21 de octubre de 2026 · Ordinance · 2026-333

Approve the findings to authorize exemption to the competitive bidding requirements and authorize competitive solicitation for the use of the alternative contracting method of a Construction Manager/General Contractor for the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension Project

Resumen en lenguaje sencillo

City picks a different way to hire builder for NW streetcar extension

This lets the city skip the usual rule of hiring the lowest bidder to build the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension. Instead, the city will ask companies for proposals and choose a Construction Manager/General Contractor, a builder who helps during design and then builds the project. The streetcar would run along NW 23rd Avenue north of NW Northrup Street to new one-way routes on NW Roosevelt and NW Wilson streets.

Decision: Moved forward to a second reading, a required second council vote. No vote count was given.
Who it affects: People who live, work or travel in Northwest Portland near NW 23rd Avenue and Montgomery Park.
Money: The builder contract is estimated at $63 million to $73 million. The whole project is estimated at $195 million, including up to 12 new streetcars, with about 50-60% expected from a federal grant. No new money is requested in this ordinance.
Next: Second reading on October 21, 2026 at 6:00 pm. Construction is expected to begin in the 2029-30 budget year.
Official record

Escrito por IA a partir del registro oficial y revisado por una persona. 14 de octubre de 2026

Resumen en lenguaje sencillo

City picks a different way to hire builders for streetcar extension

This lets the city skip the usual rule of hiring the lowest bidder to build the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension. Instead, the city will ask builders for proposals and pick one to help during design and then build the project. This hiring method is called Construction Manager/General Contractor. The extension will carry the streetcar north on NW 23rd Avenue to new one-way tracks on NW Roosevelt and NW Wilson streets.

Decision: Passed, 12 to 0.
Who it affects: People who live, work or travel in Northwest Portland near NW 23rd Avenue and Montgomery Park.
Money: The builder's contract is estimated at $63 million to $73 million. The whole project is estimated at $195 million, including up to 12 new streetcars, with a federal grant expected to pay 50% to 60%. The city says these are early, low-confidence estimates. No new money was requested in this vote.
Next: Design and environmental review happen in 2026 and 2027, with more community outreach. Construction is expected to start in the 2029-30 budget year.
Official record

Escrito por IA a partir del registro oficial y revisado por una persona. 21 de octubre de 2026

Full title: Approve the findings to authorize exemption to the competitive bidding requirements and authorize competitive solicitation for the use of the alternative contracting method of a Construction Manager/General Contractor for the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension Project
Status: Passed
Document number: 2026-333
Introduced by: Mayor Keith Wilson
City department: Transportation
Requested council date: October 21, 2026
Purpose and background: The purpose of this council ordinance is to approve an alternative contracting method for the construction phase of the project, called Construction Manager / General Contractor (CM/GC). Council approval is required to approve an alternative to the typical low-bid method of construction contracting. Based on the Findings herein, use of a CM/GC would support successful completion of the MPSE project in an efficient manner to achieve PBOT and partner goals for the area. General project background: The Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension project (MPSE) will extend the existing Portland Streetcar North-South (NS) line along NW 23rd Avenue north of NW Northrup Street to a new parallel one-way couplet along NW Roosevelt and NW Wilson streets. The project includes multimodal extensions of NW Roosevelt Street, NW Wilson Street, and NW 25th Avenue in the couplet area. This project will also rehabilitate NW 23rd Avenue between NW Vaughn and NW Lovejoy streets, including accessibility and stormwater upgrades.
Financial and budgetary impacts: The total project cost is $195M (low confidence estimate), which includes the cost of purchasing up to 12 new streetcar vehicles. The project is primarily funded by the Federal Transit Authority's Small Starts Capital Investment Grant program (estimated to provide 50-60% of the project's total funding). Additional funding sources include Portland Streetcar Reserve funds, Northwest Parking Stakeholder Advisory Committee funds, Portland Clean Energy Fund, a Local Improvement District, Regional Flexible Bond Funds via Metro, and Transportation System Development Charges. Costs for this project will be posted to PBOT Capital Project T01304, and is included in PBOT's FYs 2026/2027, 2027/2028, and 2028/2029 for design and environmental clearance, with construction anticipated to begin in FY 2029/2030 – the project is included in the five-year CIP forecast. The CM/GC contract is estimated at $63-73M, based on work performed by an engineering consultant team and evaluated by City of Portland professional staff. There is no additional funding requested as part of this ordinance.
Economic and real estate impacts: This ordinance authorizes an exemption from low-bid procurement to allow use of a Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) delivery method. The ordinance itself does not directly impact economic activity or real estate development. However, it supports efficient delivery of the broader Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension project, which is intended to improve transit access to a historically industrial area and may facilitate future redevelopment opportunities. Any such impacts would result from the project as a whole rather than this procurement decision.
Community impacts and community involvement: While developing the Locally Preferred Alternative for the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension as part of the Montgomery Park Area Plan process between 2019 and 2024, the City did extensive community outreach in Northwest Portland to help shape project outcomes, including: 7 meetings of a Project Working Group representing various community and business viewpoints 2 online Open Houses Outreach through 2 community-based organizations in the area Meetings and presentations with neighborhood groups, advocacy groups, and business associations Postcards sent to 7,000 area addresses, in both English and Spanish (with additional translations available upon request) Canvassing to businesses along the proposed alignment 179 respondents to an online survey Intercept surveys near regulated affordable housing and existing transit stations near the proposed alignment Tabling at events in Northwest Portland Phone calls, emails, and conversations with interested community members Feedback on Discussion Draft elements of the Montgomery Park Area Plan, and testimony on the Proposed Draft of the plan Overall feedback was supportive of the project, with concerns around project funding mechanisms, loss of industrial jobs, and potential indirect displacement as part of changing market dynamics resulting from public investment. To address these concerns, the City has worked to minimize local funding source or local contribution funding needs, and included affordable housing and middle-wage job target requirements as part of a related Public Benefits Agreement adopted as part of the Montgomery Park Area Plan and signed by the large-share area property owner, 1535 LLC. As the project advances design and conducts environmental review during 2026 and 2027, engagement will continue in the area.
100% renewable goal: Portland Streetcar is 100% electricity powered and has been shown to increase transit trips powered by renewable energy where available The Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension project's cars will run off-wire, meaning they will be powered by on-board batteries for the footprint of the new project area Batteries will be charged along the current streetcar alignment while traveling the route

