enterprises, Kiewit Infrastructure South, as well as Parsons Transportation Group and Atkins North America;

-‘I-4 Mobility Partners’ teaming Skanska Infrastructure Development, John Laing Investments with HDR Engineering and Jacobs Engineering Group;

-‘I-4 Ultimate Mobility Partners,’ with Cintra Infraestructuras, Ferrovial Agroman, MCM, the Louis Berger Group and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman;

-‘I-4 Ultimate Expressway Partners,’ with Odebrecht Organisation, Bilfinger Berger, Balfour Beatty, Samsung E&C America, Zachary Construction and Parsons Brinckerhoff, and;

-‘4ward Express ProposerCo,’ featuring TIAA-CREF, ACS Infrastructure Development with Shikun & Binui, Dragados USA, H.W. Lochner and MMM Group.

The Department has estimated the I-4 Ultimate Project will cost $2 billion. Florida, meanwhile, has set aside $857 million in funding.

Florida has billed the project as transformative.