index.RTA

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Sources: Sound Transit documents, presentations made at Sound Transit conference meeting for interested consultants, Aug. 11, 1997.

What & where?
Contracting guide
Procurement rules
Local firms
Light rail
Commuter rail
HOV
M/W/DBE
Misc. questions


What is the RTA's new name?

At its Aug. 14, 1997 meeting, the RTA Board changed the public name of the agency to Sound Transit. Officials preferred the new name over the bureaucratic sounding "Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority." However, the original name will be retained as the agency's legal corporate name.

What is the Sound Transit's address?

1100 Second Ave. Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98101-3423
(206) 684-6776
Information line: (800)201-4900
Web page:http://www.soundtransit.org

Contracting Guide

Which contracts will be advertised? Where can I find them?

Contracts over $100,000 will be formally advertised in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.

What is the procurement process for contracts less than $100,000?

Sound Transit has the flexibility to use various procurement methods for contracts under $100,000. The agency may use a roster or may fax out a scope of work to firms that it knows are interested in a particular project. On the other hand, Sound Transit officials may choose to formally advertise some projects that are less than $100,000.

How will contracts be selected?

Professional services and architectural and engineering services greater than $100,000 will be chosen by a selection committee. Contract awards will be subject to approval by the executive director.

Work for capital projects may be authorized by the Sound Transit board on a project-wide basis or on individual contract. The board has the flexibility of approving an entire project eliminating the need to approve individual contracts.

Who will sit on selection committees?

Committees will be made up of Sound Transit technical staff including department directors. Experts from other agencies may also be invited to serve.

Will Sound Transit board members have a role in the selection process?

Sound Transit board policy does allow for individual board members to participate in procurement and contracting selection. But board members probably won't serve on selection committees except in rare instances involving, for example, contracts requiring high levels of contact with elected officials. Sound Transit highly discourages consultants from lobbying board members in an attempt to influence the procurement of a contract. The agency asks consultants to respect the policy role of the board and the administrative role of the staff.

Will local community staff officials, bus companies and other interested parties sit on selection panels with Sound Transit staff?

Maybe, if they have technical expertise in areas under procurement.

Who should consultants contact at Sound Transit?

The contract administrator in every procurement is the primary source of contact. Other contacts will be identified in RFP documents.

Procurement Rules

What guidelines will be used in contract procurement?

Sound Transit will use the Federal Transit Administration Best Practices Procurement Manual as well as federal acquisition standards.

How will architectural and engineering contracts be procured?

These contracts will be procured in a simple and straightforward fashion. The agency prefers low-tech proposals rather than high-tech proposals. Interviews will be conducted in favor of presentations or large productions. Each RFP will clearly state requirements for contracts.

If the Sound Transit Board approves a major project and delegates the selection, what procurement policies will be used by the delegated party?

Sound Transit procurement policies

Local Versus Out-Of-Area Firms

How can local firms get work?

Use of local businesses is one of the guiding principles established by the Sound Transit board. But location in the Puget Sound area does not guarantee a contract. According to Sound Transit Light Rail Director Paul Bay, "Nobody here should think that local firms are going to be given work when they haven't done a whole lot of thinking about what needs to be done and how best to do it. Nor should anyone here think, for one moment, that national firms who may have done it 100 times in other cities are automatically going to be given the work because they've done it 100 times in other cities. (They must think about) how they're going to do it here and how to put together a team here to make it happen well." from Aug. 11, 1997 consultant briefing.

According to a question presented at the Aug. 11, 1997 consultant briefing, "Discussions with potential prime contractors reveal a very strong bias to selection of local M/W/DBE to the exclusion of out-of-town firms. This appears to be an unwritten Sound Transit policy. How will Sound Transit assure that this unwritten policy is not followed?"

Sound Transit M/W/DBE officer Alec Stephens responded to the question: "The whole point of the M/W/DBE program is to eliminate bias. Having said that, first of all, for firms that are finding that to be the case ... I need to hear about it. I need to know about it so we can have discussions with prime firms who are doing that. We do not have an exclusion policy...Our issue regarding local firms is simply that we want to ensure, to some extent, that as we go through this 10-year program there is the outcome that a number of firms from all over the place benefit in the program." from Aug. 11, 1997 consultant briefing.

For further information on ways that local firms can obtain contracts attend Sound Transit-sponsored seminar in September.

Light Rail

How many final contracts do you estimate for light rail civil design?

No less than five, probably no more than 10.

Can you elaborate on the timing of the civil versus systems contracts? Will they be proposed at the same time or sequentially?

