Tri-Rail staff disqualifies all but 1 bidder

A $511 million contract to run Tri-Rail for the next 10 years could be awarded Friday to a Texas company, after the agency’s staff disqualified all five other bidders.

The staff of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority this week recommended awarding the contract to Herzog Transit Services Inc. of suburban Dallas. The staff threw out its competitors, saying they had failed to comply with the requirement that they submit prices without conditions.

The commuter train system runs 72 miles through Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, serving a daily average of 14,000 riders.

Transdev Services Inc. submitted a bid for $473 million, and Bombardier Mass Transit Corp. submitted one for $396 million. There is no requirement that the contract be awarded to the lowest bidder, since the decision also involves factors such as a company’s track record and the details of its proposal.

Dick Alexander, executive vice president of Transdev, said the agency acted unfairly and against the public interest in disqualifying all the competitors. He denied that his company’s bid was conditional, saying it simply included its assumptions in arriving at its price.

“In my experience, I have never seen a procurement in which all but one competitor was eliminated,” he said. “Never have I seen five of six bidders thrown out for the same reason, for a technicality.’’

Broward County Commissioner Tim Ryan, who chairs the governing board, said he would prefer to see more companies considered for such a large contract.

“With a project of this size, it does warrant concern because you don’t want to