Board approves $12.2 million amendment to HNTB transportation services contract to augment DPW staff

The Indianapolis Board of Public Works on Aug. 27 approved an amendment adding $12,200,000 to an existing transportation technical services contract with HNTB Corporation to provide embedded staff and quicker design support for Department of Public Works projects.

Nathan Sheets, Department of Public Works, told the board the amendment (project PM25001) will let the city “make additional assignments” to consultants who sit alongside DPW staff to provide near-immediate responses on design and delivery questions. He said the work supported by the contract has included the 29th/30th Street project, Madison Avenue value-engineering work, a pavement asset management plan and assistance on economic-development projects such as Old City Hall Market Street and Union Station.

Sheets said the department is short-staffed and described the scale of the gap: “I think we’ve got 15 vacancies, which is about 34% of our total staff,” he said, explaining the need for staff augmentation while recruitment continues. He also told the board the prime consultant has 12 subcontractors available under the contract and named Resolution Group as one subcontractor and a certified WBE participant.

Why it matters: DPW officials said the augmented consultant team will be used to deliver projects connected to a likely increase in funding beginning in 2027. Sheets referenced legislative action that could add about $50 million in work starting in 2027, and said the consultant team will help handle the additional workload.

Board members asked for background on the existing contract. Sheets said the original contract was for roughly $3.3 million and that earlier board approvals had included 2025 and 2026 rates; the amendment would increase the not-to-exceed amount by $12.2 million and carry work through the contract term ending 12/31/2026. He told the board the amendment does not change the previously approved rates.

Motion and vote: The amendment was moved by Dedrice Redmond and seconded by Susie Cordy; the motion carried with all members voting in favor.

Context and next steps: Sheets described three delivery approaches DPW uses for outside consultants — traditional RFQ-based design contracts (months to stand up), on-call contracts (weeks), and embedded staff under the transportation technical services contract (minutes) — and said the amendment is intended to provide the fastest response for design and delivery questions. He said the additional funding and the embedded staff will be used for immediate assignments and to support project delivery through the end of 2026.

Board discussion included questions about the prime/sub structure, original contract value, staffing at DPW and whether the consultant has capacity; Sheets said the prime has multiple subs and the combined team has the capacity to perform the work.