RFI - Lynn Ferry_rev.6.pdf

Request for Information

RFI: Request for Information

Procurement of New 150 Passenger, Subchapter T Ferry for Service from Lynn, MA to Boston MA

May 28, 2019

Responses Due: June 25, 2019

COMMBUYS BID #: BD-19-1030-0P100-0P070-40271

1 Issuance Information

2 Introduction

3 Purpose of this RFI

3.1 Estimated Number of Awards for Future RFP:

4 Scope of Services

4.1 General Arrangement

4.2 ADA and PVAG Compliance

4.3 Proven Design Concept & Components

4.4 Testing & Delivery

4.5 Training & Manuals

4.6 Warranty

4.7 Delivery Timeline

4.8 Federally Funded Procurement

5 Shipyard Information Requested

5.1 Shipyard Experience

5.2 Existing Designs

5.3 Availability & Timeline to Build

5.4 Experience with Federally Funded Contracts & Requirements

5.5 Experience with PVAG/ADA compliant vessels

6 Technical Information Requested

6.1 Service speed above 28 knots

6.2 Freeboard & Bow Loading Compatibility

6.3 Vessel Length

6.4 Passenger Announcements

6.5 Cost Reductions

7 Estimated RFI Calendar

8 Instructions for Submission of Responses

8.1 COMMBUYS Registration

8.2 RFI Response Organization

8.2.1 Introduction/Cover Letter:

8.2.2 Shipyard Questions & Information Sought:

8.2.3 Technical Questions & Information Sought:

8.2.4 Commercial Questions & Information Sought:

8.2.5 Other (Optional):

8.3 RFI Response Format

8.4 RFI Response Terms

8.5 RFI Review Process

8.6 RFI Respondent Follow-Up

1 Issuance Information

Department MASSDOT Rail and Transit Division/City of Lynn

Address MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Room #2810

City, State, Zip Code Boston, MA 02116

Procurement Contact Person Brenda Christner

E-Mail Address brenda.christner@stvinc.com

RFI Name/Title Procurement of New 150 Passenger, Subchapter T Ferry

CommBuys Bid Number BD-19-1030-0P100-0P070-40271

2 Introduction

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is assisting the City of Lynn, MA to develop a specification for procurement of a new ferry for service between Lynn, MA and Boston MA on the Lynn

Ferry.

MassDOT/City of Lynn wish to ensure that the specification requirements not only meet the City of

Lynn’s service and maintenance needs, but also allow for a competitive bid process that provides equal opportunity for many bidders. To facilitate that process and maximize potential bidders, this RFI seeks information from interested parties to assist in the development of specification requirements.

The new ferry will be used for commuter and other related travel, and is expected to operate 7 days per week, year-round. The vessel must be suitable for docking at Lynn’s Blossom Street dock, as well as the major docks in the Boston Harbor area, including Long Wharf, Rowes Wharf, Fan Pier, World Trade

Center, and Logan Airport. As the procurement is expected to be federally funded, all federal requirements will be applicable, including Buy America provisions and requirements for shipping via a

US flagged vessel.

MassDOT/City of Lynn request that prospective respondents provide descriptions and images of existing vessel designs that might be suitable for the Lynn Ferry service, as well as any additional variations that would be reasonably adaptable to the City of Lynn’s needs. Key differentiating features should be highlighted to allow the specification to be as inclusive as possible.

3 Purpose of this RFI

The goal of this RFI is to identify ferry designs that are readily available and could be supplied for use by the City of Lynn. In addition, this RFI seeks to determine what information is required by shipyards to complete a bid on such a contract, as well as any other input potential respondents would suggest for the development of the RFP.

Please note that this RFI is issued solely for the purpose of obtaining information. Nothing in this RFI shall be interpreted as a commitment on the part of MassDOT to procure or enter into a contract with any respondent.

3.1 Estimated Number of Awards for Future RFP:

The estimated number of ferries to be purchased is one (1).

4 Scope of Services

MassDOT/City of Lynn are currently seeking information to develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the procurement of one, 150 passenger catamaran ferry for use in commuter service between the cities of

Lynn and Boston, MA. The scope of services will include design, manufacture, testing, and warranting of the vessel, in addition to providing operations and maintenance training and manuals, drawings, schematics and other support documentation.

