Template revised January 10, 2019.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
8d
ACTION ITEM
Date of Meeting
March 24, 2026
DATE: March 6, 2026
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Stephanie Jones Stebbins, Maritime Managing Director; Director Marine Stormwater
Utility
Sandra Kilroy, Sr. Director Environment & Sustainability
Sarah Ogier, Director, Maritime Environment & Sustainability
Jane Dewell, Sr. Manager Environmental Programs/Marine Stormwater Utility
SUBJECT: Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quality (IDIQ) Contract to Perform Environmental
Regulatory and Infrastructure Support
Amount of this request:
$0
Total requested project cost:
$3.5 million
ACTION REQUESTED
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to execute one Indefinite
Delivery/Indefinite Quality (IDIQ) contract to perform environmental regulatory and
infrastructure support for Port of Seattle (Port) Maritime properties with a total value of up to
$3,500,000 and a contract period of five years plus two option years. No funding is associated
with this authorization.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Port’s Marine Stormwater Utility (Utility) proposes to advertise and select one qualified firm
to provide infrastructure asset management and environmental regulatory services in support of
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements and Utility
infrastructure obligations. This IDIQ would be used to meet stormwater regulations and
infrastructure rehabilitation goals of the Utility and Port.
The Port has been using a balanced approach of staff and consultants to deliver the specialized
work of the Utility. This procurement supports the Port’s strategy to manage our finances
responsibly, provides a cost-efficient means to secure services for tasks that present variable
workload, and allows us to maintain that balance and access specialized stormwater and asset
rehabilitation services that we would not be able to adequately provide with in-house staff.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8d Page 2 of 5
Meeting Date: March 24, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
JUSTIFICATION
The Port operates a Stormwater Utility, which collects fees from Northwest Seaport Alliance
(NWSA) North Harbor, tenants, and Port business units in order to assess, maintain, repair, and
rehabilitate stormwater infrastructure on Port maritime and waterfront properties. The Port also
operates under a NPDES Phase I Municipal Stormwater Permit (MS4 permit) issued by the
Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) and is required to develop and maintain a
stormwater management program that meets MS4 permit requirements. In addition, Port
maritime business units have regulatory and asset management priorities that may fall outside
the scope of the Utility but are still critical to Port operations and regulatory compliance. To
effectively comply with permit and Utility obligations, a variety of specialized environmental
services are required including those related to stormwater pollution prevention plans, illicit
discharge detection and elimination, stormwater monitoring, inspections, mapping, pre- and
post-construction plan review, infrastructure system assessment and rehabilitation, and
environmental training.
Consultant support is needed to help fulfill Utility asset management and MS4 permit obligations,
as well as Port adherence to current and future local, state and federal regulations. Areas of
support include infrastructure evaluation, repair, and rehabilitation; MS4 permit compliance; and
research into regulatory, resilience, and stormwater management trends.
The work defined under this IDIQ supports the goal to ‘meet or exceed agency requirements for
stormwater leaving Port-owned or operated facilities’ (Century Agenda, Goal 4, Objective 10).
Failure to comply with the conditions of the MS4 permit and other NPDES permits could result in
permit violations and potential fines.
Diversity in Contracting
Project staff, in coordination with Diversity in Contracting department, have set an aspirational
goal of 20 percent for women- and minority-owned business enterprises (WMBE) for this IDIQ
contract.
DETAILS
This IDIQ contract will enable the Port to meet stormwater permit requirements and Utility
obligations by providing environmental, technical and regulatory expertise to supplement Port
staff.
The Port is responsible for complying with MS4 and other NPDES permits issued by Ecology, as
well as applicable regulations promulgated and enforced by City of Seattle. To effectively comply
with NPDES permit requirements, regular efforts involve developing and updating relevant
stormwater pollution prevention plans, updating pollution prevention best management
practices for MS4 properties, inspecting infrastructure, responding to and reporting spills and
illicit connections, updating operation and maintenance guidance to meet state and city
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8d Page 3 of 5
Meeting Date: March 24, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
regulations, conducting environmental training, and reviewing pre- and post-construction
projects for compliance with stormwater and Utility requirements.
