The Foothill Gold Line has reached its next phase. The $1.5 billion light rail project has begun the request for qualifications process to procure a design-build team to execute the project. The project will extend the Foothill Gold Line light rail from Glendora to Montclair, creating six new stations. The RFQ process is a competitive process and will take a year to officially hire a team.

“The RFQ phase is significant because it keeps us on schedule of going through the process of eventually hiring the design-build contractor by late 2018, beginning major construction in 2020 and completing the project in 2026,” Albert Ho of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. “It's also an important step in helping to narrow the list of potential bidders to the most qualified ones, before moving on to the next phase, when only the short-listed teams will receive the RFP.”

Potential design-build teams can submit proposals through January 2018. The Construction Authority expects a strong response from candidates. “We are still awaiting responses to the RFQ from the design-build teams,” says Ho. “However, the Construction Authority held an Industry Workshop back in May 2017 for prime contractors and small businesses to learn about the procurement process, and more than 200 representatives were in attendance, so there has been significant interest from potential bidders.”

Once initial submissions are collected, the Construction Authority will create a short list of qualified candidates. “We are looking for a design-build team that has experience building a light rail project and similar projects, qualified and experienced personnel, with a demonstrated history of completing these kinds of projects in an exceptional, cost-effective manner—to name a few of the major things we are looking for,” adds Ho.

The project will break ground on December 2 of this year, and the initial construction will focus on relocating utilities, conducting pre-construction activities, hiring a design-build contractor and finalizing the project design. “After receiving the responses to the RFQ in January 2018, we will narrow down the list of teams to the most qualified, and then in Spring 2018, those short-listed teams will receive the RFP. We anticipate awarding the Alignment Design-Build contract in late 2018,” adds Ho.

Instant Insights /

Foothill Gold Line Moves Forward

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