After receiving input from this RFI, MassDOT/City of Lynn will proceed with the development of an

RFP which will be used in a formal bid process to identify a qualified shipyard to design, manufacture, test and warrant the new ferry.

Additionally, MassDOT/City of Lynn are looking to identify firms with the interest and capability to compete for such a contract. Key criteria anticipated to be included in the RFP are as follows:

4.1 General Arrangement

MassDOT/City of Lynn would like to procure one high speed, 150 passenger, Subchapter T catamaran ferry vessel. The vessel must be suitable for operation with a limited coastwise certification, for service between the City of Lynn, MA and Boston, MA. Additionally, the service is intended to operate year-round, and therefore the vessel must be designed and certified for cold water operation.

Propulsion shall be via diesel engine powered waterjets with a maximum service speed of at least

28 knots at 85% power.

Interior seating and tables shall be provided for at least 110 passengers, and exterior seating shall be provided on the upper deck for at least 40 passengers. Two heads (one ADA accessible) shall be provided on board. The vessel shall be designed to allow for bow loading of passengers, but shall also be suitably arranged for loading via port and starboard side doors.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system shall be provided for the main feck passenger cabin that is suitable for the year-round New England climate, and shall incorporate the provision of fresh air in to the cabin. A suitable pilot house HVAC system shall also be provided.

4.2 ADA and PVAG Compliance

The vessel shall be designed to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, as well as the recommendations of the Passenger Vessel Accessibility Guidelines (PVAG).

4.3 Proven Design Concept & Components

MassDOT/City of Lynn would like to identify qualified, experienced Contractors with the capability to provide a reliable, high quality ferry vessel for use on the Lynn Ferry service. The use of a proven design with proven components that could be readily adapted for use on the Lynn Ferry service is preferred. Quality, reliability, maintainability and durability of the vessels is of paramount importance.

The Contractor will be experienced and capable in the design, manufacture, testing and warranting of high speed, passenger only, Subchapter T, catamaran vessels, including selection and integration of major components. It is expected that the contractor will possess an in-house team that is supported, as needed, by qualified subcontractors capable of providing and integrating key components.

4.4 Testing & Delivery

The Contractor must perform in process and post-delivery testing, including first article inspections, receiving inspections of materials, in-process quality and functional tests, and post-delivery tests. The Contractor shall be responsible for delivery of the completed vessel to a

MassDOT/City of Lynn-designated delivery location in the Lynn Ferry service area.

4.5 Training & Manuals

The Contractor shall provide training plans, materials and courses for operations personnel, and for routine and heavy maintenance. Operating manuals shall be developed and provided by the

Contractor, as well as manuals and schematics for routine and heavy maintenance.

4.6 Warranty

The Contractor shall provide a 1-year warranty on the complete vessel, starting from the date of acceptance. Major equipment, including main engines, water jets, generators and reverse/reduction gears shall be warranted for a period of 2 years. Any manufacturer’s warranties for components within the vessels that are longer than required by MassDOT/City of Lynn shall be provided for the same duration to the Authority. An on-site warranty manager shall be provided by the Contractor in the Lynn Ferry service area.

4.7 Delivery Timeline

Delivery timeline will be a key criterion, and MassDOT/City of Lynn will highly value proposals that include a shorter timeline and are able to demonstrate that such a timeline is realistic based on prior performance on similar projects, and/or with a similar design.

4.8 Federally Funded Procurement

This will be a federally funded procurement, and therefore the builder must comply with all federal regulations, including Buy America, Fly America, and the requirement for shipping (if required) via a US flagged vessel.

5 Shipyard Information Requested

5.1 Shipyard Experience

Please provide your experience in designing, manufacturing and warranting high speed, Subchapter T, passenger only, catamaran ferries for commuter and recreational service.

Please provide information about prior contracts of a similar scope.

5.2 Existing Designs

Please provide information about existing designs that have been used in other contracts that may be suitable for the Lynn Ferry service, or that may be readily modified to be suitable.

5.3 Availability & Timeline to Build

Please present your level of interest in pursuing a contract such as the one described. If there are specific issues that would deter or encourage your firm from pursuing this contract, please describe what they are.

