CDOT Accepts Statements of Qualification from Five Teams Vying to Build the I-70 East Project

DENVER, CO – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the High Performance Transportation Enterprise and the Colorado Bridge Enterprise reached their deadline yesterday for receiving Statements of Qualification (SOQ) from private partners interested in building the I-70 East Project, from Brighton Boulevard to I-225. Five SOQs were received from combined teams of construction and engineering firms, operators and equity investors.

CDOT is pursuing a possible public-private partnership to deliver I-70 East, based on a Design Build Finance Operate Maintain (DBFOM) model for the finance and delivery of the project. An SOQ is a summary of a team’s experience in the industry and with similar projects that helps CDOT begin the process of choosing the most qualified team for the project.

“We are thrilled at the caliber of the teams that responded to our request for qualifications,” said Project Director Tony DeVito. “I-70 East is one of the state’s most critical highway segments and we are seeking the best of the best to partner with CDOT to address the long-standing safety and congestion problems along this corridor.  From the response we saw yesterday, we are on the right track to reaching that goal.”

The following five teams submitted SOQs:

1.      5280 Connectors

a.      Plenary Group, Equity Member

b.      Skanska Infrastructure Group, Equity Member

c.      Skanska USA Civil Inc., Lead Contractor

d.      Zachry Construction Corporation, Lead Contractor

e.      HDR Engineering, Lead Engineer

f.       Transfield Services, Lead Operator

2.      Denver Mobility Partners

a.      InfraRed, Equity Member

b.      Star America, Equity Member

c.      Fluor, Equity Member, Lead Contractor, Lead Operator

d.      Ames, Lead Contractor

e.      Granite, Lead Contractor

f.       Parsons, Lead Engineer

g.      DBi Services, Lead Operator

3.      Front Range Mobility Group

a.      Hochtief PPP Solutions, Equity Member

b.      ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc., Equity Member

c.      AECOM Capital, Inc., Equity Member

d.      John Laing Investments Limited, Equity Member

e.      Flatiron Constructors, Inc., Lead Contractor

f.       Dragados USA, Inc., Lead Contractor

g.      URS Energy & Construction, Inc., Lead Contractor

h.      CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc., Lead Engineer

i.       URS Energy & Construction, Inc., Lead Engineer

j.       Hochtief PPP Solutions, Operations, Lead Operator

k.      ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc., Lead Operator

l.       AECOM Capital, Inc., Developer, Lead Operator

4.      I-70 Mile High Partners

a.      Cintra Infraestructuras Internacional, Equity Member, Lead Operator

b.      Bechtel Development Company, Inc., Equity Member, Lead Operator

c.      Ferrovial Agroman US Corp., Lead Contractor

d.      Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation, Lead Contractor

e.      Sema Construction, Inc.,

f.       Janssen & Spaans Engineering, Inc., Lead Engineer

g.      Othon, Inc., Lead Engineer

h.      Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation, Lead Engineer

5.      Kiewit / Meridiam Partners

a.      Kiewit Infrastructure Group Inc., Equity Member

b.      Meridiam Infrastructure North America Fund II, Equity Member

c.      Kiewit Infrastructure Co., Lead Contractor

d.      Parsons Brinkerhoff, Inc., Lead Engineer

e.      Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., Lead Engineer

f.       Roy Jorgensen Associates, Inc., Lead Operator

CDOT has begun reviewing the SOQs and will provide executive summaries for public review in the coming days at this website. The next step is to select the most qualified firms, known as the shortlist, who will be asked to respond to a Request for Proposals (RFP). The first draft of the RFP will be issued in Fall 2015, with a goal of selecting a private partner at the end of 2016. CDOT will continue to hold public meetings throughout this process, including a meeting later this summer on the RFP process.

“HPTE and CDOT are committed to ensuring that the public is aware of each step we take toward a possible public-private partnership for I-70 East. We invite the public and stakeholders to join us this summer as we discuss next steps in this process,” said Michael Cheroutes, Director of CDOT’s High Performance Transportation Enterprise.

The selection process does not prejudge the final project to be constructed, which will be determined at the end of the Environmental Impact Statement process. The current phase one project for I-70 East includes adding an Express Lane in each direction on I-70 from I-25 to I-225, removing the 50-year-old viaduct between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard and lowering the interstate along this stretch, and constructing a 4-acre cover over a portion of the lowered interstate. The Final Environmental Impact Statement is due to be released early next year. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017.

For more information, visit www.coloradohpte.com and www.codot.gov/projects/i70east and for more information on the environmental study, visit www.I-70east.com.