Infrastructure Projects Open Opportunities for Small Businesses
Springtime sees an increase in transportation projects, which means more contracting opportunities for small businesses. The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program recently announced new grants for 2021 totaling approximately $889 million. In addition, the California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB1), Local Partnership Program appropriates over $200 million annually for transportation improvements.
According to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), over $1 billion is budgeted annually to over 600 cities, counties, joint power authorities, transit agencies, special districts, and other local partner agencies for the purpose of improving transportation infrastructure. With this, Caltrans administers over 1,200 new projects every year. Local partner agencies are a valuable resource in this process since have the primary responsibility for implementing specific projects to improve mobility and access. They are tasked with Advertisement, Award, and Administration (AAA) to help deliver transportation infrastructure projects and programs.
This funding is good news for businesses in transportation and construction industries as it means more contracting opportunities will be available for both prime contractors and subcontractors. Additionally, a percentage of all USDOT funded projects must be performed by Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certified firms so there is ample incentive for DBEs to win these contracts.
How to take advantage of infrastructure opportunities for small businesses:
- Get familiar with Caltrans Contractor’s Corner
- Regularly monitor transportation agency procurement websites (see list below)
- Register as a vendor to receive upcoming contracting opportunities
- Attend training and networking opportunities
- Attend pre-proposal/pre-bid meetings, if available
- Create/update Capability Statement
- Network with potential Primes
- Apply to Norcal PTAC for no-cost procurement assistance
Transportation Agencies in our Service Area
To assist you in finding infrastructure opportunities and taking full advantage of recent INFRA and SB1 funding appropriations, Norcal PTAC has compiled a list of transportation agencies and where to find their contracting opportunities. This is a sampling of transportation agencies, not a comprehensive list, but we hope this helps kick-start your quest for infrastructure contracting success!
Where to find contracting opportunities:
- Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC TRANSIT):
https://www.actransit.org/doing-business - Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC):
https://www.alamedactc.org/getinvolved/contracting-opportunities/ - Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART):
http://www.bart.gov/about/business/procurement/ - California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS):
https://dot.ca.gov/work-with-caltrans - California High-Speed Rail:
https://www.hsr.ca.gov/business/ - City of Santa Rosa:
https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/TPW/Transportation-and-Public-Works-Construction-Projects/ - Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (CCCTA):
https://countyconnection.com/procurements/ - Contra Costa Transportation Authority:
https://ccta.net/about-us/#contract-with-us - Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (ECCTA):
http://trideltatransit.com/business.aspx - Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District (GGBHTD):
https://ggbhtd.bonfirehub.com/ - Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA):
https://www.wheelsbus.com/about/doing-business/ - Marin Transit:
http://www.marintransit.org/purchasing.html - Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC):
https://mtc.ca.gov/about-mtc/doing-business-mtc/current-contract-vendor-opportunities - Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA):
https://www.nvta.ca.gov/doing-business-0 - SAMTRANS/CALTRAIN:
http://procurement.samtrans.com - Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD):
https://www.scmtd.com/en/agency-info/business/contracting-opportunities - SFCTA/TIMMA:
www.sfcta.org/contracting - San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA):
https://www.sfmta.com/services/business-services/doing-business-sfmta - Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART):
http://business.sonomamarintrain.org/ - Solano County Transit (SOLTRANS):
https://soltrans.org/resources/doing-business-with-soltrans/ - Sonoma County Department of Transportation & Public Works:
https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/General-Services/Purchasing/Doing-Business-with-the-County/Supplier-Portal/ - Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA):
https://www.tjpa.org/tjpa/doing-business-with-the-tjpa - Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA):
https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/vta - Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA):
https://weta.sanfranciscobayferry.com/ - Western Contra Costa Transit Authority (WESTCAT):
http://www.westcat.org
For further assistance or questions please apply to be a Norcal PTAC client or contact your Norcal PTAC Procurement Specialist.
