Collaborative Design-Build Services

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is requesting statements of qualifications for collaborative design-build services on the Merced to Madera Civil Works project, a 30.3-mile high-speed rail guideway extension, with qualifications due September 29, 2026 and a mandatory pre-bid conference on July 16, 2026 at the East End Complex in Sacramento.

Prospective teams must hold a General Engineering Contractor (A) license. The resulting contract will require compliance with the Authority's Small Business Program.

The scope encompasses design and construction of approximately 30.3 miles of new high-speed rail guideway extending from just south of Mission Avenue in the City of Merced to the southern project interface at Construction Package 1 in Madera County. The corridor traverses primarily flat agricultural terrain within Merced and Madera Counties and is subdivided into North, Wye, and South design segments organized into constructible geographic segments to support phased delivery. Deliverables include extensive embankment construction, major bridge structures, roadway reconstructions, drainage improvements, floodways and natural water courses, animal crossings, and irrigation facilities. The project encompasses heavy construction services (highway and road construction, infrastructure building and paving, bridge construction and repair, utility construction) and professional engineering services (civil engineering, transportation engineering, permitting, structural engineering, highway engineering, railway engineering, earthworks engineering, and stormwater engineering). Options for extension to Downtown Merced and State Route 152 improvements are included.

The RFQ was released July 9, 2026. A notice of shortlist will be released in late October 2026. Substantive questions may be submitted to Emily Morrison at M2M@hsr.ca.gov after Board of Directors approval and official release on Cal eProcure. Updates and responses to written questions will be posted on Cal eProcure. Additional procurement details are available at hsr.ca.gov/work-with-us/procurements/architectural-engineering-and-capital-contracts/merced-to-madera-civil-works/.