California's HSR authority awards right-of-way engineering, survey contracts

The California High-Speed Rail Authority's board on Tuesday approved right-of-way engineering and surveying contracts with five California companies.

The firms are Chaudhary & Associates Inc.; Hernandez, Kroone & Associates Inc.; Mark Thomas and Co. Inc.; O'Dell Engineering; and Quad Knopf Inc. Four of the contractors are certified small businesses, authority officials said in a press release.

"These contracts show a continued commitment to creating jobs and working with small businesses in the Central Valley," said Robert Padilla, the authority's small business advocate.

Each contract is worth up to $3.2 million over four years. The right-of-way engineering and survey work will include staking and marking parcels, drafting maps, developing legal property descriptions, and identifying and relocating underground utilities. The firms also will be responsible for administration and project management, progress reports and project tracking systems.

The procurement will cover support services for acquiring more than 1,000 parcels of property from south of Madera to north of Bakersfield, Calif.

Contract terms call for the location of offices based in Fresno, Tulare or Kings County, as well as adhering to the authority's 30 percent small business participation goal.