City of Inglewood Releases RFI for Inglewood Transit Connector Project

The City of Inglewood is pleased to announce the release of a Request for Information (RFI) for the Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) Project, an estimated $1 billion, world-class transit system planned to service one of the fastest growing housing and employment centers in Los Angeles County.  The ITC Project will transform both municipal and regional transit by providing a seamless and convenient transit connection between the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (L.A. Metro) Crenshaw/LAX Line and Inglewood’s new major employment, commercial, housing, sports and entertainment centers.

Issuance of the RFI is the first step of the City’s two-phase market sounding process, which will take place over the coming months.  During the first phase, the City will solicit industry feedback on transit technologies potentially suitable for development of the ITC Project, while also educating the market about the Project’s proposed governance structure and the anticipated procurement process.  The second phase, expected to launch in May of this year with the release of a supplemental RFI, will focus on sharing additional details with the market including the Project’s funding and finance planning efforts, risk mitigation/allocation, right-of-way acquisition and small business and diversity and inclusion policies.

Industry participants will have a number of opportunities for input and information exchange during the initial RFI phase.  On March 17, the City will hold an industry forum to provide background on the project and topics included in the RFI.  From March 24 through March 26, the City will be available for virtual one-on-one meetings with teams and transit technology suppliers that have demonstrated the requisite experience delivering large-scale transit projects similar to the ITC Project. All interested members of the industry are encouraged to offer their insights by submitting responses to the questions included in the RFI by April 2.

“We have made significant progress on the ITC Project, including releasing the Draft EIR in December and securing over $328 million, or roughly 1/3 of the overall Project costs in State grant funding and County Measure R funds,” said Inglewood Mayor James Butts. “Today marks another significant milestone in the development of the Project with the release of the RFI to the industry. This will give us the opportunity to work closely with the market to inform our procurement process and I look forward to hearing from the industry about cost-effective technology options the Project can benefit from.”

As proposed, the 1.6-mile-long ITC Project will consist of an elevated, fixed-guideway rail system providing direct connections to L.A. Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX Line, the Market Street business area, the Forum, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, and the soon-to-be-constructed Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center. The Project will reduce traffic congestion and improve transit mobility for existing residents and produce tangible environmental and economic benefits for the City.

“This initiative has the potential to directly connect Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project with the South Bay’s most dynamic employment and activity center,” said Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. “We have been working diligently with Mayor Butts as well as other key regional stakeholders to develop greater mobility options for the South Bay.  As the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project nears completion, I am excited to see this local initiative move forward as well as the potential technological innovation it may bring to bear.”

“The City of Inglewood is going through an incredible revitalization, and the Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) is key to meeting the transportation needs of the community and its visitors.  The ITC will be a vital component to the continued economic growth of the City of Inglewood and the social benefits to the community will be immeasurable.” said Assemblymember Autumn Burke.

Firms or teams interested in attending the industry forum and participating in one-on-one meetings must complete and return the associated registration forms by March 11, 2021.  To access and download these registration forms and the RFI documents, please visit the City’s vendor portal (Planet Bids) athttps://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=45619 or via the Project website athttp://envisioninglewood.org/transportation-solutions/inglewood-transit-connector/.

CONTACT:  Lisa Trifiletti, Trifiletti Consulting, 310-738-2099, lisa@trifiletticonsulting.com