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[Call to Order]
FOR THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP BOARD MEETING TODAY'S MAY 15TH, 2024.AND I'LL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 2:04 PM THIS MEETING IS BEING CONDUCTED AT A TP, LOCATED AT 2 0 3 COLORADO STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AS A REMINDER, THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES BOTH AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AND OTHER INTERPRETER SERVICES.
WE JUST REQUEST FOR 24 HOUR NOTICE SO WE CAN BE PREPARED FOR YOU.
AND PLEASE CONTACT A TP BOARD ON CHLOE MAXWELL, AND HER CONTACT IS IN EACH AGENDA POSTING VICE CHAIR WATSON AND MS. DORY WATKINS ARE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND TODAY'S MEETING, BUT I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOU WHO COULD ATTEND TODAY.
UM, I BELIEVE WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY.
IS THAT CORRECT? IS THERE ANYBODY HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD? DO THAT, NO.
[2.1. Project Connect Status Report | Board Brief]
OFF WITH TODAY'S, UM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREG CANALI, WHO'S GONNA GIVE US THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT.UH, WELCOME TO OUR BOARD MEETING EVERYONE.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA HIGHLIGHT TODAY JUST HOW WE CONTINUE TO PROGRESS, UH, AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF OUR PROCUREMENTS AND MAKING SURE WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUT OUR TEAM AS WE DO THE WORK THAT'S AHEAD OF US, AND DO IT IN A VERY THOUGHTFUL AND METHODICAL WAY.
LAST BOARD WORK SESSION, WE GOT TO TALK ABOUT OUR OVERALL DELIVERY FRAMEWORK, AND TODAY YOU GET TO SEE SOME OF THAT DELIVERY FRAMEWORK HAPPENING.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BE AT THIS MOMENT.
UM, BUT JUST QUICKLY, JUST GIVING SOME BIG PICTURE THINGS ON WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUT OUR STATUS REPORT, OUR PROJECT CONNECT.
UH, REMEMBER THAT IN ADDITION TO LIGHT RAIL, THERE'S OTHER INVESTMENTS GOING ON IN THIS COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THIS REPORT BOTH HIGHLIGHTS WHAT WE'RE DOING INSIDE LIGHT RAIL INSIDE THE ORGANIZATION, BUT WITH OUR PARTNERS.
AND WE'VE CONTINUED TO BUILD OUT, UH, THAT PARTNER REPORTING, UM, ESPECIALLY ON A QUARTERLY BASIS.
AND SO THAT REPORT NOW INCLUDES THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, SOMETHING THAT WE HIGHLIGHTED, UM, BEF AT THE, OUR LAST WORKSHOP, WE WERE REALLY EXCITED TO HOST AGAIN, ANOTHER, UH, CONNECT AND BUILD OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR INDUSTRY COMMUNITY AND OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO COME TOGETHER, BOTH THOSE INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, REALLY CONNECTING WITH OUR LOCAL FIRMS. UM, WE HAD A GREAT EVENT HERE ON A SOMEWHAT HOT DAY OUTSIDE.
UM, UH, GOT EVERYONE, GOT A LITTLE COZY OUT THERE, UH, LEARNING ABOUT THE PROGRAM, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, GETTING TO TALK TO EACH OTHER AND LEARN ABOUT, UM, OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST IN OUR GREAT AUSTIN.
UM, REALLY HIGHLIGHTING OUR LOCAL, UH, AND OUR DBE OPPORTUNITIES.
SO WE HAD 77 SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, 50 PRIMES.
UM, AND WE ALSO DID SOME TRAINING AS PART OF THAT.
UM, UH, COURTNEY AND HER TEAM TALKED ABOUT, AND BRAD TALKED ABOUT SOME OPPORTUNITIES, WHAT IT REALLY MEANS, THE KIND OF THE PRACTICAL PARTS OF THAT.
THIS ALL FITS UNDER THAT IDEA OF US BEING READY, RIGHT? SO NOT ONLY A TP BEING READY, BUT OUR INDUSTRY BEING READY AND ALL OF OUR, UM, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR LOCAL AND DBE BUSINESSES TO BE READY FOR THIS AS WE CONTINUE ADVANCING THIS WORK.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, WE REALLY LOVE INVITING PEOPLE HERE INTO OUR HOME FOR THAT.
UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GREAT, RIGHT? IT'S LIKE A, IT'S LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF A HOUSE PARTY, UM, AND WE GET TO TALK SHOP AND IT'S GREAT.
SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S COMING OUT AND, UM, AND, AND BEING PART OF THAT EFFORT.
UM, AND ON THE NEXT ONE, I WANT TO NOW MOVE OVER AND BRING UP, INVITE UP JEN PINE AND COURTNEY CHAVEZ TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE MOMENT WE'RE IN FROM A FEDERAL PERSPECTIVE.
REMIND YOU WHERE WE ARE AS WE ADVANCE OUR FEDERAL PROGRAM.
OBVIOUSLY, AS WE SAY, UM, OUR PARTNERSHIPS ARE MANY AND, AND WIDE AND VARIED, AND ONE OF THE KEY ONE IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UM, THEY'VE BEEN FANTASTIC TO WORK WITH, BOTH IN REGION SIX HERE IN FORT WORTH AND IN HEADQUARTERS IN DC AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT, UH, ONE OF THE STEPS THAT WE HAVE JUST WRAPPED UP ONE OF THE MULTI-STEP WE'VE WRAPPED UP.
UH, CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? OR ACTUALLY, WHY DON'T I GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UH, SO THE WORK WE HAVE ONGOING IS, UH, DESIGN ENGINEERING HAS BEEN OCCURRING AND WILL CONTINUE.
UH, I'M GONNA SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FEDERAL FUNDING PROCESS AND THE WORK STREAMS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
UM, WITH A CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
UM, WE ARE CONTINUING TO PROGRESS THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.
WE HIT A BIG MILESTONE JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, UH, WHEN FTA, UH, NOTIFIED US THAT THEY COMPLETED THE PROCESS AND HAD, UM, UH, AGREED THAT WE ARE AN, UM, ELIGIBLE GRANTEE AND DIRECT RECIPIENT OF FEDERAL FUNDS.
UH, SO THAT WAS BASED ON A SEVERAL MONTHS LONG ASSESSMENT OF ATP'S LEGAL, TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL CAPACITY TO MANAGE THIS PROJECT AND TO MANAGE PROJECTS
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OF THIS SORT THAT FTA WOULD FUND.UH, SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE.
UM, AND SO WE ARE CONTINUING VERY SPECIFICALLY IN ADVANCING THE PROJECT, UH, THROUGH THE CIG PROGRAM.
UH, BACK IN MARCH, UH, WE SUBMITTED OUR REQUEST TO FORMALLY ENTER PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'RE AWAITING THE, THE FORMAL RESPONSE ON THAT, UM, REALLY ANY TIME.
UM, SO WE'LL UPDATE YOU AS WE HEAR.
THE NEXT, UM, NE UH, FEDERAL PROCESS, UH, AREA IS DEEPA, UH, AND COMPLYING WITH THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT.
AND THAT IS REQUIRED BECAUSE WE ARE PURSUING AND INTEND TO USE FEDERAL FUNDS.
UH, SO IT KICKED OFF REALLY FOR THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL PROJECT IN JANUARY WITH THE PUBLICATION OF A NOTICE OF INTENT IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER.
AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE.
UM, THAT INITIATED A, A SET OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, MOSTLY IN FEBRUARY, UM, THAT WE CALLED SCOPING, UM, TO REALLY GATHER THE COMMUNITY AND TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO DO AND THE PROJECT ITSELF AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE STUDYING.
