Amtrak is preparing to dig deep in Baltimore.
The rail company selected ADVANCE, a joint venture between Dallas-based infrastructure companies AECOM and Jacobs, to serve as a delivery partner on the $6 billion Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program in Baltimore, according to a company announcement.
The joint venture’s work will include design oversight, construction management, contract management and other administrative support. In February, Amtrak chose one Kiewit-Shea JV to build the actual tunnel. Construction work on Amtrak’s largest capital project will begin later in 2024, the release said, including utility relocations and construction of the first of five bridges.
The contract falls under a delivery partner model, a collaborative agreement between a client, such as Amtrak, and a private partner, in this case the ADVANCE joint venture team, to manage and deliver a project of large scale construction.
In this type of contract, the private partner typically assumes a significant role in overseeing various aspects of the project and shares the risks associated with the project.
This incentivizes the private partner to work toward the client’s overall program goals, including meeting budget, meeting schedule and meeting quality standards, according to the release.
Unlike a construction manager-at-risk contract, where a client hires a construction manager to finish the project within a budget, a delivery partner contract emphasizes collaboration and shared responsibilities. Although both contracts involve the construction manager sharing project risks, they differ in their approach to management and collaboration roles.
The first works on the tunnel began last year, with demolition in progress.
Along with AECOM and Jacobs, the ADVANCE team also has a consortium of other construction industry companies including Sener, Turner & Townsend, RailPros, Aldea, Dr. Sauer and 22 more disadvantaged and small businesses.
The award follows a competitive procurement process that began in early 2023, according to the rail company.
The comprehensive program will modernize and transform a 10-mile section of the Northeast Corridor, the busiest passenger railroad in the US, according to Amtrak. Once complete, the project will unblock the largest rail bottleneck between Washington, DC and New Jersey, improving reliability and travel times.
