By David Pendered
North Perimeter Contractors came in with the hands-down best financial proposal of the four companies vying to be selected to rebuild the interchange at Ga. 400 and I-285 – and this appears to be the reason the state selected the company.
North Perimeter’s bid appears to have shaved $421 million off a total projected construction/finance cost of $1.1 billion. The company’s proposal envisions the project being built at a total construction/finance cost of $679 million.
“This is a great example of a Public Private Partnership bringing value to the citizens of Georgia by letting private sector innovation and financing build a better project,” Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation, said in a statement.
The selection was weighted 80 percent on price, and 20 percent on technical capabilities, according to GDOT. Technical capabilities include project management, traffic management, schedule, and disadvantaged business involvement.
North Perimeter scored an 800 on the ranking for the “financial proposal score.” No competitor came close, according to the “Rankings and Best Value Determination” sheet released by GDOT.
AWH Roadbuilders, LLC. placed second in the financial category with a score of 544.87. Coming in third was Dragados/Flatiron/Prince, LLC., with a score of 508.87. SBB 285-400 Partners, LLC. ranked last, with a score of 469.8.
In the category of, “technical proposal score,” North Perimeter came in third, with a score of 142.64. SBB 285-400 Partners, LLC. placed first, with a technical score of 154.32.
AWH Roadbuilders, LLC. placed third, with a score of 150.81. Dragados/Flatiron/Prince, LLC. was ranked fourth, with a score of 137.25.
GDOT did not release further information about the rankings, saying the project is in “active procurement” until the contract is signed next year. This posture limits the release of information, according to GDOT.
Technically, North Perimeter Contractors has not won the bid. The GDOT board named the company the “apparent best value development partner.”
As such, GDOT will conduct further negotiations exclusively with North Perimeter with the objective of signing a contract in January, according to the schedule. Construction is to being in summer 2016.
In addition, technically, GDOT won’t sign the contract with the winning vendor. The State Road and Tollway Authority will sign the contract, according to a resolution the GDOT board approved June 18. GDOT will manage the project and act as SRTA’s agent.
North Perimeter Contractors is a joint venture comprised of Ferrovial Agroman US Corp. as lead contractor and The Louis Berger Group and Neel-Schaffer, Inc. as lead designers, according to GDOT.
This is how GDOT’s statement described the financial picture:
- “The original valuation of the 285/400 Reconstruction Project anticipated a total cost of $1.1 billion; however, through the competitiveness and resourcefulness possible with a P3 procurement, the bid of North Perimeter Contractors was $460 million. The reduced costs of design, construction and financing now place the current total project estimate including: preliminary design; environmental approval; right of way acquisition; oversight roles; final design; construction; finance charges; utility relocations; construction engineering and inspection (CEI); and bonding and insurance at $679 million. The project will be funded through a combination of federal, state, Perimeter CIDs, and private sector funds provided by North Perimeter Contractors.”
