January 10, 2019 Update - the AMHS expects to advertise the project solicitation package no earlier than March 2019.

To: Interested Shipyards in United States

The Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) has issued this notice to inform interested shipyards in the United States that it will be seeking proposals from qualified entities to provide preconstruction and construction services under the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) project delivery method, resulting in the construction of a new roll-on/roll-off vehicle passenger ferry.

As planned, the TRV will have the following characteristics and capacities:

Length Over All (LOA) 330 Feet
Depth 24.5 Feet
Breadth Over All (BOA) 71 Feet
Design Draft 15’ – 10" to 16’ – 6" (End of Service Life)
Air Draft 90 Feet
Cruise/Service Speed 15 Knots
Vans & Cars 12 Vans & 27 Cars
Cars Only 54
Vehicle Loading Ability Stern & Side (Port & Starboard), Vehicle Elevator
Vehicle Lane Length 1,180 Feet
Passengers 250 (Berths for 104)

The TRV will transit the Gulf of Alaska and service communities between Homer and Unalaska, Alaska. Due to operational and environmental constraints, the vessel will possess a unique vehicle elevator/turntable design similar to the one on the existing TUSTUMENA.

AMHS will class the vessel with the American Bureau of Shipping.

AMHS will use the best value method to procure the CM/GC contract. It will consider not only price when evaluating proposals, but other identified factors. Ultimately, AMHS will select the proposal that provides the best value to AMHS.

CM/GC is a project delivery method authorized by AMHS’ federal funding agency, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). See 23 U.S.C. §112(b)(4); 23 C.F.R. §635.500 et seq. Generally speaking, this method employs a collaborative, integrated team approach:

• to the planning, design, and construction of a project;
• to control schedule and budget; and
• to ensure quality for the project owner.

This CM/GC project will have two phases: preconstruction and construction. During the preconstruction phase, the contractor will assist AMHS and its Architect/Engineer with various project responsibilities such as design validation, constructability review, cost estimating, and others. As the preconstruction phase draws to a close, the contractor and AMHS will attempt to negotiate guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for which the contractor agrees to construct the vessel. If the parties succeed in their negotiations, they will enter a construction contract for the agreed GMP. If not, AMHS may pursue a new procurement process that will result in the award of a construction contract to another entity.

This is a federal-aid project. As such, it is subject to requirements imposed by FHWA. Compliance with the Buy America Act is mandatory. See 23 U.S.C. §313 and 23 C.F.R. §635.410 for provisions of the Act and its implementing regulations.  

AMHS intends to provide a general presentation concerning the project on November 29, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the 2018 International Workboat Show held at the Morial Convention Center. It expects to post the solicitation and accompanying documents by January 2019.

The information contained in this Pre-Solicitation Notice is preliminary and is subject to change. An offeror may not rely on information in this Notice when preparing its proposal. The solicitation package, once issued, will contain the relevant bidding information.

All contracting questions related to the upcoming solicitation may be directed in writing to James Woods, Contracts Officer via email at: james.woods@alaska.gov

For additional information and updates please visit the TRV project website at: https://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/tusty_replace/index.shtml

State of Alaska
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
P.O. Box 112500
Juneau, Alaska 99811-2500