IFB 027-004 Wheelset and Traction Motor Overhaul, Repair, and Rehabilitation Services

Virginia Railway Express is soliciting bids under IFB 027-004 for wheelset and traction motor overhaul, repair, and rehabilitation services, with bids due November 17, 2026 at 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Bidders must hold a valid Association of American Railroads M-1003 Quality Assurance Certification, which is the principal eligibility filter. The solicitation carries a 0.00% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise utilization goal for Federal Fiscal Years 2025–2027. The opportunity record lists a November 18, 2026 due date, while the IFB document sets November 17.

The work covers three service categories: passenger railcar wheelset services (axle replacement, wheel re-profiling, wheel replacement, and complete wheelset replacement), locomotive wheel, axle, and traction motor assembly services, and basic overhaul of EMD D77 traction motors. The equipment is VRE's Gallery IV passenger railcars and MP36PH-3C locomotives. Basic traction motor overhauls require mandatory replacement of bearings, seals, gaskets, one-time-use hardware, and the pinion, plus OEM-specified testing. Major frame repairs, welding and machining, armature rewinds, and field coil replacements fall outside the base price and require separate written VRE authorization. Contractors pick up equipment at Broad Run MSF in Bristow, Virginia and Crossroads MSF in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Rebuilt wheelsets must operate at speeds up to 90 miles per hour, and completed work must be delivered within 80 business days of receipt. The contractor must ensure availability of wide-flange wheels, axles, and bearings, although VRE may furnish materials from its own inventory. The contractor must also provide a one-year equipment manufacturer's warranty.

The contract is a firm-fixed unit price agreement with payment per unit upon VRE acceptance and monthly invoices due by the 15th. The term is a one-year base period with four one-year options, not to exceed five years from Notice-To-Proceed. Bid form Attachment D1 lists nine line items with estimated annual quantities, including 10 traction motor basic overhauls, and every line item must be completed in the original Excel format. Bids remain binding for 120 calendar days after the bid closing date. Bidders submit electronically through the Commonwealth of Virginia's eVA portal. Award goes to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. The apparent low bidder must submit certified balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statements for the current and past two fiscal years within two business days of bid opening. Bidders must also provide three client references for comparable work within the past five years and comply with FTA Buy America requirements for products exceeding $150,000.

Written questions were due October 21, 2026 at 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time, and that window has closed. The solicitation is funded through Federal and State grants under FTA Master Agreement 34 and FTA Circular 4220.1G, and Virginia's Public Procurement Act governs the procurement.