SO, UH, WE, ONE THING WE'LL TALK ABOUT MORE IN, IN JUST A MINUTE IS THAT WE'VE PREPARED A REPORT TO COMPILE EVERYTHING WE HEARD DURING THAT, THAT PERIOD.
UM, AND THAT WILL BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE THIS MONTH AS WELL.
UM, BUT BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO COURTNEY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, UH, HOW WILL WE USE THAT INFORMATION? UM, IT'S CURRENTLY BEING USED IN OUR ONGOING DESIGN COORDINATION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.
YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, COMMENTS ON A CERTAIN, UM, POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF IMPORTANCE OR, OR TOPICS THAT DESERVE, UM, CONSIDERATION ARE BEING FOLDED INTO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
AND THAT WORK WILL BE COMPILED, UH, INTO A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT THAT WILL BE RELEASED LATER THIS YEAR, UH, WHICH WILL, UH, COINCIDE WITH ANOTHER PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT OPPORTUNITY.
ALL THE COMMENTS WE RECEIVE AT THAT TIME WILL THEN BE FOLDED INTO A FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT IN 2025.
UM, SO, BUT, BUT BACK TO SCOPING AND THE PROCESS AND, AND WHAT DID WE HEAR? WHAT DID WE DO AND, AND WHAT DID WE HEAR, COURTNEY? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND SO, UM, TALKING ABOUT SCOPING DIRECTLY, WE DID ENGAGE IN THAT PROCESS FROM JANUARY 19TH THROUGH MARCH 4TH, AND DID IT IN A COMPREHENSIVE WAY OF HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY, UM, BUILD ENGAGEMENT IN A STRATEGIC WAY AROUND THE ALIGNMENT, BUT ALSO THEN EXPAND OUT THROUGH ADDITIONAL COMMUNICATIONS.
SO FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, WE CONDUCTED SIX TOTAL OPEN HOUSES, FIVE WERE IN PERSON AND SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN TO BE LOCATED ALONG THE ALIGNMENT TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO ATTEND, BUT ALSO ONE VIRTUAL MEETING SO THAT ANYONE WHO COULD NOT COME COULD ACTUALLY SEE IT ONLINE, BUT ALSO WATCH THE RECORDING POST MEETING.
IN ADDITION, UH, WE WERE DOING BUS STOP OUTREACH TO REALLY RAISE AN AWARENESS OF THE SURVEY TOOL THAT WAS OUT THERE TO GATHER INFORMATION AND COMMENTS.
UH, WE ATTENDED TABLING EVENTS IN COMMUNITY CENTERS, COMMUNITY AREAS.
UH, WE DEFINITELY WENT TO, WE WENT TO BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES, UH, QUITE FREQUENTLY DURING THAT TIMEFRAME.
BUT ON TOP OF THAT, WE ALSO REALLY ENGAGED ON THE COMMUNICATION SIDE, WHICH IS THE SOCIAL MEDIA, THE PRINT MEDIA OUTREACH TO ENSURE THAT THE REACH GREW.
SO YOU SEE THAT IN ADDITION, 38,000 MAILERS WENT OUT JUST AS NOTIFICATIONS, UH, TOTAL COMMENTS.
I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE FROM THE SLIDES HERE THAT WE GOT OVER 3000 CLOSE TO 4,000 COMMENTS IN FULL THAT WE'VE ANALYZED.
AND SO IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THEM, WHICH IS READING ALL THE COMMENTS.
AND I, ONE OF THE, I, IT'S A REPEATED REFRAIN I HEAR WHENEVER I'M OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY READING THE COMMENTS LIKE, OH NO, WE ARE READING THE COMMENTS, WE'RE READING THEM AND WE'RE READING THEM MULTIPLE TIMES OVER SO THAT WE CAN NOT ONLY UNDERSTAND THEM FROM A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE COMMUNITY, BUT HOW WE FEED THEM BACK INTO OUR PROCESS.
AND SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS AN OUTCOME OF, OF SOME OF THAT WORK OF COMMENT THEMES, VERY DIVERSE IN WHAT PEOPLE WERE SAYING ACROSS THE BOARD AND GIVING THAT FEEDBACK.
SO I WANNA DEFINITELY HIGHLIGHT THAT GENERALLY WE DID HEAR, UH, A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR THE LIGHT RAIL AND TO CONTINUE TO BUILD IT FAST.
SO I THINK IN CONCLUSION, I THINK WE JUST REALLY WANNA THANK, UH, THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY FOR COMING OUT BECAUSE WE GOT GREAT PARTICIP.
WE JUST WANNA THANK THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY FOR COMING OUT BECAUSE WE DID GET GREAT PARTICIPATION, UH, ONLINE, IN PERSON, YOU KNOW, AND IN ALL THE WAYS.
UM, AND WE'LL, UH, HAVE THIS SCOPING REPORT UP ON OUR WEBSITE SHORTLY.
THAT'S HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR TURN IT BACK TO GREG.
ARE YOU DONE WITH YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT? I HAVE.
WE CAN GO STRAIGHT BACK TO YOU.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION, UM, FROM THESE COMMENTS THAT WE RECEIVED, ARE THEY ALSO POSTED ONLINE AS A SUMMARY OF COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? UH, SO THEY, THE RAW COMMENTS WILL BE POSTED AS PART OF THE APPENDIX TO THE REPORT, SO EVERYONE CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE ORIGINAL COMMENTS AS WELL AS WHAT OUR ANALYSIS IS.
BUT RIGHT NOW THEY'RE NOT PART OF THE WEBSITE AS LIKE WHAT PEOPLE, SO THEY WILL BE VERY SHORTLY.
WE'RE, WE'RE MANAGING A TECHNICAL ISSUE.
AND THEN ONCE IT'S UP, WE'LL MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IS AWARE.
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GREAT.AND, UM, SO I LIKE READING THE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE
SO ARE THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? NO, THAT WAS A HEAVY LIFT.
I KNOW YOU GUYS WERE OUT THERE DOING A LOT OF WORK, SO THANK YOU.
[3.1. Approval of minutes from the February 16, 2024 and March 27, 2024 Board Meetings]
NOW GOING TO GO TO OUR ACTION ITEMS. SO THIS PLANS TO BE A VERY BRIEF MEETING.I'D LIKE TO TAKE UP ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MEETING MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 16TH, 2024 IN MARCH 27TH, 2024 A TP BOARD MEETINGS.
UM, I HOPE EVERYONE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MEETING MINUTES.
AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO REQUEST A MOTION MOVE MOVED BY BOARD MEMBER GAR.
I WANNA BE SURE THAT THEY'VE BEEN PROPERLY REVIEWED.
THE ACTIONS WE TOOK WERE VERY IMPORTANT AND I WANT THE MINUTES TO REFLECT EXACTLY WHAT WE DID.
IS THAT, DO I HAVE THAT COMFORT GUYS? YES.
SO IT'S BEEN SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER IAN.
IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE MEETING MINUTES? WE'RE ALL LOOKING AT JOHN
I WON'T DISAPPOINT YOU,
EVERYONE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ACTION ITEM ONE, PLEASE SAY AYE.
THE MEETING MINUTES HAVE BEEN APPROVED.
[Items 3.1. & 3.2. ]
NOW INVITE BRAD CUMMINGS, A TP, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACT MANAGEMENT, WHO WILL JOIN US TO PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ACTION ITEMS TWO AND THREE.UM, I AM EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY TO SHARE, UM, AND ASK FOR APPROVAL OF CONTRACTS FOR THE ON-CALL ENGINEERING AND ON-CALL PLANNING SERVICES.
UM, YOU MAY BE ASKING, WELL, HOW DID WE GET HERE? UM, AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU, UM, IT'S BEEN, UH, A ROAD THAT WAS PURPOSELY DESIGNED TO INCREASE COMPETITION, UM, INCREASE INDUSTRY AWARENESS OF WHAT A TP IS DOING.
