Rail property management, leasing, and asset development

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is requesting proposals for rail property management, leasing, and asset development across state-owned passenger lines, freight lines, and railroad rights of way, with proposals due October 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. No set-aside or preference program applies; all vendors are eligible to respond.

The contractor will manage more than 4,000 acres of land, approximately 300 miles of track, 52 stations, and more than 500 existing lease and license agreements covering retail operations, parking facilities, utility crossings, telecommunications towers, and advertising assets. Primary responsibilities include creating administrative processes and record-keeping systems for the Office of Rail's real estate interests; assessing revenue opportunities; procuring and managing advertising contracts; implementing a property management system with GIS functionality and automated notifications; administering existing and new lease and license agreements; remediating property encroachments; initiating private grade crossing agreements; providing station brokerage services; and delivering advisory services up to ten hours monthly. The contractor must submit a revenue opportunities report within 90 days of Notice to Proceed, an advertising procurement schedule within 30 days of NTP, and a transition plan for existing agreements within 90 days of NTP. The contractor is responsible for procuring all required software licenses and subscriptions; the property management system remains with CTDOT upon contract conclusion.

The contract term is three years with successive one-year renewal options at CTDOT's discretion, with Notice to Proceed anticipated by April 26, 2027. Compensation is to be negotiated. Proposals are limited to 50 pages and must be submitted electronically in PDF format. Evaluation criteria are technical approach and methodology (10 points), proposer qualifications and relevant experience (20 points), project management and key personnel (20 points), oral presentation (20 points), and cost (30 points). Proposal presentations are scheduled for the week of November 16, 2026, and notification of selection is estimated for the week of December 7, 2026. The contractor must carry Automobile Liability ($1 million minimum), Commercial General Liability ($1 million per occurrence/$2 million aggregate), Professional Liability ($1 million with three-year tail), Workers' Compensation, and Valuable Papers Insurance ($25,000 minimum). Questions are due October 2, 2026, with responses issued by October 9, 2026.