CITT approves contract awards, construction-engineering umbrella, strategic objectives and proposed OCITT budget

The Citizens Independent Transportation Trust unanimously approved four action items moved during its July meeting, including a construction contract for Metrorail bathroom repairs and a $22 million professional-services agreement to provide construction engineering and inspection services for county projects.

The trust voted to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners award a contract to Delco Inovo Group Inc. for Metrorail bathroom rehabilitation work at an amount not to exceed $576,070.23, inclusive of a contingency allowance and permit allowances. The trust also approved professional services agreements with four engineering firms (ADA Engineering Inc., Ally Engineering Services Inc., HBC Engineering Company and SRS Engineering Inc.) for construction engineering and inspection (CEI) services under a combined not-to-exceed amount of $22,000,000, inclusive of contingency. Trust members adopted the OCITT'''s FY2025'''6 strategic objectives and approved submission of the office'''s proposed FY2025'''6 budget.

Why it matters: The bathroom rehabilitation contract uses People'''s Transportation Plan (PTP) bond funds and returns work on station amenities that were deferred while other station work was underway. The CEI umbrella is intended to streamline procurement and allow the Department of Transportation and Public Works to issue individual work orders against pre-approved contracts for projects already in the county'''s five-year implementation plan.

What the trust approved

- Metrorail bathroom rehabilitation (7a): The trust recommended award of RPQ TP0000027284 to Delco Inovo Group Inc. for up to $576,070.23, inclusive of a contingency allowance of $51,065.80 and permit allowances of $15,000. The item states the project was added to the county'''s five-year implementation plan in January 2016 and will use PTP bond program funds.

- CEI professional services agreements (7b): The trust recommended the board approve master professional services agreements with ADA Engineering Inc., Ally Engineering Services Inc., HBC Engineering Company and SRS Engineering Inc. in a total amount not to exceed $22,000,000, inclusive of contingency. Director Stacy Miller said the agreements act as an umbrella under which the department will issue individual work orders for projects listed in the approved five-year plan, and that the department will notify OCITT'''s executive director before issuing work orders.

- Strategic objectives (7c): Members adopted the OCITT strategic objectives for FY2025'''6; the objectives will guide OCITT'''s priorities and inform the office'''s budget.

- Proposed OCITT budget (7d): The trust approved submittal of the proposed FY2025'''6 OCITT budget. Executive staff explained the office seeks to keep expenditures under 1% of projected surtax collections and described an approach to hold spending below 85% of the proposed budget should county revenue projections remain lower than earlier internal estimates.

Discussion highlights

Member Paul Schwab asked whether prior Metrorail bathroom renovations used PTP funds; the department replied that many stations had been renovated previously and remaining work had been postponed due to other station projects. On the CEI item, Director Stacy Miller described the agreements as a means to speed project delivery by avoiding repeated procurement steps; she said the department will inform OCITT'''s executive director when a work order is issued under the umbrella contracts. Members discussed that the $22 million umbrella includes multiple fund sources and that not all of that capacity would be expected to be consumed by PTP funds.

Votes and outcome

All four items passed unanimously.

Ending note: Members asked staff to continue reporting uses of PTP funds and to notify the trust before drawing down work orders under umbrella agreements so OCITT can track allocations and project progress.