According to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), they submitted issuance of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an exchange transaction impacting the real property located at 55 Broadway (property) that is occupied by the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center). The RFQ is the first phase of a two-part solicitation process for respondents interested in entering into an exchange agreement with GSA that will require the selected respondent to design and construct a state-of-the-art facility for the Volpe Center (new facility) on a portion of the property to be retained by the federal government. In exchange, the portion of the property no longer needed by the federal government will be conveyed to the selected respondent after construction of the new facility.
GSA acting administrator Denise Turner Roth said they are taking the next important step in providing a facility for their federal partner DOT:
"GSA continues to lead the way in using innovative approaches to real property utilization. This approach optimizes our ability to satisfy our federal partner's requirements while saving taxpayer dollars and creating economic development opportunities. The RFQ is the next important step in providing a state-of-the-art facility for DOT, and we look forward to receiving responses from the real estate development community."
In August of 2014, GSA released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from the real estate development community which yielded significant interest. GSA, in consultation with DOT, used information from the RFI responses to inform the solicitation process for this exchange transaction. Through this first phase of the solicitation process, the federal government will select a list of respondents that meet the requirements and factors set forth in the RFQ and invite them to participate in the second phase of the solicitation process, which will be a Request for Proposals.
Volpe Center is located at 55 Broadway in the Kendall Sq. neighborhood of Cambridge. The 14 acre campus is improved with six buildings with a total approximate gross floor area of 375,000 s/f, two surface parking lots and areas of open, landscaped land. The property has extensive frontage along Binney St. to the north, Third Street to the east and Broadway to the south. A pedestrian walkway directly abuts the western boundary of the property.
The facility is located about one mile from the central business district of the City of Boston and has immediate access to the Kendall Sq. MBTA station and several bus routes that serve the urban area.