Passenger Trains > SDY: $900,000 to come up with a cheaper Amtrak station

Cheaper Design Sought For New Rail Station
Albany Times Union
April 27, 2016

Designers of the new Schenectady rail station will be paid an additional $900,000 to come up with a more affordable building after a lone bid came in $10 million above budget.

The state Department of Transportation is providing the money from its State Rail Bond funds to cover the additional design and engineering work.The money will flow through the Capital District Transportation Authority, which is administering the federal money involved in the $15 million train station project.  Wendel Duchscherer of Amherst is the architecture and engineering firm providing final design and construction support.

The additional work is intended to "streamline its scope, make it more efficient and attract a broader array of bidders" to the project, DOT spokeswoman Carol Breen said.  With the additional funds, the firm will be paid a total of $2,756,593, according to a resolution that the CDTA board will be asked to approve at its meeting Wednesday.Bids will be due in July, Breen said, with an award expected to follow 45 days later. Construction is expected to start this year.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/16 13:13 by GenePoon.

Nice work if you can get it. That's an 18% fee. Unclear how much of the cost overrun was client-driven (i.e., Amtrak)

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

Many contracts our firm signs has provisions that if we do not produce a design within the established budget, the cost-cutting redesign work is on us; we call this "Value Engineering."  Guess we need to go after DOT work (except they typically don't commission Preforming Arts Centers or University Libraries).