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Board to award Long Bridge South design‑build; contract sets lumpsum price, allowances and strict milestones
Summary
The board received a briefing and authorized award of the Long Bridge South design‑build package to the preferred joint venture. The contract includes a $695 million base lumpsum price, a $30 million allowance for high‑risk events, a 180‑day scope‑validation window, and liquidated damages tied to a critical abutment milestone.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority briefed the board on the Long Bridge South procurement and recommended awarding the design‑build contract to the preferred proposer, a joint venture marketed as Longbridge Rail Partners.
Staff described the contract as a traditional design‑build with a lumpsum base price of about $695 million embedded in the agreement at award. The contract allows two mechanisms by which the price could increase: negotiated adjustments following 17 defined relief events (four of which were identified as the riskiest) and a 180‑day scope‑validation period that permits the contractor to identify previously unknown field conditions that could lead to negotiated claims. In addition, the Authority set a $30 million allowance to be used only for specified high‑risk contingencies such as inaccurate utility information or significant differing site conditions.
The contract includes strict schedule and liquidated‑damages provisions: an abutment milestone (referred to in briefing as Abutment B) must be complete by Aug. 2, 2027, or the contractor faces $130,000 per day in liquidated damages because delays would impact the adjacent north package. Substantial completion for rail assets is scheduled at 1,875 calendar days from notice to proceed; the bike and pedestrian bridge (an environmental mitigation element) has additional time beyond rail substantial completion.
Procurement staff said the process involved a two‑step RFQ/RFP, two compliant proposals and a decision to pay a $1.5 million stipend to the unsuccessful team because the full design‑build procurement required significant proposal investment. The board was briefed on small and diverse business subcontracting commitments embedded in the contract structure and on coordination roles for the District of Columbia Department of Transportation on the bike/pedestrian bridge element that will be transferred to the District after construction.
Why it matters: Long Bridge South is a critical piece of the continuous corridor; the contract structure balances price certainty with allowances for certain risks and includes liquidated damages to protect schedule and downstream partners.