UM, AND WE SAW SOME REALLY GREAT RESULTS FROM TAKING SOME EXTRA EFFORT TO INVOLVE THE INDUSTRY.
EARLY ON, ON NOVEMBER 17TH, WE ISSUED A PRES SOLICITATION FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITY, WHICH CONSISTED OF GIVING THE INDUSTRY OUR SCOPE OF WORK, OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS, OUR EVALUATION CRITERIA, EVERYTHING THAT WE INTENDED TO RELEASE LATER ON AS AN ACTUAL RFQ.
UM, AND WE DID THAT SO THAT WAY THEY COULD PROVIDE COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK TO MAKE THE SOLICITATION MORE APPEALING TO THE INDUSTRY TO SOLVE FOR ANY FATAL FLAWS IN TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND TO SOLICIT AS MUCH FEEDBACK AS WE COULD TO MAKE IT, UH, A PROJECT THAT WAS BENEFICIAL FOR BOTH US AND THE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE.
UM, WE TIED THAT INTO A MEET THE PRIME EVENT, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE JUST HAVE DONE WITH OUR DELIVERY PARTNER SOLICITATION.
UM, AND WE DID THAT IN DECEMBER.
WE HAD ALMOST 80 SMALL BUSINESSES COME AND ATTEND THAT EVENT WITH 34 PRIME CONTRACTORS, WAS REALLY WELL ATTENDED AND WELL RECEIVED.
AND AS A RESULT OF THAT PRES SOLICITATION EFFORT, WE RECEIVED 19 FIRMS RESPONDING TO IT WITH A TOTAL OF 248 COMMENTS.
UM, A LOT OF THOSE WERE, THANK YOU FOR DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS, UM, BECAUSE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN DONE A LOT IN THE INDUSTRY AS FAR AS PROCUREMENT'S BEEN CONCERNED.
BUT THERE WERE ALSO SOME REALLY GREAT SUGGESTIONS TO SIMPLIFY THE SCOPE OR MAKE IT MORE CLEAR IN CERTAIN AREAS AND TO FIX SOME, UM, QUESTIONS IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE WE ACTUALLY ISSUED IT.
UM, WHICH HAS SOLVED A LOT OF TIME ON THE NEGOTIATION SIDE ON THE BACK END.
SO IT WAS A REALLY WELL RECEIVED PROCESS, BOTH FROM THE INDUSTRY VIEWPOINT AND FROM OURS, UM, BECAUSE WE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH IT.
WE ISSUED THE RFQ IN JANUARY AND, AND WE HAVE RECEIVED 20 RESPONSES TO THE SOLICITATIONS IN FEBRUARY.
SIX OF THOSE CAME FOR THE ON-CALL PLANNING, EIGHT FOR THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING, AND SIX FOR THE ADVANCED UTILITY SERVICES.
UM, HAVING DONE SOLICITATIONS VERY SIMILAR TO THIS AT A FEW DIFFERENT AGENCIES, THE NUMBER OF RESPONSES THAT WE RECEIVED ARE HIGHER THAN NORMAL THAT MOST AGENCIES GET, WHICH IS GREAT.
THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON, UM, TYPE OF CONTRACT FOR AGENCIES TO HAVE.
MOST AGENCIES DO THIS WHENEVER THEY HAVE ANYTHING TO PLAN OR DESIGN, UM, BECAUSE YOU WANT A BENCH TO BE ABLE TO TACKLE THINGS QUICKLY.
BUT THE NUMBER OF RESPONSES WE GOT WERE REALLY IMPRESSIVE AND THE QUALITY OF THE RESPONSES WERE REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
AND, UM, WE BRIEFED THE BOARD ON THE CURRENT STATUS A COUPLE MONTHS AGO IN MARCH.
AND HERE WE ARE RECOMMENDING A AWARD TODAY.
UM, TO SUMMARIZE WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING, UM, FOR THE ON-CALL, PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING SERVICES, THIS IS A TWO YEAR BASED CONTRACT WITH A ONE YEAR OPTION, UM, FOR $25 MILLION OVER THE COURSE OF THAT TERM.
UM, AND ESSENTIALLY THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT IS TO PROVIDE A BENCH OF, UM, PRELIMINARY ENGINEERS WHO CAN HELP US DESIGN, UM, CRITICAL NEEDS TO GET
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THE DESIGN ADVANCED FURTHER, UM, TO A POINT WHERE THEN WE CAN ISSUE IT FOR ISSUE A SOLICITATION FOR FINAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.UM, SOME OF THE EARLIEST ONES THAT WE'LL BE ISSUING TASK ORDERS FOR UNDER THIS, UM, PROCESS ARE FOR CIVIL AND STRUCTURE, UM, LADY BIRD LAKE BRIDGE, AND THE OMF OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY.
SO THERE'S GOING TO BE WORK THAT WE'LL BE ISSUING REALLY QUICKLY, UM, AFTER HOPEFULLY AN AWARD, UM, OF THIS CONTRACT TO, TO GET PEOPLE MOVING REALLY QUICKLY ON THIS.
THE NEXT ONE IS ON-CALL, ADVANCED UTILITY ENGINEERING SERVICES.
UM, AGAIN, THIS IS A TWO YEAR BASE WITH A ONE YEAR OPTION TERM WITH ANOTHER OPTION FOR FINAL DESIGN FOR THOSE ITEMS THAT WILL SAVE A TPA LOT OF TIME, MONEY, AND EFFORT BY TACKLING NOW, UM, VERSUS WAITING UNTIL WE BRING ON SOMEONE FOR FINAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.
UM, OFTEN UTILITIES ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST HURDLES IN ADVANCING THE PROJECT FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF REASONS.
SO WE'RE AIMING TO SOLVE THOSE NOW, UM, THROUGH THIS TYPE OF ENGINEERING PROCESS.
UM, THE RECOMMENDED CONTRACT VALUE FOR THAT IS $20 MILLION.
AND LASTLY, UM, THE ON-CALL, ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES.
THIS IS ANOTHER CONTRACT THAT'LL BE FOR FIVE YEARS WITH THREE ONE YEAR OPTIONS.
AND IT WILL BE FOR ANY PLANNING AND ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES THAT FALL OUTSIDE OF NEPA, UM, THAT MAY ARISE OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME, UM, WHICH WILL HAPPEN.
AND WE WANT TO BE ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO MOVE VERY QUICKLY TO ACT UPON THOSE NEEDS AS THEY ARISE.
UM, SINCE THIS IS AN IDIQ TYPE OF CONTRACT, THERE'S MULTIPLE AWARDS BEING MADE UNDER TWO OF THOSE CATEGORIES.
UM, SO WE WANTED TO CREATE A FAIR AND OPEN PROCESS TO ASSIGN WORK THAT WOULD POP UP UNDER THESE.
SO WE'VE DESIGNED A COMPETITIVE PROCESS FOR ALL TASK ORDERS OVER $250,000.
WE WILL ISSUE A MINI RFP, UM, AND TO THOSE THREE FIRMS THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING FOR AN AWARD, UM, UNDER THE ADVANCED PLANNING AND ADVANCED PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING.
AND WE CAN EXPEDITE THAT PROCESS AND THE EVALUATION PROCESS FROM SOMETHING THAT WOULD, IF WE WERE TO DO IT SINGULARLY ON ITS OWN AS A BIG RFP WOULD TAKE US FOUR TO SIX MONTHS DOWN TO LIKE A THREE TO FOUR WEEK PROCESS.
'CAUSE WE'VE ALREADY QUALIFIED THE FIRMS THROUGH THIS PROCESS THAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR.
