COMMISSION AGENDA MEMORANDUM Item No. ACTION ITEM Date of Meeting 8j March 24, 2026 DATE : March 1, 2026 TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director FROM: Sarah Cox, Director, Aviation Environment and Sustainability Steve Rybolt, Sr. Environmental Program Manager, Aviation Environment and Sustainability SUBJECT: Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Near-Term Projects Environmental Review - Additional Contract Authorization Amount of this request: Total estimated project cost: $1,000,000 $9,750,000 ACTION REQUESTED Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to execute an amendment to the existing Sustainable Airport Master Plan Environmental Review professional services agreement with Landrum and Brown for an increase of $1,000,000 for a total contract amount not to exceed $9,750,000. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Additional contract authorization is being requested to complete environmental review documentation required under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). This authorization will support a continued robust outreach and engagement program, additional analyses beyond what was conducted during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Assessment (EA), that have occurred over duration of the environmental review. This request will also include contingency funds if additional analyses or work is required following the issuance of the Draft SEPA Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Funding has already been approved in the 2026 Aviation Expense Budget; this request is to authorize the additional project budget to amend the existing contract. JUSTIFICATION The estimated cost of the SAMP NTP environmental review has exceeded the contract value and estimated level of effort. There are three primary reasons for the increased cost of analyses, documentation, and project management of the SAMP NTP environmental review: (1) a higher level of outreach and engagement in NEPA and SEPA, (2) additional analyses being conducted as Template revised January 10, 2019. COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8j Meeting Date: March 24, 2026 Page 2 of 7 a part of the Draft SEPA EIS, and (3) overall administrative contract cost escalations. Additional information on each of these areas is noted below. Staff anticipate the $1,000,000 in additional contract authorization will be sufficient to complete the remaining SAMP NTP environmental review Draft SEPA EIS documentation. This funding will support a continued robust outreach and engagement program, additional analyses beyond what was conducted during the NEPA EA, and contract cost escalations that have occurred over the duration of the environmental reviews. The environmental review will be done under the existing contract, led by Landrum & Brown, a consultancy firm specializing in environmental review. • Outreach and Engagement. During the NEPA EA, the Port of Seattle developed and produced a robust outreach and engagement program. This included, but is not limited to, materials and translations provided in multiple languages, outreach to airport-area stakeholders and public meetings in different locations, targeted engagement with BIPOC and historically underrepresented communities with an emphasis in South King County, and outreach to public sector and regional leaders. The original estimated budget developed in 2016 was far exceeded and it is planned to conduct a similar, if not larger, outreach and engagement program for the SEPA EIS. • Updated and additional technical analysis. The Draft SEPA EIS will update and conduct additional analyses beyond what was conducted in the NEPA EA. This will include, but is not limited to, air quality, noise, climate, environmental justice, and cumulative impacts. This includes analyses identified in Scoping that was not anticipated to be in the NEPA EA, analyses that were removed from the Final NEPA EA, and additional analyses that were identified during the NEPA EA public comment period. These additional analyses will ensure that once the Draft SEPA EIS is released, it will have the most updated information for the public to review. These efforts require additional documentation, specialized expertise, and coordination with appropriate governmental agencies. • Administrative contract cost increases. The contract provides a provision that provides annual consumer price index adjustments (i.e., CPI-U). This adjustment applies to all positions on the contract, including small suppliers and contractors (i.e., SCS). Due to the duration of the contract and the annual increases in CPI-U, additional unforeseen costs occurred. Diversity in Contracting The SAMP Environmental Review personal services agreement has a Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) utilization requirement of seven percent. To date, the personal services agreement exceeds this requirement with an approximately 10% SCS utilization rate. The seven percent SCS utilization requirement will continue through the duration of the service agreement. Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting). COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8j Meeting Date: March 24, 2026 Page 3 of 7 DETAILS This contract supports the Port's ongoing efforts to fulfill regulatory obligations (i.e., SEPA) for decisions about airport growth and development. Consulting services made available through this contract allow the Port to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of future airport growth and development identified within the SAMP NTP and mitigate those impacts as appropriate. Upon completion of NEPA and SEPA, the Port may begin construction after Commission authorization. Environmental review of the SAMP NTP will continue to be led by Landrum & Brown, a consultancy firm specializing in aviation environmental reviews. Landrum & Brown will also continue to be supported by a variety of subconsultants, many of which are locally and/or nationally recognized experts within their respective disciplines. Scope of Work These additional funds would be used to complete work that falls within the scope of the existing contract. The SAMP NTP Environmental Review scope includes the following primary tasks: • • • • • • • Project Management - Manage coordinated and effective relationships with the project team. Scope of Work Development, Project Schedule, and Project Budget - Prepare and document detailed scope of work, schedule, and project budget for NEPA and SEPA. SEPA Analysis - Existing Conditions/Affected Environment - Identify existing environmental conditions for all elements of the environment under SEPA. Future Environmental Consequences With and Without the Project - Evaluate all elements of the environment under SEPA for future conditions associated with the Alternative(s) and No Action Alternative. Prepare Draft Environmental Documentation - Prepare comprehensive interim documents that will be made available for agency and public comment. Public and Agency Coordination - Conduct on-going coordination with appropriate stakeholders during the preparation of the draft and final environmental documents. This also includes public hearing(s) during the agency and public comment period. Prepare Final Environmental Documentation - Review agency and public comments on the draft environmental document and revise the draft document to prepare the final environmental documents. Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting). COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8j Meeting Date: March 24, 2026 Page 4 of 7 Schedule Staff anticipate the following schedule: Q2 2026 Q4 2026 SEPA EIS draft document released for agency and public review SEPA EIS agency and public review complete SEPA EIS final document ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED Alternative 1 - Do not add funds to the SAMP Environmental Review service agreement, but instead, procure new consultant services. The work described in this memo is required to advance the SAMP NTP environmental review but could be conducted by a consultancy firm(s) specializing in aviation environmental reviews and not currently under contract with the Port. Cost Implications: This alternative would likely cost more and take longer to complete; the potential increase in cost and delays to the schedule cannot be reasonably quantified and would be significant considering the delay to the entire SAMP NTP. Pros: (1) Cons: (1) Competition among qualified consultants for additional work. Procuring a consultancy firm specializing in airport environmental reviews other than Landrum & Brown, to conduct the work described in the details section of this memo, would likely cost more and take longer due to the lack of knowledge of the environmental issues and projects that has, by comparison, been gained by the SAMP Environmental Review consultant team through their work on the SAMP NTP environmental review to date. In addition, the procurement process itself would take time to execute. This is not the recommended alternative. Alternative 2 - Do not add funds to the SAMP Environmental Review service agreement and use Port staff to complete the work. Cost Implications: No additional funds added to the contract - potential $1,000,000 savings in Aviation expense fund. Other cost increases cannot be reasonably quantified, due to probable delay in SAMP NTP, but should be considered significant. Pros: (1) Cons: (1) Short term cost savings Port staff lacks the breadth of specialized skills required within NEPA and SEPA. Using Port staff to conduct the work described in the details section of this memo would likely take longer due to the lack of knowledge of the environmental issues and projects that has, by comparison, been gained by the SAMP Environmental Review consultant team through their work on the SAMP NTP environmental review to date. In addition, the Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting). COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8j Meeting Date: March 24, 2026 Page 5 of 7 Port lacks the staff resources to conduct the work - in particular, within the Aviation Environment and Sustainability department. This is not the recommended alternative. Alternative 3 - Add the requested contract funds to the existing SAMP contract. Cost Implications: $0 Pros: (1) This is the most cost-effective way to complete the work described in the details section of this memo due to the knowledge of the environmental issues and projects that has been gained by the SAMP Environmental Review consultant team through their work on the SAMP NTP environmental review to date. This money has already been approved in the 2026 Aviation Expense Budget; this request is to authorize the additional project budget to amend the existing contract. Cons: (1) $0 This is the recommended alternative. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS Cost Estimate/Authorization Summary AUTHORIZATION Previous authorization (11/10/2015) Previous authorization (2/25/2021) Previous authorization (6/27/2023) Current request for authorization Total authorizations, including this request Remaining amount to be authorized Expense Total $3,000,000 $3,400,000 $2,350,000 $1,000,000 $9,750,000 $0 $3,000,000 $3,400,000 $2,350,000 $1,000,000 $9,750,000 $0 Annual Budget Status and Source of Funds Approximately $7,500,000 has been spent on the SAMP NTP environmental review to date and the remaining funds within the current project budget of $1,050,000 are allocated to tasks in progress, leaving $250,000 in unallocated funds. The 2026 operating budget includes $550,000 for SAMP NTP environmental review activities. As these are operating costs, the funding source will be the Airport Development Fund. ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND The primary purpose of SAMP is to identify facility improvements required to satisfy demand over the 20-year planning horizon and to balance capacity in all key functional areas to the fixed capacity of the airfield. To that end, the SAMP started with an unconstrained, 20-year forecast of Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting). COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8j Meeting Date: March 24, 2026 Page 6 of 7 cargo and passenger activity which was used to determine peak hour facility requirements based on demand derived from the movement of aircraft, passengers, bags, vehicles and freight. Alternatives for facilities development to satisfy demand were then developed and assessed, resulting in a phased capital program to deliver needed capacity through the 20-year planning horizon. For planning purposes, the SAMP assumes the airport's current three-runway system and closein airspace configuration will remain in place. With the airport's small footprint and significant physical constraints, redevelopment at Sea-Tac requires expensive relocation of existing facilities and limited options for expansion. Work to evaluate alternatives for project phasing and to assess airside capacity has included extensive airside modeling in consultation with FAA specialists and has determined that existing constraints require a two-step approach to advance the SAMP. The first step in SAMP planning identified a suite of projects required to meet current and expected near-term future demand, known as the Near-Term Projects (NTP). The NTP consists of approximately 31 projects, including 19 gates connected to a second terminal, that are being evaluated within the SAMP NTP environmental review. Although the SAMP planning process identified projects beyond the NTP, known as the Long-Term Vision (LTV), these projects are not ripe for environmental review at this time, as they require further study and are not reasonably foreseeable. The second step in SAMP planning focused on understanding the constraints for airside facilities, which include runway and taxiway utilization, airfield configuration, gate availability, and airspace management as conducted by FAA. The Port will work with the FAA to conduct an airfield/airspace study which will determine the long-term capacity of the airfield and inform or reaffirm the SAMP LTV projects. Similar to the LTV, additional environmental review is required before any airfield/airspace projects could are implemented. ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST (1) Presentation slides PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS October 22, 2025 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects Environmental Review - Draft NEPA Environmental Assessment Findings and Public Comment Period" June 27, 2023 - Commission Action: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Near-Term Projects Environmental Review - Update and Budget Increase" February 25, 2020 - Commission Action: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Near-Term Projects (NTP) Environmental Review Briefing and Request for Additional Funds" Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting). COMMISSION AGENDA - Action Item No. 8j Meeting Date: March 24, 2026 Page 7 of 7 January 28, 2020 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Near-Term Projects (NTP) Environmental Review Briefing - Forecast and Schedule Update" February 26, 2019 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) NearTerm Projects (NTP) Environmental Review Briefing - Scoping Report" May 8, 2018 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Planning and Environmental Update" February 13, 2018 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Planning Update" Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).