Partnerships and Unsolicited Proposals

Metro has a plan to make it easier to get around LA. We’re building more transit options with improved quality and service. Our Office of Extraordinary Innovation (OEI) focuses on identifying innovative solutions in the marketplace that may help further Metro’s mission, vision and strategic goals. Through Unsolicited Proposals and Private-Public Partnerships, OEI facilitates collaboration that drives performance and enhances the delivery of public services.

Unsolicited Proposals

The standard approach to developing projects at public agencies is largely internal; the agency identifies a need, develops a project, and seeks a contractor to carry out the scope of work. Unsolicited proposals present an opportunity for external parties to bring forward project proposals for consideration, expanding Metro’s horizons and sparking conversations about alternative approaches and solutions.

Unsolicited proposals have influenced over $15 billion worth of Metro projects in 2015, including the following:

Metro Micro
Sepulveda Transit Corridor Predevelopment Agreement (PDA) project delivery
West Santa Ana Branch P3 project delivery
Zero Emission Bus P3 project delivery
Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit
Camera Bus Lane Enforcement
Vehicle to Infrastructure Technology
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones) for Data Collection
Travel Rewards Research Pilot
Navilens wayfinding for the visually impaired

Learn about successful projects by reading the 2019 Innovation Portfolio. A five-year self-assessment of the Unsolicited Proposals Program available is here.

Submit your proposal

Have an idea for a better way to meet Metro’s goals and deliver its mission, projects and services? Consider developing a conceptual proposal!

We suggest parties interested in submitting an unsolicited proposal take the following steps:

Read Metro’s Vision 2028 Plan
Read the Unsolicited Proposal Policy, learn about submission guidelines and proposal success factors by reading Frequently Asked Questions.
If you have questions about how your concepts fits within Metro’s context, send email to innovation@metro.net to schedule a pre-proposal briefing with the Unsolicited Proposals team.
Submit your proposal by email to unsolicitedproposals@metro.net or by mail, following the directions in the Unsolicited Proposals Policy.

Public-Private Partnerships

Metro’s Public-Private Partnerships (P3) team collaborates with all Metro departments to evaluate and develop major capital projects that have the potential to benefit from alternative delivery approaches. Potential benefits may include:

Assignment of risks to the party best able to manage them
Cost certainty
Mechanisms to incentivize or drive performance
Alternative technical concepts and financing tools
Project acceleration
Lifecycle cost reductions

Over the course of five years, OEI has screened eight capital projects for potential P3 delivery, six of which received submissions through the Unsolicited Proposals Policy. Of those, Metro has recommended three for P3 delivery:

Sepulveda Transit Corridor Pre-Development Agreement
West Santa Ana Branch
Zero Emission Bus

Metro and OEI are also separately advising the City of Inglewood on the Inglewood Transit Connector, which is planned to be delivered as a P3 project. Metro continues to screen whether its large capital projects are a fit for delivery through public-private partnerships and is open to assessing other opportunities.

Joint Development

Metro’s Countywide Planning team also accepts unsolicited proposals for joint development incorporating Metro-owned land through the policy. Proposals should be submitted by mail and well in advance of the proposer’s desired commencement of the project to allow Metro enough time to evaluate the proposal, publicize it, and negotiate a contract if the proposal is accepted. Proposers should anticipate at least six months before any negotiation can begin. Find Metro’s Joint Development Policy here.

Contact Us

Unsolicited proposals can be emailed to unsolicitedproposals@metro.net.

Questions, input or feedback? Send email to innovation@metro.net.