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Estrella Freeway (SR303L). Happy Valley Parkway to Lake Pleasant Parkway. Project Description

On December 19, 2006, AZTEC was selected by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to design a 7.3-mile, four-lane interim freeway (SR303L) in a rugged, undeveloped corridor northwest of Phoenix. The estimated construction cost is nearly $180,000,000. The project design will be complete and ready for Bid Advertisement on May 30, 2008. Some key highlights of the project include: Nearly 4,000,000 cubic yards (put in meters) of excavation, including rock; 11 bridges with 2 canal overpasses, a large river crossing, and several traffic interchange/ramp bridges; and miles of surface storm drainage channels with drop chutes and energy dissipaters to control supercritical flows in the steep terrain.

For several months before the November 8, 2006 Request For Qualifications (RFQ), AZTEC targeted this project by gathering detailed background information and forming a six-firm team. The RFQ is one part of ADOT’s Qualification Based Selection (QBS). This process involves submitting a 10 to 15 page proposal identifying key personnel, their experience, firm capabilities, a project understanding, approach, and a proposed schedule.

By state law, hours and/or costs are not permitted to be part of this selection process. The proposals are typically ranked by a 5-person selection committee of ADOT technical staff members. The firm ranked highest is chosen for the project. This process can include a shortlist and interviews with the top ranked firms. Because this RFP involved two projects, the interview was waived. After selection, the detailed elements of the scope and the design fee are negotiated. While the selection process lasted just longer than one month, the contract negotiations took an additional five months. To achieve the May 30, 2008 completion, AZTEC started the design in January 2007, without official Notice to Proceed or a signed contract.

The first cost proposal was submitted on January 30, 2007 with a lump sum price tag of nearly $13.3 million. This included AZTEC’s direct labor, overhead and the allowable fee of 10%. It also included a lump sum estimate of direct expenses and the lump sum subconsultant fees.