UM, AND THEN FOR TASK IS UNDER $250,000, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT LESS RISK ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE.
WE'LL DO A ROTATIONAL BASIS WHERE THE HIGHEST RANKED FIRM FOR EACH CATEGORY WOULD GET THE FIRST SMALL TASK, AND THEN WE'D ROTATE TO THE SECOND TO THE THIRD, BACK TO THE FIRST, UM, UNLESS THERE WAS AN UNDERLYING NEED TO COMPETE THAT WORK BASED ON RISK OR TIME OR, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS FACTORS.
BUT WE WANTED TO CREATE, YOU KNOW, THIS TWO TIERED EXPEDITED AID PRACTICE TO, TO MOVE THESE PROJECTS FORWARD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER THE RESULTS THAT WE SAW FROM DOING THIS ADVANCED PROCESS AND ENGAGING THE INDUSTRY SO EARLY ON IN THE PROCESS REALLY NETTED A LOT OF POSITIVE RESULTS, NOT ONLY IN THE NUMBER OF FIRMS THAT PROVIDE PROPOSED, BUT THE TEAMS THAT THEY PROPOSED TO DO THE WORK WITH THEM.
UM, FOR ONCALL, PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING SERVICES WE'RE RECOMMENDING AWARDS TO H AND TB, HELA ALLERS AND KIMLEY HORN, UM, AS PRIME CONTRACTORS.
UM, THE DBE GOAL FOR THIS PROJECT, OR FOR THIS CONTRACT WAS SET AT 14%.
ALL FIRMS PROMISE TO MEET OR EXCEED THAT 14% GOAL.
UM, AND H AND TB PROPOSES TO DO THAT THROUGH 14 SUBCONTRACTORS, 11 OF WHICH ARE DBE FIRMS. SEVEN OF THEM ARE LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES, AND SEVEN OF THEM ARE BRAND NEW SUBCONTRACTORS TO A TP.
UM, HEWLETT ZOLES IS AGAIN PROMISED TO HIT THAT GOAL THROUGH 21 SUBCONTRACTORS UTILIZING 14 DBE FIRMS, 11 LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES.
HEWLETT ZOLES ITSELF IS A BRAND NEW PRIME CONTRACTOR TO A TP, AND THEY ARE BRINGING ALONG 15 NEW SUBCONTRACTORS TO A TP KIMLEY HORNE, UM, HAS PROMISED HIT THAT GOAL THROUGH 10 SUBCONTRACTORS, SIX OF WHICH ARE DBE FIRMS. SEVEN ARE LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES.
THEY THEMSELVES ARE A NEW PRIME CONTRACTOR TO A TP, AND THEY'RE BRINGING NINE NEW SUBCONTRACTORS TO A TP AS WELL.
SO THE GOAL WAS TO CREATE A WIDE BENCH, NOT ONLY OF PRIMES, BUT OF SUBS AND THE PROPOSERS DELIVERED, UM, IN A WAY THAT REALLY SURPRISED AND EXCITED US ALL IN THAT PROCESS.
AND THIS IS JUST THE EXAMPLE FOR THIS SOLICITATION.
UM, IF WE GO ONTO THE ADVANCED UTILITIES, UM, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ONLY ONE FIRM WAS NEEDED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS.
AND THE HIGHEST RANKED FIRM WAS LOCKWOOD ANDREWS AND NEWHAM.
UM, THEY ARE THEMSELVES A LOCAL BUSINESS HERE IN AUSTIN.
UH, THERE WAS A 15% DBE GOAL FOR THIS PART OF THE TASK, AND THEY HAVE COMMITTED TO MEET AND EXCEED THAT THROUGH 10 SUBCONTRACTORS, SIX OF WHICH ARE DBE FIRMS. EIGHT OF THEM ARE LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES.
UM, THEY THEMSELVES ARE A NEW PRIME CONTRACTOR TO A TP AND THEN BRINGING ON SEVEN NEW SUBCONTRACTORS THAT WE'VE NOT DONE WORK WITH BEFORE.
AND LASTLY ON-CALL PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES.
THE DBE GOAL FOR THIS PROJECT WAS SET AT 27%.
UM, H AND D HAS PROPOSED A 29% GOAL, UM, AND COMMITMENT TO ATTAIN
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THROUGH EIGHT SUBCONTRACTORS, SEVEN OF WHICH DBE FIRMS. THREE OF THEM LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES, AND FIVE OF THEM NEW SUBCONTRACTORS TO A TP HDRS, UM, PROMISED TO COMMITTED TO HIT THAT GOAL OR EXCEED IT THROUGH EIGHT COMP SUBCONTRACTORS, FIVE OF WHICH ARE DBE FIRMS. FOUR OF THEM LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES, AND FOUR OF THEM NEW TO A TP.AND THEN KIMLEY HORN IS AGAIN COMMITTED TO HIT OR EXCEED THE 27% GOAL THROUGH NINE SUBCONTRACTORS, SIX OF WHICH ARE DBE FIRMS. FOUR OF THEM LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES.
AGAIN, UM, THEY ARE A NEW PRIME CONTRACTOR TO A TP, AND THEY'RE BRINGING SIX NEW SUBCONTRACTORS TO A TP AS WELL.
SO THE WIDE NET THAT WE WANTED TO ESTABLISH THROUGH THESE BENCHES OF CONTRACTS, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, AND THE TEAMS THAT THEY'VE PROPOSED, UM, ARE JUST EVEN ADDING ON TO THAT, UM, WHICH WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, OF HELPING SPREAD THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT FIRMS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO AND HELPING BUILD, UM, THE WORKFORCE HERE IN AUSTIN TO TAKE ON THESE PROJECTS AS THE PROJECT DEVELOPS AND MOVES ON.
AND WITH THAT, I TURN THE TIME OVER TO YOU TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS.
DO I LIKE, UM, QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? DO YOU? WELL, YOU CAN GO FIRST.
NOT REALLY A QUESTION THAT, UH, A COMPLIMENT TO THE STAFF.
UM, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD, AS YOU ALL REMEMBER, I EMPHASIZED OUR DESIRE TO CONTRACT LOCALLY.
UH, AND I THINK THAT ACCOMPLISHED ADMISSION, MY DESIRE THAT WE CONTRACT WITH LOCAL DBS, THAT, UM, AND, UH, AND THE PROCESS TO ME WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL.
THE, THE ACTUAL, UH, BEYOND SOLICITATION, THE VACCINE, INVITING AND THEN TRAINING, UH, SUBCONTRACTORS TO DO BUSINESS WITH US AND OTHERS.
UH, SO, UH, ALL IN ALL, TO BE VERY POSITIVE, UM, UM, CAN BE FINE GETTING INVOLVED IN THE DETAILS OF THE WARNING CONTRACT, BUT AT THIS LEVEL, WE SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN WHAT WE DID, UH, ACHIEVING THE GOALS THAT WE SET, ADHERING TO OUR POLICIES AND THE
UM, SINCE I'LL BE, YES, COMMISSIONER, SINCE I'LL BE QUICKER, UM, YOU NO, I, UM, I WANT TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT I COMPLIMENT YOU AS WELL.
I USED TO RUN, UH, THE SMALL MINORITY BUSINESS PROGRAM AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND, AND, UH, AND WORKED WITH, UH, JUAN WHO, WHO, UH, PAID TO TRAIN A LOT OF OUR STAFF, I MIGHT ADD, UH, WHEN HE WAS AT AUSTIN ENERGY.
UH, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO REACH OUT ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
UH, IT IS IMPORTANT TO, UH, UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE, THAT ARE, UM, DOING BUSINESS AND BEING CREATED IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE'VE GOT MORE THAN $25 BILLION WORTH OF WORK.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS MAKING SURE, UH, THAT, UH, THAT, UH, WE BRING IN THE FIRMS THAT ARE NECESSARY WHEN YOU BRING IN NEW PEOPLE.
