LTA to solicit competitive bids after Labmar presents unsolicited Cameron Ferry operations proposal

The Louisiana Transportation Authority agreed Wednesday to open a 90‑day competitive solicitation for operations and maintenance of the Cameron Ferry after hearing an unsolicited proposal from Laborde Marine (Labmar) Ferry Services and a presentation on current operations.

Morgan Kelly, a DOTD innovative procurement attorney, told the board DOTD received the unsolicited proposal on Aug. 25, 2025, and found it in conformance with statutory submission requirements. Kelly described the statutory unsolicited‑proposal process, including a required public competitive solicitation if the authority chooses to proceed, a 90‑day advertisement period, and legislative committee hearings before a final award.

Peter Laborde, managing member of Laborde Marine Management, and Richard Hausler, general manager of Labmar Ferries, presented Labmar’s experience operating the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority ferry system and its proposal to operate Cameron Ferry service. Laborde and Hausler described operational challenges the Cameron service faces — notably that the primary vessel, the Cameron 2, has been in service since 1964 and the system lacks a short‑term backup for unplanned outages — and said Labmar would implement a safety‑and‑performance culture, preventive maintenance, crew training, real‑time fare collection and vessel‑tracking systems.

Labmar emphasized workforce continuity and pay adjustments during a potential transition. “We will invite every employee to join LFS. There is a job for everyone and we need everyone to join us,” Peter Laborde said, adding that Labmar plans to align compensation with maritime industry standards while managing benefit conversions under DOTD rules.

Secretary Eric LaDay and Senator Royce Abraham both said they represent Cameron Parish and thanked DOTD staff for on‑site visits with ferry crews. Abraham asked that the department and its financial adviser provide baseline operating costs so the authority can compare state operation costs with any private bids; Kelly said DOTD and financial adviser Ernst & Young will evaluate proposals and analyze economic feasibility.

The board voted without objection to proceed with a 90‑day competitive solicitation (motion by Senator Abraham; second by Secretary LaDay). The authority also approved project‑specific supplemental guidelines and set an unsolicited‑proposal fee of $10,000 (retroactive to Aug. 25, 2025) to be paid by proposers; that fee was recommended because the proposal is operations and maintenance only rather than a major design‑build P3. Kelly said the fee checks will be handled through DOTD as the agency incurring review costs.

Staff outlined next steps: publish the solicitation on DOTD/LTA websites and in the State Journal and Louisiana Register, provide registered proposers with the public copy of Labmar’s submission and with DOTD operational data, accept proposals during the 90‑day period, and permit DOTD to request clarifications or revisions and to negotiate competitively with multiple proposers. Before making any award, LTA must make the formal statutory finding that the selected proposal serves a public purpose and submit the recommendation to the House and Senate transportation committees for hearings within 30 days.

Background and operational context provided during the meeting included: the Cameron 2 ferry operates 24 hours with an average reported downtime over the last three years of about 11.7% (which includes an approximately one‑hour nightly maintenance window that accounts for roughly 4.2% of that downtime); without the ferry the detour to cross the Calcasieu Ship Channel is a 107‑mile trip via I‑10; and DOTD expects delivery of two new vessels (MV Holly Beach and MV Cameron) in fiscal year 2026. The transcript does not contain a final award or selection — the action taken was to solicit proposals and set review procedures and fees.