Success of Super-Turnkey Procurement of the Honolulu Rapid Transit System

The City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii has developed and, pending resolution of local funding, is procuring and building a 15.9-mile (25.6 km), 22-station, fully automated rapid transit system under a super-turnkey contract. A single contractor is responsible for design, construction, installation and then operation and maintenance for a 5-year period; all at firm fixed prices. The City selected its Turnkey System Contractor by a competitive procurement process and is carrying out the project in compliance with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements. The following paper provides the background for the project, the City's reasons for choosing the super-turnkey approach and status of the project. The project design and key features of the turnkey contract are described, including project phases and the responsibilities of the Contractor and the City. Given the complexity of the procurement, the process for selecting the Contractor is outlined: i.e., evaluation factors, evaluation organization, steps and schedule and key results.