THAT'S A GOOD THING, UM, ON MAKING SURE THAT, UH, THAT WE CONNECT TO PROGRAMS, UH, LIKE IC SQUARED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS THAT IS, UH, PUTTING, UH, CONSULTING RESOURCES AROUND LOCAL BUSINESSES.
UM, I AM, I AM PLEASED THAT WE HAD AN EXTENSIVE NET, UH, THAT, UH, THAT WE, UH, DID A LOT OF THE PREPARATION WORK, MAKING SURE, UH, THAT EVERYBODY IS NOTIFIED, UNDERSTANDING WHERE PEOPLE ARE CERTIFIED, UM, MAKING SURE THAT IF SOMEONE IS CERTIFIED IN HOUSTON BUT WANTS TO DO BUSINESS IN AUSTIN, THAT THAT THEY GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO THERE'S A RECIPROCAL, UH, RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOUSTON AND AUSTIN OR DALLAS OR FORT WORTH OR WHEREVER.
IT IS OFTEN PAINSTAKING WORK AND IT, AND, BUT WHEN IT'S DONE WELL, UH, THE, THE OUTCOMES ARE, ARE IMPORTANT.
AND I SHARE, UH, THE GOAL OF, OF MAKING SURE THAT, UH, WHAT WE TOLD THE VOTERS IS TRUE THAT LOCAL REVENUE, LOCAL TAX DOLLARS SHOULD CREATE LOCAL JOBS.
AND I, I THINK THAT WE'VE TAKEN MANY STEPS TO GET THERE AND THESE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS WE WERE LOOKING FOR.
AND IT'S A GIANT TEAM EFFORT, UM, WITH COURTNEY AND HER TEAM AND SO MANY OTHERS WITHIN THE AGENCY TO, TO DO THIS.
UH, HAVING DONE PROCUREMENT FOR THE LAST, YOU KNOW, 15 YEARS, I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO IT BETTER.
UM, AND INVESTING THIS THREE AND A HALF EXTRA MONTHS INVOLVING THE INDUSTRY IN A WAY THAT A LOT OF OTHER ENTITIES DON'T GET TO DO FOR A LOT OF OTHER REASONS, UM, HAS REALLY BEEN BENEFICIAL.
THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN A BETTER WAY TO DO PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AND INVOLVING THE INDUSTRY AND HELPING US DO THAT IS REALLY GOING TO PAY OFF DIVIDENDS.
WE SAW IT HERE AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE IT MOVING FORWARD.
IT'S, UH, SO THANK YOU GREG AND BOARD FOR, YOU KNOW, ALLOTTING THE TYPE OF INNOVATION AND, UM, YOU KNOW, DEDICATION TO TRYING TO DO THINGS SMARTER AND AND MORE
[00:25:01]
DIRECTLY.UM, I, I, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF FIRMS THAT SUBMITTED DOES SEEM VERY HIGH TO ME RELATIVE TO OTHER, UM, TIMES THAT YOU PUT OUT ON RFQ OR AN RFP, AND I THINK THAT'S THE CLEAREST INDICATION THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, BOTH THE PROJECT IS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING THAT APPEALS TO FOLKS, BUT ALSO THE WAY THAT YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, CONDUCTING OUR BUSINESS IN TERMS OF BRINGING THEM ON BOARD IS BEING VIEWED FAVORABLY.
SO TO ECHO THE OTHERS HATS OFF TO YOU.
UM, SO NOT TO DISAPPOINT EVERYBODY WITH RESPECT TO QUESTIONS, UM, COMING FROM ME, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE, GIVE US AN EXPECTATION.
AND I DO NOT WANT TO LET YOU DOWN, COMMISSIONER, UH, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THINGS.
UM, SO I, I WANT TO ASK YOU ON THE FIRST CONTRACT, UM, WE'VE, WE'RE AWARDING, IT SAYS WE'RE DOING A TWO YEAR BASE TERM WITH, UM, ONE ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR OPTION IN A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 45 MILLION.
AND THEN BELOW THAT IT SAYS WE'VE GOT FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF 45 MILLION AVAILABLE IN THE A TP 20 23, 20 24 BUDGET.
THAT 45 MILLION, IS THAT FOR ONE YEAR OR IS THAT FOR THE TWO YEAR BASE? AND THAT'S FOR THE, THE ENTIRE BASE.
AND IT'S FOR BOTH THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND THE ADVANCED UTILITY SECTION.
UH, WE SOLICITED THOSE TOGETHER BECAUSE THE QUALIFICATIONS AND THE TYPE OF PEOPLE RESPONDING WERE VERY SIMILAR.
SO WE WANTED TO MAKE IT EASY FOR THE INDUSTRY TO RESPOND TO ONE SOLICITATION INSTEAD OF TWO OR THREE IF THEY WANTED TO RESPOND TO THE PLANNING ONE, TWO.
BUT IT'S FOR THE $45 MILLION FOR THE FULL TERM FOR BOTH PLANNING AND OR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND ADVANCED UTILITIES.
AND THAT, UH, AND I'LL COME BACK TO THAT IN JUST A SECOND 'CAUSE I DID HAVE A QUESTION WHY WE BATCHED THOSE TWO, BUT SEPARATED OUT THE PLANNING ONE AND IT'S BECAUSE THE QUALIFICATIONS ARE SIMILAR FOR THE UTILITY AND THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING.
YEAH, BOTH INVOLVE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING DESIGN WORK, JUST ONE'S GEARED TOWARDS, UM, THE SYSTEM ITSELF AND DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF IT.
AND THE OTHER ONE'S GEARED TOWARDS UTILITIES THAT, UM, ARE IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
UM, SO VERY SIMILAR TYPES OF PEOPLE AND THEY CAN DO BOTH.
UM, BUT WE WANTED TO JUST MAKE IT REALLY SIMPLE IN THAT REGARD.
AND THEN THOSE WHO WERE GOING TO RESPOND TO THE PLANNING ARE JUST A DIFFERENT TYPE OF BUSINESS WITH DIFFERENT QUALIFICATIONS.
SO WE SIMPLIFIED WHERE WE COULD AND, UM, DIDN'T, WHERE IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE.
SO, AND THIS PROBABLY ISN'T FOR YOU, IT MIGHT BE MORE FOR GREG OR I DON'T SEE BRIAN, BUT, SO WE SHOULDN'T HAVE 45 MILLION DEDICATED TO THIS IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
SO, UH, GOING BACK ON OUR BUDGET, UM, FROM THIS PAST YEAR, IF YOU RECALL, WE CHANGED OUR STRATEGY TO PUT OUR EFFORTS IN OUR CAPITAL BUDGET SINCE WE'RE OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM.
SO THOSE FUNDS ARE SITTING IN A MULTI-YEAR BUDGET.
EVEN THOUGH THE EXPENDITURE WILL HAPPEN ANNUAL AND WE'LL DO ANNUAL WORK PLANS AND THAT TASK ORDERS, BUT THE APPROPRIATION IS SITTING IN THERE IN THAT MULTI-YEAR CAPITAL BUDGET.
SO IT'S, SO 45 MILLION HAS BEEN APPROPRIATED.
AND HOW MUCH DO WE ANTICIPATE SPENDING THIS YEAR ON THESE TWO CONTRACTS? UM, BALLPARK, THAT EXACT NUMBER IS HARD TO TELL.
WE PLAN ON ISSUING THE FIRST THREE TASK ORDERS FOR THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING, UM, SIDE FAIRLY SOON AFTER AWARD.
UM, SO THOSE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, SOLICITED ISSUED AND AWARDED THIS YEAR, BUT I, I CAN'T ESTIMATE ON THE DOLLAR AMOUNT.
