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Home My WebLink AboutECD 07-23Report to Council Report Number: ECD 07-23 Date: November 27, 2023 From: Fiaz Jadoon Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects Subject: Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering - Award RFP2023-18 to Weston Williamson & Partners - File: D-1600-002 Recommendation: 1. That Proposal No. RFP2023-18, for Consulting Services for Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering, submitted by Weston Williamson & Partners in the amount of $99,937.20 (HST included) be accepted; 2. That Council authorize the Director, Finance & Treasurer to finance the total net project cost of $89,996.00 as approved in the 2023 Current Budget as follows: a. The sum of $75,000.00 to be funded from Property Taxes; b. The sum of $14,996.00 to be funded by a transfer from the Rate Stabilization Reserve; 3. That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the necessary actions to proceed on the proposal; and, 4. That the City Clerk forward a copy of Report ECD 07-23 to the Region of Durham’s Office of the CAO and Planning & Economic Development Department. Executive Summary: The Toronto to Quebec City corridor is one of the most populous and economically active regions in Canada. An increase in public transportation between this corridor will significantly reduce the congestion, carbon footprint, and travel time in the Region. In 2016, VIA Rail Canada (VIA) submitted a proposal to the Federal Government for a High Frequency Rail (HFR) service between the Toronto to Quebec City corridor. In 2021, both Transport Canada and VIA-Rail formulated a team to kick start discussions on the HFR project, which they called the Joint Project Office (JPO). In December 2021, the City of Pickering and Regional staff met with the JPO to introduce the City’s intent to promote a station stop in Pickering. To that end, Council approved the hiring of WSP to create a Business Analysis on the HFR project in April of 2022 (Resolution #873/22). The final report presented a strategic case for a new HFR station in Pickering, along with future steps (Report CAO 11-22). City and Regional staff along with WSP presented the strategic case to the JPO in July, 2022. Staff have since remained in regular contact with the JPO to promote the opportunity of a station stop in Pickering. ECD 07-23 November 27, 2023 Subject: Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering Page 2 In 2022, Transport Canada and VIA Rail made significant progress on the HFR project, including the formation of the VIA HFR executive team (formerly known as the JPO), releasing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to qualify bidders (who have the experience and expertise in design, creating financial proformas and the development for rail related projects), selecting the various qualified bidders, and the release of the Request for Proposals (RFP) to the selected group of qualified bidders. Based on discussions with members of the VIA HFR Executive Team and key industry stakeholders, City staff have learned the importance of not only identifying and showcasing the business analysis that highlights why a station stop in Pickering would be viable (completed in 2022 by WSP), but also the design of the station stop and the adjacent corridor where development could be triggered because of the station location. As such, RFP2023-18 was issued on the City’s bids&tenders portal on October 6, 2023, with a submission deadline of October 27, 2023, for the Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering. Two proposals were submitted. The Evaluation Committee, consisting of staff from the Economic Development & Strategic Projects Department, reviewed and evaluated the proposals using the criteria outlined in the bid document. It is the recommendation of the Evaluation Committee that Weston Williamson & Partners (WW+P) as the top-ranking proponent, be retained to undertake the Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station, at a cost of $88,440.00 (excluding HST). The total net project cost is estimated to be $89,996.00. In accordance with Item 10.04 of the Purchasing Policy, where the project cost of a consulting assignment is more than $50,000.00, the award is subject to the approval of Council. Financial Implications: 1. Proposal Amount Proposal No. RFP2023-18 $ 88,440.00 HST (13%) 11,497.20 Total Gross Proposal Cost $ 99,937.20 ECD 07-23 November 27, 2023 Subject: Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering Page 3 2. Estimated Project Costing Summary- Budget Year 2023 Total Project Cost Proposal No. RFP2023-18 $ 88,440.00 HST (13%) 11,497.00 Total Gross Project Cost $ 99,937.00 HST Rebate (11.24%) (9,941.00) Total Net Project Cost to City $ 89,996.00 3. Approved Source of Funds Approved Code Source of Funds Budget Required 502230.10050.0000 Property Tax $75,000.00 $ 75,000.00 502230.10050.0000 Rate Stabilization Reserve 75,000.00 14,996.00 Total Funds $150,000.00 $89,996.00 Net project cost (over) under approved funds $60,004.00 Discussion: The Toronto to Quebec City corridor is VIA-Rail Canada’s (VIA) busiest passageway with 3.6 million riders in 2019 alone. VIA’s service experiences an increase in delays due to congestion caused by other operators utilizing the same rail lines, such as Metrolinx, Canadian Pacific (CP), and Canadian National (CN). Thus, VIA- Rail submitted a proposal to the Federal Government in 2016 for a High Frequency Rail (HFR) service between the Toronto to Quebec City corridor using the CP Havelock line. This proposal suggested dedicated rail lines for passenger service to bypass current