Deltek Pulse: Transportation and Public Utilities Quarter in Review, Q4 2023

In the final quarter of 2023, the Transportation and Public Utilities verticals saw a decline in total bid volume from the previous quarter. Total bids were 37,286 for Q4, down from 42,306 in Q3. The Transportation and Public Utilities verticals typically see their lowest bid activity in Q4 each year, so this drop is not necessarily surprising. Additionally, although bid numbers dropped throughout the year, total numbers were higher in 2023 over 2022, coming in at 182,787 in 2023 compared to 178,323 the year before.

Typically, bidding in the Transportation and Public Utilities markets amounts to 30% to 35% of the SLED market on a quarterly basis. In Q4, TPU bids made up 30.37% of all SLED bids, which is a bit down from previous quarters. However, for 2023 as a whole, TPU bidding made up 32.72%, which is very close to the proportions seen over the past four years.

Additionally, several other common trends continued this quarter in the TPU market. As seen in previous quarters, Transportation and Public Utilities had the highest proportion of its bids released from Special Districts and Cities. This quarter, these two government types accounted for over 60% of all bids released. Pennsylvania again released the most TPU bids in Q4, followed by Texas and California. Together, these three states made up 33% of the market.

This quarter, bidding requirements again largely revolved around Architecture, Engineering, and Construction work. Approximately 50% of bids released were AEC projects and services. In addition to AEC, Machinery equipment and supplies (9%), other professional services (8%), and vehicles and related equipment (6%) accounted for other fairly sizable areas of the market. Information Technology products and services saw roughly 3% of all TPU bids this quarter.

Notable Solicitation Releases

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) released a Request for Proposals for New Jersey E-ZPass Services on November 29, 2023. NJTA is seeking a contractor(s) to provide, implement, and maintain an integrated New Jersey E-ZPass System, and operate New Jersey E-ZPass customer service centers and provide associated services, namely, license plate review services, collections services and merchant services. Proposals are due by April 5, with an anticipated contract award date in June of 2024.

Miami-Dade County, Florida released a Request for Proposals for Asset Management Services. The County is seeking a vendor to provide assistance with Asset Inventory and Condition Assessment Services including LiDAR scan and street level imagery system capable of providing 360° horizontal field of view (HFOV), and 180° vertical field of view (VFOV) images taken every five (5) meters at a minimum on all public roads and asset condition assessment. Proposals are due on February 16, with a contract award date expected in April of 2024.