Please provide information about your facility’s availability to design, construct and warrant a vessel for the Lynn Ferry service.

Please provide an estimate of the time required, from Notice to Proceed to delivery of the requested vessel for the Lynn Ferry service.

5.4 Experience with Federally Funded Contracts & Requirements

Please indicate your company’s experience with federally funded contracts and the associated requirements, including Buy America, Fly America and requirements for shipping via US flagged vessels.

5.5 Experience with PVAG/ADA compliant vessels

Please indicate your company’s experience in designing and constructing vessels that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the recommendations of the

Passenger Vessel Accessibility Guidelines (PVAG). This includes items such as level boarding, accessible routes, accessible restrooms and facilities, provision of mobility device locations, accessible signage and communications, etc.

6 Technical Information Requested

In addition, MassDOT/Lynn request that respondents provide additional information regarding the following topics to help inform the specification development process and produce achievable requirements.

6.1 Service speed above 28 knots

MassDOT/City of Lynn desire to purchase a vessel that is capable of a service speed of at least

28 knots (at 85% power). Preliminary estimates indicate that this would lead to one-way trip times of at least 40 minutes from Lynn’s Blossom Street dock to the major docks in the Boston

Harbor (Long Wharf, Rowes Wharf, Fan Pier, and World Trade Center). MassDOT/City of

Lynn seek information to determine whether increasing the 28 knot requirement would lead to significant modifications to the vessel, or significant cost increases. In particular, there is interest in reducing the travel time to 35 minutes between Lynn and Long Wharf and understanding a rough order of magnitude of the cost increase associated with achieving this.

6.2 Freeboard & Bow Loading Compatibility

Many of the docks in the Boston Harbor area are configured to allow bow loading of vessels owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), including Long Wharf, Fan Pier, and

Logan Airport. They are designed to accommodate a bow with approximate dimensions of a 28 foot bow radius and a freeboard of 6’8”.

It is MassDOT/City of Lynn’s understanding that a vessel suitable for the Lynn Ferry service would be likely to incorporate a higher freeboard to produce the necessary seaworthiness and passenger comfort for a limited coastwise vessel and the Lynn Ferry’s service route.

Please provide any available information on the anticipated freeboard height (or range of heights) that would be recommended for the Lynn Ferry vessel.

Please provide any suggestions for methods of accommodating bow loading of the Lynn Ferry vessel at these Boston Harbor docks.

6.3 Vessel Length

Due to the tight turning locations at Long Wharf and Fan Pier, the aim is to provide a vessel close to 90-95 feet in length. Additionally, the U-shaped dock at the Lynn Terminal has a length of 60-

70 feet along the sides, meaning that any side loading of the vessel would have to be positioned within the front 60-70 feet of the vessel. MassDOT/City of Lynn wish to gain a better understanding of the length of a vessel that should be anticipated based on the performance needs of the vessel.

Please indicate the anticipated approximate length of a vessel meeting the needs of the Lynn service.

6.4 Passenger Announcements

In an effort to make the service accessible to passengers with disabilities, MassDOT/City of Lynn wish to provide some level of automated announcements that combine visual text with audible messages. This would include the route name, stop announcements, and the required USCG safety announcements. The aim is for this to be a simple, easily maintained and easily operated system, with a preference for service-proven systems.

Please provide information about any audio/visual announcement systems that you have provided on vessels in the past.

Please provide any recommendations for this type of system on the Lynn vessel.

6.5 Cost Reductions

Please provide any suggestions for addition or removal of design requirements that would lead to a reduction in the purchase price of the vessel.

Please provide any suggestions for specification requirements that would lead to a reduction of lifetime operation and maintenance costs for the vessel.

7 Estimated RFI Calendar

Please note, respondents are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the Procurement calendar.

PROCUREMENT ACTIVITY DATE TIME

RFI Release Date 5/28/19 5:00pm

RFI Response Deadline 6/25/19 5:00pm

8 Instructions for Submission of Responses

All RFI responses, shall be submitted electronically via COMMBUYS. Responses shall be sent via the

“Create Quote” functionality contained in COMMBUYS. Additional information is available at:

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2019/03/19/Create-Quote-In-COMMBUYS.pdf

COMMBUYS technical assistance is available during the RFI process. Every effort is made to respond to inquiries within one business day.