The Utility, formed in 2014, is responsible for maintaining MS4 stormwater infrastructure and
assets and includes collecting fees for Port maritime, waterfront, and NWSA-managed North
Harbor properties that are used to assess, maintain, repair, and rehabilitate stormwater
infrastructure. Regular efforts involve coordination with Seattle Public Utilities under an
interlocal agreement, evaluating and prioritizing the upgrading of infrastructure, updating the
stormwater system GIS map, providing rate billing for properties, establishing annual rates with
Commission approval, and long-range planning for system resilience.
Other stormwater program support efforts that may be outside of the Utility’s scope involve
coordination with the NWSA on managed properties, support for industrial stormwater permits
held by the Port, outreach to tenants, monitoring green and innovative infrastructure elements,
technical research on stormwater treatment, and participation in local and regional water quality
panels and conferences.
Remaining in compliance with water quality permits and being proactive about performance of
our stormwater management system aligns with the Port’s goal of being the greenest Port in
North America. Failure to comply with the conditions of the MS4 and other NPDES permits can
result in permit violations and potential fines. Failure to assess and repair the stormwater
infrastructure can result in property damage, potential environmental impacts, operational
delays, and damage to Port operations and tenants.
Individual service directives consisting of a scope, fee agreement, and schedule will be negotiated
and processed before any work is performed. Service directives will be used throughout the life
of the contract, which is expected to be five plus two years.
Scope of Work
This IDIQ contract is a crucial component for meeting stormwater permit compliance and Utility
obligations.
The consultant selected for this IDIQ would address work in five areas:
(1) Marine Stormwater Utility Assets
(2) Municipal Stormwater Permit
(3) Port-held Facility-Specific Permits
(4) Stormwater Regulatory Research
(5) Stormwater Resilience, Innovation, and Voluntary Programs
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8d Page 4 of 5
Meeting Date: March 24, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
Schedule
Activity
Commission authorization
Contract execution
Service Directive(s) issued
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
Alternative 1 – No Action (No IDIQ Contract)
Cost Implications: $0/year
Pros:
(1) Lowest cost alternative
(2) No contract oversight associated with IDIQ and individual service directives
Cons:
(1) Risk of regulatory non-compliance due to reduced program support
(2) Expertise to cover all tasks related to stormwater regulations and Utility obligations
would not be available with existing staff resources
(3) Additional Port staff positions may be needed to cover regulatory and asset and
infrastructure work previously supported by consultants
(4) Risk of damage to Port properties if Utility assessment and repairs are not supported
This is not the recommended alternative.
Alternative 2 – Fully Fund IDIQ for Marine Stormwater Utility Consultant Support
Cost Implications: Estimated $500,000/year
Pros:
(1) Provides access to highly skilled, specialized and technically broad consultant workforce
on demand for varied stormwater regulatory and Utility requirements, including
emerging regulatory and stormwater technologies
(2) Provides flexibility (and potential savings) where low contract utilization will result in
reduced costs below the annual estimate
(3) Continues the balance of Port staff and consultant support to address changes in level
of effort needed for regulatory compliance and asset and infrastructure improvement
work
(4) Reduced risk of regulatory non-compliance due to support of consultant staff on an as-
needed basis
Cons:
(1) Higher cost alternative, expending approximately up to $500,000 a year on consultant
support
(2) Port staff time in managing a large IDIQ contract and individual service directives
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8d Page 5 of 5
Meeting Date: March 24, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
(3) Increased regulatory risk if Port staff are not able to address all compliance obligations
at current staffing levels
This is the recommended alternative.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Charges to this IDIQ would be funded in part by the Utility, which is self-funded through collection
of stormwater fees from tenants, NWSA, and Port business units. Other funds for work outside
of the scope of the Utility, but in support of NPDES programs or infrastructure rehabilitation,
would be funded through Port Maritime business units that directly benefit from the work.
Funding for each Service Directive under this contract will be from authorized division operating
budgets. Consequently, there is no funding request associated with this request.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST
None
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS
September 10, 2019 – The Commission authorized IDIQ Contract to Perform Environmental
and Regulatory Support for Marine Stormwater Utility not to exceed $3,000,000