Texto completo

The City of Portland ordains. Section 1. The Council finds: In 2023, City Council adopted the Portland Clean Energy Fund's (PCEF) first five-year Climate Action Plan, which included a strategic program (SP 28) that allotted $30 million toward the replacement of up to 12 streetcars. On December 11, 2024, City Council unanimously adopted the Montgomery Park Area Plan and Locally Preferred Alternative for the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension (the Project) to support the extension of Portland Streetcar to a new mixed-use employment district in Northwest Portland near Montgomery Park. On January 2, 2025, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) formally concurred that the Montgomery Park Streetcar Extension met the requirements to enter the formal Project Development phase in the FTA's Capital Investment Grants Small Starts program. The Bureau of Transportation's Capital Investment Committee authorized the use of $12 million in Streetcar Reserve Funds for project development for the Project; and The Bureau of Transportation has worked to advance the project with partners at TriMet and Metro, as well as securing an additional $10 million in Regional Flexible Funds New Project bonding through Metro toward construction costs for the Project. Procurement Services and the Bureau of Transportation recommend that the alternative contracting method of Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) be used in lieu of the low bid competitive bidding process. The successful contractor will provide input during the design process for value engineering and constructability review, will assist in developing phasing and other construction planning, and will provide the highly specialized skills required to shorten the overall duration of Project construction. The City will invite prospective contractors to submit competitive proposals in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP). A selection committee will select the contractor based on an evaluation of the proposals. The RFP process will be completed under the guidance and direction of Procurement Services and in accordance with Portland public contracting rules as set forth in Administrative Rule PCR-1.02. The Council is the Local Contract Review Board for the City with the authority to exempt certain public contracts from the competitive bidding requirements of ORS Chapter 279C and Portland public contracting rules as set forth in Administrative Rule PCR-1.02. Draft findings addressing favoritism, competition, substantial costs savings, operational, budget, financial data, public benefits, value engineering, specialized expertise, public safety, market conditions, technical complexity and funding sources recommended by the City, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A, were made available and a notice of the public hearing of this Ordinance was published fourteen (14) days in advance of this public hearing. The Bureau of Transportation has funds budgeted in FYs 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29 for design and environmental clearance. Construction is anticipated to begin in FY 2029-30. The estimated total for the CM/GC contract is $63,000,000 to $73,000,000 (low confidence); the Project is in the preliminary design stage. NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs: That the findings, attached as Exhibit A, are hereby approved and, on that basis, the Project is exempt from the competitive bidding requirements of ORS Chapter 279C. The Chief Procurement Officer is authorized to use a competitive RFP process to select a CM/GC contractor for the Project in accordance with ORS Chapter 279C, Portland Administrative Rule PCR-1.02, Subsections 5.34.800-890, and OAR 137-049-0690. As required by ORS 279C.335 and Portland Administrative Rule PCR-1.02, Subsection 5.34.820, the Bureau of Transportation will prepare and deliver a post project evaluation to City Council on behalf of the Chief Procurement Officer once the City accepts the Project as complete.