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PORT OF SEATTLE
MEMORANDUM
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
4/18/2025
Karen Goon, Deputy Executive Director
Mike Tasker, Director, Aviation Maintenance
SUBJECT
:
Request CPO
-6 Competition Waiver for the Daifuku Company Onsite System Support
Agreement – Baggage Handling System Controls
REQUE
ST:
We request a sole source competition waiver authorizing the Port to contract Daifuku Services America
Corporation to provide a dedicated onsite Daifuku Controls Engineer to support the baggage handling
system program modifications, control system performance, and aviation maintenance teams in
coordination with their home office engineering team.
PERIOD:
This waiver shall be in effect for five years or until the upper and lower-level control system is replaced,
whichever comes first.
BACKGR
OUND:
Baggage Handling Control Systems ensure that the motorized sections of the conveyor are integrated
into the multiple segments of the conveyor systems to operate as required to properly transport
customer baggage to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) owned screening equipment.
From there, the control systems properly track and transport that baggage to TSA staff for searching or
to the appropriate airlines for loading onto the aircraft. All this must be done rapidly, safely, and
efficiently to ensure that 100% of the public’s baggage is effectively screened and delivered.
The upper-level control systems, or supervisory control systems as they are sometimes called, provide
the "real-time" data management and interface responsibilities of the baggage handling system as well
as provide common user interface screens for monitoring, control, reporting and diagnostics. The upper-
level controls system is linked to the lower-level control system.
The lower-level control system, closest to the physical equipment, is the controller(s) for individual
equipment. These controllers are Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC's) in the Port's baggage handling
systems. They interface to peripheral Input/Output (I/O) devices such as photo-eye scanners, motors,
etc. as well as data collection devices such as bar code scanners (barcode readers) and are responsible
for the physical operation of the baggage handling equipment. The equipment controllers are also
responsible for the physical handling of baggage and tracking from point-to-point based on the direction
from the upper-level control systems.
The multi-phased system upgrade will be complete with the final delivery of the Baggage Optimization
Phase III. While this phased replacement is taking place, the Phase I & II systems provided by Daifuku
will need to continue to operate, unless replaced, and more of the airlines will be utilizing them.
CPO-6 Competition Waiver #2025-010
Agenda Item: 8c_Attach_1
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
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JUSTIFICATION FOR WAIVER:
The Baggage Optimization Phase I and II project systems selected, through competitive solicitation,
Daifuku for upper-level controls and lower-level controls. Those upper-level control, and reporting
software systems are proprietary to Daifuku and require Daifuku-specific training, and as such, we
are requesting this waiver for an onsite Daifuku technician that must be trained by Daifuku’s home
office engineering team located in Novi, Michigan to make program modifications to the baggage
handling system and to support Port aviation maintenance teams.
In accordance with RCW 39.04.280, this memorandum requests a sole source waiver for Daifuku
Services America Corporation related to proprietary baggage system software programming,
applications, and graphics.
REQUESTED ACTION:
We request a sole source competition waiver authorizing the Port to contract Daifuku Services
America Corporation to provide an onsite technician for up to five years in support of the Daifuku
baggage handling system in the amount of $3,187,003.
CONCURRENCE:
Sofia P. Mayo, Director, Central Procurement Office
Pete Ramels, General Counsel
Date
APPROVAL:
Karen Goon, Deputy Executive Director
CPO-6 Competition Waiver #2025-010
Date
Date
4/18/2025
4/21/2025
04/21/2025
