SLED Opportunity · CALIFORNIA · CALIFORNIA
AI Summary
The California High-Speed Rail Authority seeks bids for ballast (crushed igneous rock) materials to complete the First Construction Segment of its high-speed rail track. Bids due February 19, 2026. Materials must comply with Buy America Act and technical specifications.
11/19/25: The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) has released a new Invitation for Bids (IFB) to purchase commoditized ballast (crushed igneous rock) materials necessary to complete the First Construction Segment of its high-speed rail track. No Pre-Bid Conference or Small Business Workshop is anticipated for this procurement. The timeline for this procurement is as follows: - IFB Released: November 19, 2025 - Bidder Questions Due: December 9, 2025 - Requests for meetings with Authority Due: December 12, 2025 - Meetings with Authority: January 5-9, 2026 - Addendum (anticipated) to be posted: January 15, 2026 - Bidder Questions to Addendum due: January 22, 2026 - Authority responses to all questions released: January 29, 2026 - Bids Due: February 19, 2026 (12:00 p.m. Pacific) - Bid Opening: February 19, 2026 (2:00 p.m. Pacific) - Notice of Proposed Award: Quarter 1, 2026 Questions regarding this procurement should be submitted to Kathryn Talattad at materialpurchase@hsr.ca.gov or (916) 324-1541. 08/22/2025: The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) anticipates releasing a new Invitation for Bids (IFB) to purchase commoditized ballast (crushed igneous rock) materials necessary to complete the First Construction Segment of its high-speed rail track. A draft IFB is available for review as an attachment to this Cal-eProcure event. This draft IFB will be considered for approval and official release by the Authority's Board of Directors at its meeting scheduled for August 28, 2025, and is subject to change and approval by the Authority's Board of Directors. Posting of this draft IFB does not constitute acceptance of bids. The draft IFB or its approval, if granted by the Board of Directors, does not constitute a release of the final IFB. Release of the final IFB will occur via notice and posting on Cal-eProcure. Questions regarding this procurement may be submitted only upon final approval of IFB by the Board of Directors and release on the California State Contract Register. Each materials contract will be issued through multiple Notices to Proceed (NTPs) as described below. The estimated cumulative value for all materials contracts (steel OCS poles, rail, concrete ties, ballast, OCS system components, and fiber optic cable) is not-to-exceed $507.1 million for NTP 1. - NTP 1: The initial authorization to be issued for the manufacture and supply of Materials for use in construction on the 119-mile First Construction Section. - NTP 2: To be issued at the Authority's option for the manufacture and supply of Materials for use in construction on the northern extension (Merced to Madera). - NTP 3: To be issued at the Authority's option for the manufacture and supply of Materials for use in construction on the southern extension (Poplar Avenue in the County of Kern to Bakersfield). The scope of work for this specific procurement and resulting contract is to provide Ballast materials, composed of crushed igneous rock, for use in construction on the 119-mile First Construction Section, with an estimated lead time of two to three weeks for NTP 1. General requirements for each material are provided in the IFB and draft agreement. The Contractor shall not perform any Work unless the Authority, in its sole discretion, issues a Notice to Proceed (NTP) and Purchase Order for such work. The actual amount of Work requested by the Authority is subject to the availability of funding. In addition, all materials must be newly manufactured goods and conform to the technical specifications provided by the Authority. All materials supplied must be Buy America and Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) compliant, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. § 22905 and 2 C.F.R. part 184. Information regarding the Pre-Bid Conference and Small Business Workshop is available on the Authority's website. The anticipated schedule for this new procurement is as follows: - IFB Release: Q4 2025 - Virtual Pre-Bid Conference: TBD - Bid Due/Opening Date: TBD - Notice of Proposed Award: TBD - Anticipated Contract Execution and Notice to Proceed: TBD Questions regarding this procurement should be submitted to Kathryn Talattad at materialpurchase@hsr.ca.gov or (916) 324-1541.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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