HOUSTON, Oct. 17, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) commission approved several recommendations involving contract awards, bids and proposals, professional services and general administrative and operational matters during its public meeting on Monday, Oct. 17, 2005. Additionally, they pulled three items related to the Bayport cruise facility. Chairman Jim Edmonds presided over the meeting with Vice Chairman Kase Lawal, Commissioner Steve Phelps, Commissioner Jim Fonteno, Commissioner Jimmy Burke, Commissioner Cheryl Thompson-Draper, and Commissioner Janiece Longoria.
BAYPORT MATTERS
(Agenda item G5) The commission authorized the PHA to award an estimated $236,605 contract to Forklift Systems of Texas (dba Mustang Industrial Equipment) for the purchase of one 45,000-lb. capacity forklift for the Bayport Container Terminal.
(Agenda item G6) The commission awarded an estimated $96,024 contract to Santex Truck Center for the purchase of one 4,500-gallon fuel service truck for Bayport.
(Agenda item G7) The commission awarded an estimated $72,288 contract to Longhorn Bus Company for the purchase of one terminal passenger bus for Bayport.
(Agenda item G8) The commission pulled an estimated $22.29 million construction contract to Morganti Texas, Inc. for a building for the first phase of the Bayport Cruise Terminal.
(Agenda item G9) The commission also pulled an estimated $44.64 million construction contract to Orion Construction, L.P. for wharf and dredging at the Bayport Cruise Terminal.
(Agenda item G10) The commission pulled an estimated $15.278 million construction contract to Zachry Construction Corporation for site and utilities at Phase 1 of the Bayport Cruise Terminal.
(Agenda item G12) The commission also awarded an estimated $27.46 million construction contract to McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. for the marine terminal gate at Bayport.
(Agenda item K5) The commissioners authorized the PHA to advertise and receive competitive sealed proposals (CSPs) for a potential construction contract to build a passenger access gangway for Phase 1 of the Bayport Cruise Terminal. Estimated cost range: $2.2 million to $2.7 million.
(Agenda item K12) The commission also authorized the PHA to advertise and receive qualifications from prospective vendors interested in and capable of providing acoustical consulting to monitor and maintain the sound monitoring system at Bayport. Estimated cost range: $140,000 to $180,000.
(Agenda item K15) The commission elected to authorize staff to negotiate a contract with RLB Contracting Inc. for decommissioning the Greens Bayou dredge disposal area instead of rejecting the CSPs as posted on the agenda.
LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANTS
(Agenda items G14 -- G20) The commission authorized the PHA to award one-year contracts in the amounts of $66,150 and $132,300, respectively, for legislative consulting services at the state and federal government levels:
-- Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. (state) -- Albert "Al" Luna III (state) -- Baker Botts, L.L.P. (state) -- J.E. "Buster" Brown (state) -- Texas Lobby Group (state) -- Bracewell & Giuliani, L.L.P. (federal) -- The Loeffler Group, L.L.P. (federal)
"The legislative consultants for the port authority bring diverse background experience and expertise to their roles," Edmonds said. "Our consultants provide information and tools needed for sound decision-making by our very capable Harris County delegations of elected officials. Their support is crucial to the port authority's progress, prosperity, and accountability to taxpayers and other stakeholders."
Over the past 10 years, the PHA has invested approximately $4.6 million in the services of federal and state legislative consultants. To date, the investments have yielded approximately $510 million for the Houston Ship Channel deepening and widening project, ship channel operation and management, port security grants, and inter-modal transportation projects. Additionally, federal and state legislation has been enacted to support economic development at Houston's port. "That's not a bad return on our investment," Edmonds said.
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 6,600 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and sixth largest in the world. The Port Authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com
To access the port's website photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery.
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