Potential lease of a portion of tampa union station located in the downtown core community redevelopment area

The City of Tampa is seeking proposals from passenger railroad carriers to lease a portion of Tampa Union Station, located at 601 North Nebraska Avenue in the Downtown Core Community Redevelopment Area. The procurement opportunity involves leasing approximately 2,312 square feet on the first floor, with an option for an additional 620 square feet on the second floor, for the operation and management of a passenger railroad station and service. Proposers must have a minimum of ten years of continuous experience in operating and managing passenger railroad stations and must provide inter-city connections throughout Florida and the contiguous United States. Critically, proposers are required to have an existing agreement with CSX to utilize railroad tracks and station platforms adjacent to the station. The evaluation will be based on four key criteria: passenger railroad operations and service conformity (35 points), relevant experience (30 points), lease financial considerations (20 points), and the proposer's financial capacity (15 points). The RFP was released on December 18, 2024, with a pre-proposal conference scheduled for January 13, 2025, and proposals due on February 26, 2025. The lease term will be proposed by the successful bidder in multiples of twelve-month periods, subject to the City's approval.

The City of Tampa has implemented robust diversity and inclusion requirements for this procurement, including Minority and Small Business Participation Guidelines and Equal Business Opportunity evaluation criteria. Proposers will be evaluated using Form MBD-71, which provides up to 20 points for Women/Minority Business Enterprise (W/MBE) and Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) participation. The city requires a Good Faith Effort Compliance Plan (GFECP) that outlines specific steps for soliciting and including WMBE/SLBE subcontractors, with detailed documentation requirements. Proposers must also comply with ADA accessibility requirements, submitting an Accessibility Conformance Report based on WCAG 2.1 Level AA and federal Section 508 standards. While no specific award value or budget range is explicitly stated, the lease is for a historic transportation facility in downtown Tampa, suggesting potential significant operational value. The procurement emphasizes not just the operational capabilities of the passenger railroad carrier, but also their commitment to diversity, accessibility, and community engagement in the transportation sector.