They won't be totally sequential. There will be some overlap; civil will come out first. Target date for civil RFQ is Sept. 1.

Will the light rail civil and systems contractors be awarded for the whole system?

The selection of light rail civil and systems facilities contractors for preliminary engineering will be applied to all of the light rail system.

Will the Tacoma light rail segment have a separate design contract?

No, but there will be a separate final design contract for the Tacoma segment.

What are some of the conflict of interest rules regarding light rail?

The prime contractor for design in both civil and systems will not be able to participate in the environmental contract. The prime contractors for the environmental work will not be able to participate in the light rail civil or systems design.

Will the prime contractor for civil facilities and engineering be permitted to propose for segment designs as a prime contractor or subcontractor?

No, civil facilities and system design contractors will not be doing final design. However, the agency anticipates they should have the opportunity to renew contracts during final design to ensure that design concepts are carried through in the segment designs.

Who will be responsible for analyzing station-area impacts?


Assessment of station-area impacts will be the responsibility of the environmental consultant working closely with the local government.

Commuter Rail

How will the commuter rail station contracts be awarded?

There will be opportunities for both large and small firms to do major infrastructure improvements. Each of the station sites will most likely be done independently by the firm that makes the best proposal for a community's needs.


Will Sound Transit consider leasing passenger rail equipment to an excursion operator?

It may be an option but it would likely be expensive. It would also require permission from railroad companies.

High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)

What portion of HOV design work will go out to consultants and what portion will be retained by the state DOT?

Preliminary discussions indicate that the majority of the work will go out to consultants.

Minority, Women, Disadvantaged Business, Enterprise Goals (M/W/DBE)

General Policy: Sound Transit encourages the submittal of proposals from firms certified as Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises by the State of Washington, or from firms that are participants in the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) program. Proposers are advised that Sound Transit promotes and encourages M/W/DBE participation on its contracts and is interested in proposals that reasonably involve such participation as prime contractors, joint venture partners, or subcontractors. Proposers that elect to form a joint venture or to subcontract any work shall make affirmative efforts to solicit and utilize M/W/DBE participation. Proposers that elect to perform all work under a RFP without M/W/DBE participation shall discuss the factors that made such participation impractical or unfeasible.

What is Sound Transit's DBE goal?

Sound Transit has established a DBE goal of 18%. But actual numbers may vary. The 18% DBE number is neither the maximum nor the minimum. Requirements may be waived if Sound Transit determines that there are few, if any any M/W/DBEs who can perform particular pieces of work.

What advice do you have regarding M/W/DBE issues?

"If you pursue our contracts based only on the numbers you misunderstand our goals," said Sound Transit M/W/DBE officer Alec Stephens. Our goals have much more to do with the quality of experience that the M/W/DBE firms have in performing on our contracts. That quality of experience includes the efforts that you make in both sharing information and mentoring information. That quality of experience includes M/W/DBE firms in the subcontracting sense that have direct opportunities to display and show their talents and abilities to Sound Transit staff. That opportunity means that there is truly a partnership between you and the firms. We will want to know more than just the numbers, we will want to know how qualitatively your approach will be in utilizing M/W/DBE firms." from Aug. 11, 1997 consultant briefing.

We want to see a diverse work force so please pay attention to that element when you're putting together your proposals," Stephens added. "And as a part of that element please pay attention to training opportunities and internship opportunities that provide greater opportunity to people of color and women to participate on those contracts."

According to Sound Transit Light Rail Director Paul Bay, "the M/W/DBE policies are not going to be for appearance. We are interested in substance. We want to see thought, real thinking, go into what happens by prime contractors with your proposals."

"Do not expect all those M/W/DBEs to be exclusive to you," Bay added. "We look with great disfavor upon primes trying to sew up deals with the best local M/W/DBE firms so that nobody else has a shot at them. That may well mean that they may be on more than one team. We can't tell you that you can't legally do it. But we sure will notice." from Aug. 11, 1997 consultant briefing.

Miscellaneous Questions

For contracts funded by Sound Transit but advertised by the State Department of Transportation or local transit operators, will Sound Transit play a role in coordinating information?

Yes, but details are still being worked out.

Who will perform right-of-way acquisition?

A combination of Sound Transit staff and consulting assistants. Initially, the agency will rely heavily on the brokerage community.

What role will contractors have in public involvement activities?

Public involvement activities will be led by Sound Transit staff in coordination with local government staff. But all contractors working on light rail design or environmental consequences will be expected to assist in those activities, prepare appropriate graphic materials, attend some public outreach meetings and respond to questions from the public.