Website: Go to www.mass.gov/osd/commbuys and select the COMMBUYS Resource Center link offered under Key Resources.

Email: Send inquiries to the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us

Telephone: Call the COMMBUYS Help Desk at 1-888-MA-STATE (1-888-627-8283). The Help Desk is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal and state holidays.

Bidders are advised that COMMBUYS will be unavailable during regularly scheduled maintenance hours of which all users will be notified.

8.1 COMMBUYS Registration

Please note that in order to respond to this RFI, respondents must be registered in the COMMBUYS

System. COMMBUYS provides Seller registration functionality at no charge. To register, go to www.COMMBUYS.com and click on the “Register” link on the front page. It is recommended that respondents begin the registration process as soon as possible to ensure the ability to submit an RFI response by the deadline indicated in Section 7.

8.2 RFI Response Organization

Please organize your RFI response as follows:

Introduction/Cover Letter – See Section A. above. Introduction of your company and an overview of the services you would intend to provide to the MassDOT/City of Lynn.

RFI Response – RFI Response from the remaining Sections in the order shown below:

8.2.1 Introduction/Cover Letter:

Please introduce your company and an overview of its experience with the design and manufacture of high speed, Subchapter T, passenger only, catamaran ferries. Organizations responding to this RFI shall designate a single contact within that organization for the receipt of all subsequent information regarding this RFI. Please do not include corporate marking brochures.

8.2.2 Shipyard Questions & Information Sought:

Please provide you response to the shipyard information questions in Section 5 of this RFI.

8.2.3 Technical Questions & Information Sought:

Please provide you response to the technical information questions in Section 6 of this RFI.

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2019/03/19/Create-Quote-In-COMMBUYS.pdf http://www.mass.gov/osd/commbuys mailto:COMMBUYS@state.ma.us http://www.commbuys.com/

8.2.4 Commercial Questions & Information Sought:

Please respond to the following questions:

1. If there are specific commercial terms that would deter or encourage your firm from pursuing this contract, please describe what they are.

2. If there is the potential for alternative financing possibilities, please describe what they are.

3. Please indicate how long you would require to respond to an RFP for the new vessel procurement.

8.2.5 Other (Optional):

Please include any other information that you have not discussed at this time.

As a reminder, please do not include any corporate brochures or standardized marketing materials in this, or any other, section of the RFI response.

8.3 RFI Response Format

To facilitate the review of each Respondents RFI, all RFI responses are requested to address each item in the RFI in the order in which it appears. The RFI responses must be submitted in Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® Excel, or Adobe® PDF Format. MS Word or MS Excel versions must be Microsoft Office 2010 or greater and Adobe formats must be version 10.0 or greater. Please do not use embedded or nested documents within other documents.

Respondents are responsible for entering content suitable for public viewing, as all the responses and questions will be accessible to the public. Respondents must not include any information that could be considered personal, security sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, collusive, or otherwise objectionable, including information about the respondent’s company or other companies.

8.4 RFI Response Terms

Respondents will not be reimbursed for any costs in conjunction with their responses to this RFI.

All responses and other documents submitted in response to the RFI become the property of MassDOT.

MassDOT is under no obligation to return any documents submitted by a respondent.

By submitting a response, respondents agree that any cost incurred in responding to this RFI, or in support of activities associated with this RFI, shall be the sole responsibility of the Respondent. MassDOT shall not be held responsible for any costs incurred by respondents in preparing their respective responses to this RFI.

8.5 RFI Review Process

The RFI has several purposes: (1) RFI is to assist with best-practice information for procurement of high speed, Subchapter T, passenger only, catamaran ferries, (2) Determine whether existing designs are available that could be readily modified for Lynn Ferry service, (3) Identify potentially interested bidders, (4) Identify key criteria that should be considered to avoid eliminating interested bidders.

8.6 RFI Respondent Follow-Up

The RFI Evaluation Committee may, at its discretion, elect to invite one or more RFI Respondent to meet with the Team to discuss the Respondent’s RFI Response in greater detail. The Respondent will be given adequate notice to respond to this request.