issues and delays with freight trains on shared lines. In 2021, both Transport Canada and VIA-Rail formulated a team to kick start discussions on the HFR project, which they called the Joint Project Office (JPO). In December, 2021, the City of Pickering and Regional staff met with the JPO to introduce the City’s intent to promote a station stop in Pickering, broaden connectivity in Durham and adjacent communities, and to learn more about the project. The JPO acknowledged the request and offered to continue discussions. ECD 07-23 November 27, 2023 Subject: Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering Page 4 In partnership with the Region of Durham, the City hired WSP in April 2022 to conduct a Business Analysis Study on the VIA HFR project with a proposed stop in Pickering (Resolution #873/22). The report from WSP outlined the opportunity for a Transit Oriented Community (TOC) surrounding the HFR station. Correspondingly, City staff presented the findings of the study from WSP to the JPO. In March 2022, Transport Canada launched the procurement process of the HFR project through the announcement of a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI). Additionally, the RFEOI was supported by a multi-year process that included a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) followed by a Request for Proposal (RFP). Additionally, the Minister of Transportation appointed three members to HFR’s Board of Directors and announced the establishment of the VIA Rail Subsidiary, VIA HFR. Moreover, the VIA HFR Executive team appointed three professionals to increase the expertise available to plan the project. An RFQ was released by the VIA HFR Executive team which qualified three bidders (teams of subject matter experts) in February of 2023. Through the positive results of the RFQ, the Government of Canada launched an RFP process in October, 2023. The goal of the Government of Canada is to select a private sector partner to collaborate with to optimize the HFR project prior to a final investment decision by the Government. While maintaining regular communications with the HFR Executive Team and key industry stakeholders, the City was advised to develop a corridor design for the HFR station in Pickering. It should be noted that many key individuals working on this HFR project from Transport Canada indicated the need to showcase how the station stop could trigger critical infrastructure. As a result, RFP2023-18 was issued on the City’s bids&tenders portal on October 6, 2023, with a submission deadline of October 27, 2023, for Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering and the Region. Two proposals were submitted. Importantly, the selected qualified proponents that are already involved in the initial procurement process through VIA HFR project were not permitted to bid on the on the City’s RFP due to a conflict of interest. The Evaluation Committee, consisting of staff from the Economic Development & Strategic Projects Department, reviewed and evaluated the proposals using the criteria outlined in the bid document. Proposals were evaluated and ranked based on the consultant’s experience on similar projects, their understanding of the project, proposed work plan, deliverables, and their pricing. WW+P was the top-ranked proponent and are recommended for award. All pre-conditions of the award, as identified in the bid document, have been received, reviewed, and approved. WW+P is an experienced station architect firm, covering all types of station designs including high speed, regional, metro, and light rail. Combined with their expertise, they have an extensive portfolio of Transit Oriented Designs (TOD) and Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) developments focused on stations and corridors. Through awarded projects, WW+P have worked closely with City and regional authorities to help position communities for transit. Currently, WW+P are the TOC advisers working directly with Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx on the Yonge North and Scarborough Subway Extension. The extension will deliver six new stations along an 8 km route and support a number of TOCs providing high-density, and mixed-use development integrated with stations. WW+P also worked with the Town of Innisfil to develop a plan for a TOC ECD 07-23 November 27, 2023 Subject: Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering Page 5 centered around a proposed GO Station. WW+P led the team delivering a combined secondary plan and master servicing plan as well as provision to undertake a peer review of the GO station design. Subject to Council’s approval of Report ECD 07-23, the City will forward a copy of Report ECD 07- 23 to the Region of Durham’s Office of the CAO and Planning & Economic Development Department. Upon careful examination of all proposals and relevant documents received, the Evaluation Committee recommends acceptance of Proposal number RFP2023-18 submitted by Weston Williamson + Partners for the HFR Conceptual Design of a Corridor in Pickering for the amount of $89,996.00 (net of HST rebate). Attachments: None ECD 07-23 November 27, 2023 Subject: Corridor Design for a High Frequency Rail Station in Pickering Page 6 Approved/Endorsed By: FJ:um Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer Prepared By: Usman Malik Senior Officer, Economic Development & Strategic Projects Cathy Bazinet, CPPB, NIGP-CPP Manager of Procurement Stan Karwowski, MBA, CPA, CMA Director, Finance & Treasurer Fiaz Jadoon, Ec.D., CEcD, MPM, B.COMM Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects 2ULJLQDO6LJQHG%\2ULJLQDO6LJQHG%\ 2ULJLQDO6LJQHG%\ 2ULJLQDO6LJQHG%\ 2ULJLQDO6LJQHG%\