RFI 102-24 Commuter Ferry Service .docx

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Commuter Ferry Services

RFI #101-24

COMMBUYS #BD-24-1206-MBTA-MBTA-102117

MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

Commuter Ferry Services

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (“RFI”) #102-24

COMMBUYS #BD-24-1206-MBTA-MBTA-102117

Responses Due: May 30, 2024

Contact Person:

Jimmy Moynihan Strategic Sourcing Manager Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 10 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02116 jmoynihan@mbta.com

Please Note: This is a single document associated with a Request for Information (RFI) that can be found on www.COMMBUYS.com. Interested parties are responsible for reviewing and adhering to all information, forms and requirements for the RFI. Responders may also contact the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or the COMMBUYS Helpline at 1-888-MA-STATE. The Helpline is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal, state and Suffolk county holidays.

ISSUE DATE: April 23, 2024

Department MBTA Procurement & Logistics

Background and Objectives The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates a commuter ferry system serving the Boston area with a combination of MBTA-owned and operator-provided passenger vessels.

The MBTA’s current contracts to operate the Commuter Ferry routes and maintain the MBTA’s vessels expires June 30, 2025, and the MBTA is interested in learning about alternatives to fulfilling service requirements including operation, maintenance, vessels, and docking.

The MBTA is issuing this RFI to engage with the market as a first step in informing the development of its future procurements and contracts. Through this process, MBTA aims to develop procurements and contracts that align with current market expectations and delivery capability, attract sufficient interest during the bidding process, and lead to effective service for its customers.

Through an operator, the MBTA currently provides the ferry services described in the table below. The current schedules for each route and additional information about the MBTA’s ferry service are available at https://www.mbta.com/ferry.

1 Operator provided minimum 350 passenger capacity (as backup).

Logan Airport Long Wharf, Boston, MA Georges Island Boston, MA

1 MBTA-provided 149 passenger capacity (as backup).

Long Wharf, Boston, MA

1 Operator provided minimum 100 passenger capacity (as backup).

1 MBTA-provided 149 passenger capacity (as backup)

Aquarium/Central Wharf, Boston, MA.

Seaport, Boston, MA

Requested Information (RFI Response):

Please provide a response to the questions below. Supplemental material or appendices are not included in that limit. Responses should be submitted through COMMBUYS and include/address the following.

A. Cover Letter (1 page) Please provide a cover letter which includes the name, title, phone number and email of a single contact within the organization or team of organizations responding to this RFI, for the receipt of all subsequent questions regarding this RFI.

B. Interest and Experience (3 pages maximum) Please answer the following questions:

1. What ferry operations and/or maintenance activities does your company currently support? Briefly describe the services currently provided (not more than 1 page per operation).

2. Is your organization interested in working with the MBTA as part of a joint venture/team or solely under a direct contract?

3. Does your organization have experience in ferry operations and/or maintenance in the Boston market? If no, would your organization be interested in establishing Boston operations?

4. Please describe how your organization would support day-to-day operational engagement with the MBTA, including daily ridership reporting, real-time incident and issue notification, and management of missed, dropped, or cancelled trips.

5. The MBTA has strict and expansive accessibility requirements, which sometimes exceed the requirements outlined in state and federal law. For example, the MBTA prefers boarding gangways that are not arched and are 36” wide. Can you describe the accessibility challenges that your organization may face in providing services for the MBTA?

6. Does your organization have suitable vessels to provide service for the MBTA routes that require operator-provided vessels? If not, do you believe you would be able to obtain vessels if awarded a contract?

7. Has your organization previously undertaken work in an environment with multiple different operators?

8. Does your organization have a history of including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or Environmental, Sustainability, or Governance (ESG) commitments as part of contracts? Please attach either your DEI or ESG statements if you feel it is appropriate.

9. Would your organization be interested in sharing your views in more detail at a confidential one on one meeting?

10. MBTA would like to attract sufficient interest in the next contracts to ensure the bidding process provides good value to the taxpayers and the passengers. Are there any specific topics (such as risk transfer, asset condition information, bareboat charter of vessels, etc.) that may influence your decision to bid, and which you would like to discuss in more detail at the confidential one on one meetings?

Responders will have an opportunity to provide more detail about their responses as part of the confidential one on one meetings. Example questions for these meetings are found at the end of this RFI.

Next Steps Upon receipt of responses, the MBTA may request more information at one or more in person or virtual one on one meetings with your organization or team of organizations.

Responses to this RFI and any one-on-one meetings will be used to assist MBTA to understand current capabilities, possible contract structures, and to determine a procurement approach. Any subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP) will be posted on COMMBUYS, and the MBTA will endeavor to notify all companies that respond to this RFI.

RFI Calendar

RFI Format Please submit RFI responses in MS Word, or Adobe PDF formats. Please do not use embedded or nested documents within other documents.

Online Questions (Bid Q&A) Written questions, if any, must be entered through the “Bid Q&A” tab for the Bid in COMMBUYS no later than the Questions Due date indicated in the Calendar above. The MBTA reserves the right to not respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Responder’s responsibility to verify questions were successfully posted on COMMBUYS.

Written Responses to Questions will be posted on the Bid Q&A Tab in COMMBUYS on or about the “Response to Questions Posted Online” date indicated in the calendar.

Conditions The information and views contained in this RFI are preliminary in nature and are subject to change in the future. Responses to this RFI will not be scored or evaluated in connection with any procurement. Information submitted may be subject to disclosure. Any specific aspects of any response that a respondent believes to be confidential should be marked accordingly. MBTA will endeavor to keep any information marked as such confidential, to the extent permitted by law.

MBTA's receipt or discussion of any information related to this RFI or responses to this RFI, does not impose any obligations whatsoever on MBTA.

Response Form The below form is provided for your convenience but is not required for the response.

Sample One on One Meeting Questions

The questions below are a sample of the questions that will be discussed as part of the follow up one on one meetings. The questions are divided by service area, acknowledging that not all responders may be interested in all service areas.

General Questions

· What are your thoughts on the contract term length?

· How should bonding be structured to give MBTA protection in the most cost-effective manner?

· Where do you see the responsibility split between the operator(s) and the MBTA?

Passenger Service

· Are you willing to consider models with shared revenue risk/upside? What considerations would be important in an arrangement like this?

Vessels

· Are you interested in the ability to utilize MBTA vessels when not required for MBTA service?

· What would be the necessary timeline and MBTA financial commitment for you to obtain suitable vessels to provide the service outlined in section 1 of the RFI?

Docks and Vessel Storage

· What suggestions/solutions do you have to address Boston’s limited dock locations?

· What capabilities do you have for off-season storage of vessels?

Maintenance

· Would you consider a contract where your company might be responsible for maintenance or operation, but not both?

· What is your experience with predictive maintenance for marine vessels?