U.S. Company Frito-Lay Transportation Inc. (FLTI), a division of Frito-Lay which in turn is part of the PepsiCo Group, is seeking proposals from qualified heavy-duty compressed natural gas (CNG) station owners to design, construct, maintain, and commercially operate CNG refueling stations to supply committed volumes of CNG to heavy-duty trucks. Gladstein, Neandross and Associates (GNA) will be accepting bids on behalf of FLTI and assisting in the bid process.
FLTI is issuing this Request for Proposal (RFP) to heavy-duty CNG Station Operators (CSOs) that are able to provide heavy-duty CNG fueling stations at or nearby one or more of the FLTI locations listed in the RFP at multiple locations through the United States. For heavy-duty CSOs that are able to provide these fueling services, FLTI is willing to commit specific usage CNG volumes, in effect acting as an “Anchor Tenant” for these new stations.
According to Fleets&Fuels (F&F), six stations are to be operational by mid-2013 in Tier 1 locations. Bids may also cover an additional eight lower-volume stations in Tier 2 locations.
F&F says, “FLTI estimates deployment of as few as eight and as many as 20 CNG trucks at each of the various locations next year, with Perry, Ga. and Topeka likely to get the most. Estimated annual FLTI fuel volumes for the Tier 1 stations range from 167,000 to 333,000 gasoline gallon equivalents per station in the first year of operation, to nearly 850,000 GGEs in year seven in Topeka.”
The RFP states:
“Heavy-duty CNG stations are specifically designed and operated to provide tractor-trailers and other high fuel volume trucks with access, fuel reporting, and refueling capabilities comparable to diesel cardlock facilities.”
“In contrast to the public-access CNG stations that are typical in today’s marketplace, heavy-duty CNG stations have approaches, driveways, and fueling islands that accommodate a long wheelbase and large turning radius. Likewise, they are designed with significant compression and fuel buffering capabilities to ensure that large volumes of fuel can be dispensed quickly. FLTI would prefer to have qualified heavy-duty CSOs provide fueling services at or nearby existing FLTI hauling operations.”
There will be a Mandatory Bidder’s Conference held on Friday, October 26 at 9 AM CT via webinar. Only those companies attending this Bidder’s Conference will be eligible to submit proposals for this project. Awards are to be made by December 21 and contracts signed January 11.
The RFP includes instructions for accessing Ariba, the online system through which electronic copies of proposals should be provided. Contact Carolyn McGough at GNA for access to the documentation.
FLTI intends to issue this RFP annually until all listed sites have heavy-duty CNG fueling services available.
Frito-Lay was earlier this month recognised by NGVAmerica for its “Exemplary CNG Fleet & Station Program” .
(This article compiled using information provided by GNA)