THAT'S, IT'S NOT THAT CRITICAL, BUT, SO WE'RE GONNA DO, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE FIRST THREE TASK ORDERS,
SO THEN WHEN, IF, IF WE DO A ONE YEAR EXTENSION, THEN YOU'LL COME BACK AND SAY, HERE'S THE AMOUNT FOR A ONE YEAR EXTENSION.
UM, UM, I BELIEVE IT'S FOR THE ENTIRE THREE YEAR TERM.
SO BASED TERM PLUS THE ONE YEAR OPTION.
SO WE DON'T INTEND TO COME BACK.
SO THAT'S FOR THE FULL THREE YEAR.
UM, LET'S SEE, ON, UM, LIGHT RAIL, SO THEY'RE GONNA DO PRELIMINARY ENGINE ENGINEERING ON LIGHT RAIL PHASE ONE.
UM, WHAT, SO THAT'S TO BRING US UP TO A POINT WHERE
[00:30:01]
WE'RE READY TO BRING ON OUR DESIGN BUILD PARTNER, CORRECT? CORRECT.SO THIS IS ROUGHLY WHAT WE INTEND TO SPEND TO GET US APPROXIMATELY 30%, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THIS IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT, YOU'LL GET LOOSELY YEAH, YEAH.
SO LOOSELY THIS AMOUNT SHOULD GET US TO 30% ENGINEERING AND THE POINT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BRING ON OUR DESIGN BUILD PARTNER.
UM, ON THE UTILITY RELOCATION ONE, HOW ARE WE GONNA COORDINATE WITH AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN WATER? LIKE I KNOW THIS IS A MUCH BIGGER DISCUSSION AND MAYBE IT'S ONE WE RETURN TO AT ANOTHER POINT, BUT YOU KNOW, JUST AS YOU'RE AWARDING, YOU KNOW, A CONTRACT FOR UTILITY RELOCATION AND UNDERSTANDING, THAT'S A HUGE ISSUE FOR US.
UM, AND TELL ME IF YOU WANNA JUST POSTPONE IT FOR A FURTHER DISCUSSION OR IF THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID AT THIS POINT ABOUT HOW, UM, UH, LAN WILL COORDINATE.
YEAH, I MEAN I THINK, I THINK IT'S AN SO, YES, YES.
AND WE WILL DO, UM, COMING BACK AND, AND TALKING ABOUT OUR APPROACH, ESPECIALLY OUR COORDINATION AROUND BROADLY OUR, OUR THIRD PARTY AGREEMENTS.
THERE ALREADY IS AN INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE, UM, COORDINATING WITH THE CITY, WITH ROBERT AND ANIQUE AND THEIR TEAMS. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN, UM, THE CITY UTILITIES IS ALREADY ONGOING BECAUSE OF THE, UH, SOME OF THE INITIAL DESIGN WORK THAT'S HAPPENING.
WE'LL JUST RAMP THAT UP AND THEY WILL HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.
THAT BEING SAID, I THINK AS WE COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE DESIGN, I THINK IT'S BECOME A TOPIC, A DEEPER DIVE TOPIC FROM LIKE A WORK SESSION PERSPECTIVE, HOW WE'RE ACTUALLY NAVIGATING THROUGH THAT.
I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY COGNIZANT OF THE HIGH RISK ASSOCIATED WITH, YOU KNOW, THE SCHEDULE AND THE BUDGET ASSOCIATED WITH UTILITIES, UM, ON THE, UH, UM, PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRACT.
THE 17 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, IS THAT FOR, UM, EIGHT YEARS OF WORK? IT'S A FIVE YEAR BASE WITH THREE ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR TERMS? YES.
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ANTICIPATED AS.
AND IF YOU KNOW THE NEED ARISES FOR ADDITIONAL MONEY, WE'LL COME BACK TO THE BOARD AND REPORT ON THE STATUS OF IT, UM, AND BE AWARE OF, YOU KNOW, THIS, THE SPEND RATE, UH, AND COME BACK FOR MORE IF THERE IS NEEDED.
BUT RIGHT NOW, UM, THIS ONE'S REALLY DESIGNED FOR A LOT OF THE UNKNOWN, SO IT'S A HARD NUMBER TO REALLY AFFIX.
WE, WE KNOW A LOT OF, OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING UNDER THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING ONE.
SO IT WAS A REALLY EASY NUMBER TO GET TO A SOLID NUMBER ON, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF UNKNOWNS AND QUESTIONS THAT CAN POP UP BASED ON THE DESIGN PROCESS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT ADDS TO ADDITIONAL PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS.
AND I'M, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE APPROVING WITH RESPECT TO THE 17.4 MILLION IS MEANT TO APPLY TO THE FIVE YEAR BASE PLUS THE THREE ONE YEAR OPTION TERMS, LIKE SHORT OF SOMETHING UNFORESEEN, YOU KNOW, IF THINGS WENT JUST TO YOUR PLAN, YOU WOULDN'T BE BACK TO US.
UM, IF YOU EX, IF YOU, UH, IMPLEMENTED THE THREE ONE YEAR OPTIONS, YOU WOULDN'T BE BACK TO US FOR EIGHT YEARS TO COVER THIS PLANNING, BUT THAT IS THE GOAL.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, BUT THAT'S WHAT THE 17.4 IS COVERING, NOT JUST THE FIVE YEAR BASE, THE FIVE YEAR BASE PLUS THE THREE YEAR.
EXCEPT TO NOTIFY YOU THAT WE'VE USED THOSE OPTIONS, WE WOULD INDICATE YEAH, NO, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, AND, AND THEN, SO JUST TO LET ME, I'M GOING TO TRY AND LIKE IN ONE PLACE CAPTURE ALL OF THE ENGINEERING CONTRACTS WE HAVE THAT WE'RE OVERSEEING AND THAT WE'VE AUTHORIZED AS A BOARD AND TELL ME IF I'VE GOT THIS RIGHT.
SO CURRENTLY FOR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING WE'VE GOT AECOM AND HNTB AND WE AUTHORIZED THEM FOR AN ADDITIONAL 6 MILLION IN DECEMBER TO CARRY US THROUGH TO THE POINT THAT WE TRANSITION OVER TO THESE FIRMS. IS THAT RIGHT? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
OKAY, THEN, AND SO THAT'S GONNA GO TO HNTB, HEWITT SAWERS AND KIMLEY HORN, AND WE ENVISION THAT BEING 45 MILLION FOR A TWO YEAR BASE AND TWO YEAR ONE YEAR EXTENSIONS.
UH, TWO YEAR BASE WITH ONE YEAR EXTENSION ONE YEAR.
AND THEN, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE UNDER CONTRACT TODAY DOING ADVANCED UTILITY AND WE'RE BRINGING ON LAN FOR THE FIRST TIME TO BEGIN WORK ON ADVANCED UTILITIES.
AND THAT'S PART OF THE 45 MILLION,
[00:35:01]
BUT THAT'S A NEW SERVICE THAT WE'RE CONTRACTING FOR AS OF TODAY.THEN ON THE, ON-CALL PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL, WE CURRENTLY HAVE NONE.
SO, UM, HDR PROVIDES SOME OF THAT SERVICES RIGHT NOW.
SO WOULD THAT BE, SO THAT'S, SO HDR IS DOING PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL IN ADDITION TO THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT? YEAH, YEAH.
VERY IN A VERY LIMITED SCOPE, BUT YES.
SO WE DO HAVE A BIT OF THAT GOING ON.
AND IS THAT CAPTURED IN THE 18 MILLION THAT WE AUTHORIZED IN DECEMBER TO GO TO HDR TO GET US THROUGH TO, WELL HANG ON TO THAT FOR JUST A SECOND.
