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ATP board awards operations and maintenance facility contract to Kiewit Austin Partnership
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Summary
The board unanimously approved a progressive design‑build award to the Kiewit Austin Partnership for the operations and maintenance facility and authorized initial Phase 1a funding; staff said the contractor will co‑locate with ATP to accelerate pre‑construction and realize cost efficiencies.
The Austin Transit Partnership board on April 15 approved awarding the design‑and‑construction contract for the light rail operations and maintenance facility to the joint venture led by Kiewit and Austin Commercial and authorized initial Phase 1a funding to begin pre‑construction work.
The board voted to award the contract after a procurement process that included an industry request for information, a qualifications phase and a request for proposals. Brad Cummings, ATP’s senior vice president of procurement and contracts, told the board the agency issued an RFI one year ago, shortlisted seven firms from the RFQ, and received three RFPs; the selection included collaborative behavioral assessments and a scoring of technical and cost elements.
The award names the Kiewit Austin Partnership as the highest‑ranked proposer. Procurement staff emphasized the team’s local participation and subcontracting approach. "They've also demonstrated a commitment to building local workforces and including Texas in this Texas‑sized project," Brad Cummings said.
ATP staff described the contract as a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar program that will be executed in stepped authorizations. The board approved authorizing Phase 1a pre‑construction funding, which ATP will fund in part by appropriating $20,000,000 from the operating fund (the materials show an existing $5,000,000 pre‑approved amount in FY26 and staff noted Phase 1a totals $25,000,000 for initial work). CFO Brian Rivera explained the budget treatment and the transfer into the light‑rail capital fund to support the design and preconstruction tasks.
Project integration and operations staff described how the progressive design‑builder will conduct constructability reviews, identify innovations, and develop early work packages that align with real‑estate acquisitions and permitting. John Roem, project director for the OMF, said the team will use Phase 1a deliverables to begin the site‑development permit process with the City of Austin by year’s end.
Board members asked about co‑location and overhead savings. John Roem confirmed the Kiewit team will co‑locate in ATP offices to improve communications and reduce some overhead: co‑location lets ATP provide space and some services so proposers can present a lower "fill rate" overhead for time‑and‑materials work.
Kiewit Austin Partnership project manager Kyle Welker told the board the joint venture brings national OMF experience and local construction capacity: "Kiewit has 8,000 employees in Texas," he said, and pledged to include local subcontractors during construction.
What’s next: staff said the contractor can mobilize operations and begin pre‑construction work immediately after contract authorization; ATP will return to the board for additional authorizations and construction‑phase approvals as design and pricing progress.
