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Board reviews A&E IDIQ procurement and raises questions after federal DBE scoring pause
Summary
Staff outlined a five‑year A&E IDIQ to bench professional services and described measures to protect small businesses and manage conflicts of interest. Directors asked for analyses on a recent federal DBE rule change that has paused DBE scoring and asked staff to report what federal funding could be at risk.
The Authority presented a proposed architect/engineer IDIQ (indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity) contract structure and fielded board concerns about small‑business participation and a temporary pause in DBE scoring tied to a U.S. Department of Transportation rule.
Emily Morrison said the A&E IDIQ will be a five‑year bench contract with no guaranteed funding at the IDIQ level; task orders will provide funding and any task order above the CEO's delegation will return to the board for approval. The program plans three contractor pools — major, intermediate and minor works — and includes on‑ and off‑ramp procedures to address conflicts of interest and performance issues. “We had a really great response of 197 businesses interested in this IDIQ — 155 of which were small businesses,” Morrison said.
Board members pressed staff about a recent DOT final rule that paused certain DBE (disadvantaged business enterprise) provisions for some procurements. Staff said that, to comply with current federal guidance, DBE participation goals are not being scored in the present RSQ; small‑business certifications remain part of evaluations where permissible. Directors asked staff and counsel to return next month with a clear legal and programmatic analysis of what federal grants might be at risk if the Authority changes scoring or flow‑down provisions. Staff estimated there is currently about $2.8 billion in federal funding tied to program elements that could be affected in certain scenarios.
Directors also asked for clarity on how the Authority will use task orders under the IDIQ, what internal policies and evaluation protocols will guide award decisions, and how on‑ramp/off‑ramp rules preserve small‑business opportunities. Morrison said the Authority has a business oversight committee (BOC) that documents approvals and that staff will distribute governance documents to the board.
What happens next: staff will return with a briefing on the DBE/federal‑funding exposure and will provide existing internal procurement and task‑order governance documents to the board. The IDIQ RFQ was described as imminent and the Authority expects task‑order competition and on‑ramp/off‑ramp management to follow established procedures.
Why it matters: the IDIQ is designed to speed access to professional services and increase small‑business participation; unresolved federal DBE guidance introduces legal and compliance risk that could affect how task orders are structured and administered.
