LAWA shortlists CONRAC bidders

Responses to the RFQ were returned on 27 February. The RFQ was issued on 30 November 2016.

A final RFP is scheduled to be issued in February 2018, according to a LAWA spokesperson. The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners is scheduled to vote on the preferred bidder recommendation in August 2018, the spokesperson added.

He declined to provide a date for financial close.     

Six teams returned bids for the project. A Macquarie Capital, EllisDon and Webcor team and the Axium Infrastructure, Star America Infrastructure Partners, Acciona and Pankow team did not advance.

The CONRAC is one element of the Land Access Modernization Program (LAMP), to be built at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Another element is the Automated People Mover, which is also being procured as a P3.

Three teams are understood to be bidding for the estimated USD 1.8bn – USD 2.1bn project Those teams are:

Gateway Connectors: Kiewit, Meridiam Infrastructure Managers, Skanska 

LINXS: HOCHTIEF, Grupo ACS, Fluor Corporation, Balfour Beatty

LAX Connecting Alliance: Aberdeen Asset Management, Acciona, Axium Infrastructure, OHL Concesiones, Charles Pankow Builders, Star America Infrastructure Partners 

A team comprising AECOM, Plenary Group, JLC Infrastructure and Sumitomo Corporation is understood to have withdrawn from the deal. Bechtel in January withdrew from LA Connext Partners consortium which was led by Cintra Airports and John Laing.

Project details
The CONRAC, as currently envisioned, will include a customer service building, access to an Automated People Mover (APM) station and employee and visitor parking areas. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the procuring agency for CONRAC, noted in the RFQ that the project is also anticipated to include new roadways that provide access to, and egress from, the project.

The successful proponent will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the roughly USD 850m – USD 1bn capex project.

The private partner chosen to procure the CONRAC will be paid through availability and milestone payments during the project’s construction phase.