SO, HDR IS DOING A BIT OF ON-CALL PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL THAT WILL END AND IT WILL ALL FOLD UNDER A NEW CONTRACT, ALBEIT HDR'S ONE OF THOSE FOLKS IN, IN THE NEW CONTRACT.
BUT IT'LL BE HDRH AND TB AND KIMLEY HORN.
MOST OF THE WORK THAT HDR DOES NOW WILL BE REPLACED BY OUR FUTURE DELIVERY PARTNER.
I WAS GONNA GET TO THAT ONE NEXT.
SO, BUT THEY'RE DOING SOME OF THIS ON-CALL PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL TODAY IN ADDITION TO THE SORT OF PROJECT OVERSIGHT.
IS THAT RIGHT? LOOSELY AND VERY LIMITED.
IT'S MOSTLY PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
BUT THAT DOES INCLUDE SOME PLANNING THINGS THAT POP UP.
UM, BUT WE'RE GONNA SHIFT OVER H-D-R-H-N-T-B, KIMLEY HORN, FIVE YEARS PLUS THE EXTENSIONS FOR 17.4 MILLION.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE AUTHORIZING.
AND THEN WHAT WE'VE ALSO GOT TODAY IS A PROJECT AND DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT CONTRACT WITH HDR.
IN DECEMBER, WE AUTHORIZED AN ADDITIONAL 18 MILLION FOR HDR TO GET US THROUGH TO THE POINT THAT WE BRING ON OUR PROJECT DELIVERY PARTNER.
AND THAT SHOULD OCCUR EARLY, EARLY NEXT YEAR.
UH, WE INTEND TO HOPEFULLY BRING TO THE BOARD IN DECEMBER, UM, A DELIVERY PARTNER RECOMMENDATION FOR AWARD.
THEY'LL START AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR AND THERE'LL BE A SHORT TRANSITION PERIOD WHERE BOTH OF THEM ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO TRANSITION ALL THE WORK, UM, BEFORE IT, THE DELIVERY PARTNER TAKES OVER.
AND THEN, UM, WHO OF THESE FIRMS, UM, WHO WILL THEY ALL BE ABLE TO COMPETE FOR OUR DELIVERY PARTNER? UM, OR WILL THEY, WILL THE AWARD OF ANY OF THESE CONTRACTS CONFLICT THEM OUT OF BEING OUR DELIVERY PARTNER? 'CAUSE I'M A, THE MUCH BIGGER CONTRACT.
YOU, I WANT TO KNOW WHO'S GONNA BE ABLE TO COMPETE FOR THAT, YOU KNOW, BIGGER CONTRACT THAT'S GONNA LAST FOR A REALLY LONG TIME.
UH, DEFINITELY BEFORE WE ISSUE ANY TYPE OF SOLICITATION, WE ALWAYS CONDUCT AN ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST, UM, FOR, UM, CURRENT WORK AND ONGOING WORK.
AND WE TRY TO NOTIFY FIRMS OF ANY CONFLICTS THAT THEIR EXISTING WORK MAY HAVE ON FUTURE WORK SO THEY CAN MAKE THAT BETTER BUSINESS DECISION FOR THEMSELVES.
UM, WE HAVE CONFLICTED OUT ONE FIRM FOR THE DELIVERY PARTNER, AND THAT'S HDR BASED ON THEIR CURRENT NEPA WORK THAT THEY'VE BEEN CONDUCTING.
UM, THEY'RE BE CONFLICTED OUT FROM THAT TYPE OF WORK UNTIL AFTER WE RECEIVE ROD.
SO WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM AND NOTIFIED THEM, UM, OF THAT.
UM, THE GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO TRY TO HAVE CLEAR START AND STOP POINTS TO REMOVE AND ELIMINATE ANY UNNECESSARY CONFLICTS THAT WE CREATE AS AN AGENCY.
UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF THE MIND FRAME THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH.
UM, THERE, THERE COULD BE A TASK THAT POPS UP THAT COULD CREATE THAT TYPE OF CONFLICT FOR SOMEONE UNDER ONE OF THESE, BUT THE GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY THAT CONFLICT, NOTIFY THE FIRMS WHO ARE GOING TO COMPETE ON IT, THAT IT COULD CREATE A CONFLICT FOR THEM AND ALLOW THEM THAT BUSINESS DECISION TO MAKE IT FOR THEMSELVES.
WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO PURSUE THAT PROJECT OR TASK OR SOMETHING FUTURE ON THAT WOULD, THEY CAN BE CONFLICTED FOR.
SO IT'S, UM, SO IT'S AN ISSUE LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REAL ISSUE, THE WORK THAT WE'RE, THAT THEY'RE, UM, IN VERY LIMITED, UM, WAYS.
UM, SO, BUT WE'LL GIVE THEM ADVANCE NOTICE.
THEY'LL HAVE THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DECISION AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
AND SO THEY CAN CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO DO AN INDIVIDUAL TASK ASSOCIATED WITH PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING OR SKIP THAT ONE AND KEEP THEIR ODDS OPEN FOR THE DELIVERY PARTNER.
THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN THE GOAL, IS TO BE OPEN AND HONEST AND THE INVOLVEMENT THAT THEY HAVE SO THEY CAN MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES.
AND I MEAN, AND OBVIOUSLY THAT BEHOOVES US AS, YOU KNOW, I, I, I MEAN WE WANT OUR PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS TO BENEFIT ALONG WITH US, BUT IN THE END, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING OUT
[00:40:01]
FOR OUR OWN INTEREST, OBVIOUSLY.WE BENEFIT BY HAVING THE MOST OPEN, FAIR AND COMPETITIVE PROCESS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DESIGN.
UM, YOU KNOW, ANYTIME YOU LIMIT COMPETITION, WE SUFFER AS AN AGENCY BY NOT GETTING THE FULL BENEFIT OF HAVING FULL COMPETITION.
SO WE'RE BEING VERY CAREFUL AND, AND TACTFUL ON THE REVIEWS THAT WE DO AND THE WAY THAT WE'VE DESIGNED THE WORK TO BE DONE TO PREVENT THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
I'M GLAD Y'ALL ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF CONFLICTS ARISE OVER THE COURSE OF THIS, YOU KNOW, I HOPE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT.
I MEAN, IT MIGHT NEED TO BE IN A SEPARATE MEETING, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST SO WE'RE AWARE, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY OUR DELIVERY PARTNER IS SUPER, SUPER CRITICAL.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA RUN FOR SO LONG AND IT'S GONNA BE SO IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY OF THE PROJECT.
UM, ONE LAST QUICK MINOR QUESTION ON THESE DBE COMMITMENTS IS THAT, UH, A PERCENT OF THE, LIKE IF THEY, UM, BID ON A TASK ORDER, THEY WIN IT, AND LET'S SAY THEY WIN A TASK ORDER FOR 5 MILLION, UM, DOES THE 27% REPRESENT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT THEY'LL APPLY OF THE TASK ORDER THAT THEY JUST WON THAT THEY WILL THEN SEND OUT TO SUBS? YES, IT SHOULD.
I'LL PROBABLY BRING COURTNEY UP TOO TO HELP TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS.
AND THEN IN, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, DO WE AUDIT THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY COMPLY WITH THAT COMMITMENT? UH, SO YES, WE DO AUDIT IT AND WE TRACK FIRST.
SO FOR EVERY EVERY TASK ORDER THAT'S SUBMITTED, WE WILL IDENTIFY WHO THE SUBS ARE TO BE, UM, MONITORED FOR COMPLIANCE ON THAT PROCESS.
AND THEN THE OVERALL, THE 27% IS THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THE ENTIRE CONTRACT.
AND SO WE'LL MONITOR AS WE KEEP GOING BY TASK ORDER.
SO THAT'S, UM, SO THEY MIGHT DO 2% ON ONE TASK ORDER AND THEN THEY'LL DO 40% ON ANOTHER.
BUT WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE AND WRAPS UP, YOUR OBJECTIVE IS TO GET TO 27%.
AND SO OUR GOAL ALONG THE WAY IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MONITORING THE TASK ORDERS THAT ARE BEING SUBMITTED SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT THEY'RE GONNA ACHIEVE THAT GOAL BY THE END OF THE PROCESS.
SO LIKE IF THEY'RE FALLING WAY BEHIND AFTER THREE TASK ORDERS, YOU'RE GONNA BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT ONE'S GOTTA BE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 80% OF YOUR WORK GOING TO SUBS IF, AND SO IT, AND IT REALLY IS DEPENDENT ON WHAT TASK ORDER IS ISSUED AND WHERE THE SUBS WILL FALL ON THAT TASK ORDER.
SO WE'RE TRACKING SCHEDULES, WE'RE TRACKING AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S HAPPENING ALONG THE WAY.
YEAH, AND I JUST OBVIOUSLY WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE FOR GOOD REASON, WE'RE TOUTING THE FACT THAT THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF THESE CONTRACTS GOING TO THESE LOCAL DBES AND YOU KNOW, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S NOT AN EMPTY PROMISE BEING MADE BY THE LARGER FIRMS FOR THE SAKE OF WINNING THIS.
AND I KNOW THIS IS DONE AMONG A NUMBER OF PUBLIC AGENCIES, BUT NEVERTHELESS, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND SO WE DO HAVE AN ENTIRE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROCESS WHERE, UM, WE DO MONTHLY CHECK-INS.
WE'RE GONNA ENSURE THAT LIKE WE'RE PRETTY TOUGH ON THEM WHEN THEY'RE FALLING BEHIND.
SO ALL MY QUESTIONS, THANK YOU.
NO, JUST SO THERE WOULD BE A WAY TO MATCH, UH, WHAT THE OR THE ORIGINAL GROUP WAS EXPECTED TO DO VERSUS THE PAY APPLICATIONS FOR THAT WORK HAVING BEEN DONE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY'VE COMPLIED WITH THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT THAT WAS PUT IN PLACE.
SO THAT SHOULD BE THAT'S CORRECT.
THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL QUESTIONS FOR LAMORE.
AND I KNOW YOU HAVE A HARD STOP AT THREE, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO CAPTURE YOUR VOTE, SO PLEASE DON'T GO MY HARD STOP.
I KNOW YOU HAVE A QUICK HARD STOP, BUT, UM, I DO, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THE, THE QUESTION OF THE 27% DB COMMITMENT AND FROM THE OTHER TWO, UM, TASK ORDERS OR CONTRACTS THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO ISSUE THE, THE AMOUNT OF FIRMS THAT ARE AVAILABLE THAT ARE DBES SETTING THAT PERCENTAGE.
I WOULD, I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND QUICKLY WHAT SET THAT PERCENTAGE.
WE COULD BOTH ANSWER IT, BUT COURTNEY SET THE GOAL, SO I'M GONNA
HOW DID WE SET THAT GOAL? SO WHEN WE LOOK AT A GOAL, WE LOOK AT THE ENTIRE SCOPE OF THE CONTRACT AND WE START TO BREAK DOWN, UH, WHAT THE CODES ARE, WHAT ARE THE WORK CODES, THE NEXT CODES WITHIN IT.
AND THEN WE LOOK AT WHO'S ACTUALLY AVAILABLE UNDER THE TEXAS UNIFIED CERTIFIED TEXAS UN I ALWAYS GET IT WRONG, TUCP, WHATEVER THAT STANDS FOR, THAT TXDOT RUNS TO ENSURE WHO'S ACTUALLY CERTIFIED WITHIN THOSE CODES.
AND REALLY IT'S A METHODOLOGY, IT'S A MATHEMATICAL EQUATION OF AVAILABILITY.
IT CREATES A RANGE USUALLY FOR US.
AND THEN WE MAKE DETERMINATIONS AND ADJUST BASED ON THE CONTRACT VALUES, WHAT WE SEE THE WORK'S GONNA BE DONE PAST HISTORY OF MM-HMM.
[00:45:01]
APPROPRIATE GOAL FOR THE COMMUNITY.AND, AND SO THIS SETS A BENCHMARK FOR A TP ALSO IN WHAT WE'RE ESTABLISHING OUR, OUR OWN HISTORICAL, UH, PRECEDENTS OF HOW MUCH WE AWARD TO MINORITY FIRMS. CORRECT.
SO IT IS A LARGER DISCUSSION ON HOW WE ACTUALLY SET AN OVERALL A TP GOAL, AND THIS GOES INTO THAT PROCESS.
SO WE ARE CONDUCTING AN AVAILABILITY STUDY.
WE ACTUALLY CANNOT DO A DISPARITY STUDY FOR A TP YET THAT CAT METRO DOES BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CONTRACTING HISTORY.
BUT AS WE CONTINUE FORWARD, YES, THIS BECOMES PART OF THAT ENTIRE PROCESS.
AND I HAD HEARD ABOUT THE DISPARITY STUDY, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THAT WOULD IMPACT OUR WORK AND HOW WE DESIGNATE THIS PERCENTAGES.
SO, SO WE DO RELY ON THOSE STUDIES BECAUSE IT'S INFORMATION SHARED AND LIKE SIMILAR WORK DONE.
UM, AND SO YES, IT GOES INTO OUR, OUR PROCESS.
SO WE HAVE PROJECT SPECIFIC GOALS.
BASICALLY WE LOOK AT THE ENTIRE PROJECT AND ALL OF THE TYPES OF WORK THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND THEN GO AREA BY AREA TO DETERMINE WHO IS CERTIFIED WITHIN THOSE AREAS.
THEY CAN CHOOSE TO BID OR NOT TO BID.
UH, BUT BASED, BASED ON THOSE CERTIFIED AND THAT COMMODITY CODE MM-HMM.
AND FOR THAT SPECIFIC CONTRACT.
WELL, I DON'T HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS AND I DO WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE PROCESS THAT WE UNDERTOOK.
UM, WITH THAT, IS THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? WELL JUST WANT TO COMMEND YOU.
IT IS NOT EASY AND THERE ARE A LOT OF EYES ON THE PROJECT BECAUSE IF THINGS AREN'T RUN, UH, AREN'T RUN SCIENTIFICALLY, IF YOU WILL, UH, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE JUST WAITING TO POUNCE.
SO, UH, IT IS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CREATE OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, UH, TO CREATE A PROCESS THAT CAN, THAT CAN FULFILL, UH, STRICT SCRUTINY AS THE COURTS HAVE DEFINED IT.
UH, BECAUSE, UM, S SUFFICE IT TO SAY IT IS NOT AN EASY PROCESS.
SO MOVE APPROVAL BY BOARD MEMBER LANGOR, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER IAN.
IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD, I WILL NOW LIKE TO CALL FOR A VOTE WITHOUT FURTHER DISCUSSION.
UM, EVERYONE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
THANK YOU FOR STICKING AROUND.
AND, UM, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIRMS. I APPRECIATE THAT THEY, THEIR INTEREST IN HELPING US DELIVER THIS PROGRAM.
I'D LIKE TO REALLY CONGRATULATE ALL OF THEM ON BEHALF OF, OF THE BOARD AND, AND KEEP UP THE WONDERFUL WORK.
UM, SO THIS CONCLUDES THE MAY 15TH, A TP BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING.
THIS MEETING OF THE A TP BOARD STANDS ADJOURN AT 2:52 PM THANK YOU.