Template revised January 10, 2019.
COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
8c
ACTION ITEM
Date of Meeting
July 14, 2026
DATE : June 18, 2026
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Sarah Cox, Director of Aviation Environment & Sustainability
Allie Bull, Senior Environmental Management Specialist
Steve Rybolt, Senior Environmental Program Manager
SUBJECT: Aviation Environmental Review, Permitting, & Sustainability On-Call Contract
Advertisement and Execution
Amount of this request:
$6,000,000
ACTION REQUESTED
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to execute up to two indefinite
delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) professional services agreements for environmental review
and permitting consulting services in support of the Aviation Division with a cumulative total
amount not to exceed $6,000,000 and a contract ordering period of five years plus three option
years. The ordering period aligns with airport mitigation compliance and capital planning
horizons. No funding is associated with this request.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Aviation Environment & Sustainability Department proposes advertising and selecting up to
two qualified firms to provide environmental review and permitting services. If authorized, the
procured services will replace an existing IDIQ contract anticipated to reach its funding limit in
early 2027. The proposed IDIQ will be used to ensure development and redevelopment projects
meet or exceed environmental standards by conducting State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)
and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review; obtaining federal, state and local
environmental permits, and ensuring compliance with environmental determinations and permit
conditions. The contract will also provide services to support airport sustainability initiatives such
as the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) programs, Airport Carbon Accreditation program, and the Port’s Sustainable
Evaluation Framework (SEF). These services are essential for enabling economic development;
achieving the Port’s Century Agenda Strategy 4 – to be the greenest, and most energy efficient
port in North America; and responsibly stewarding community financial, social, and
environmental resources.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8c Page 2 of 5
Meeting Date: July 14, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
*There may be up to two Service Agreements executed to ensure there is adequate local, state,
and federal experts represented on the consultant team(s).
JUSTIFICATION
Timely environmental review and permitting is essential for keeping operations and capital
projects on schedule and budget. Therefore, fulfilling environmental regulatory obligations
through this procurement supports the Port’s Century Agenda objective to meet the region’s
transportation needs. It also supports positioning the Puget Sound region as a premier logistics
and transportation hub as the airport maintains and grows infrastructure investments.
This procurement will allow the Port to responsibly manage finances by providing a cost-effective
means of managing programs that have variable workloads, are time-sensitive, and require
specialized expertise. The Aviation Capital Process, Airport Building Department and any required
NEPA/SEPA determination or environmental permits require specific submittals and
environmental analyses for approval. Work under this contract will provide specialized expertise
required at the Airport, which operates as a utility with a unique regulatory environment.
Importantly, this contract also provides capacity for third-party review of projects.
The contract duration and value will ensure the Port has continuity and capacity throughout an
eight-year capital improvement program horizon to support permitting, environmental design,
and construction for individual projects and programs. The contract scope will also support long-
term compliance monitoring efforts.
Diversity in Contracting
Port staff consulted the Diversity in Contracting Department within the Economic Development
Division to set a woman- and minority-owned business enterprise (WMBE) goal. A goal of sixteen
percent has been recommended, based on previous IDIQ contracts. Funding of services under
this contract will come separately from annual operating budgets.
DETAILS
IDIQ contracts provide the Port with the necessary flexibility to meet business requirements as
they arise by issuing individual service directives to accomplish tasks within a general, pre-
defined scope of work, on an as-needed basis, for a fixed period of time, and a maximum contract
amount. Specifically, this service agreement will allow Aviation Environment & Sustainability to
review and permit airport operational and development projects on time and on schedule;
maintain compliance and environmental permits; and continue to integrate sustainability
initiatives into airport programs and processes. Services will also include as-needed support for
the activities of other Port groups such as Economic Development, Aviation Properties, Aviation
Facilities, and Legal.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8c Page 3 of 5
Meeting Date: July 14, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
Individual service directives consisting of a scope, level of effort, and scheduled will be negotiated
and executed as needed. Funds will be derived primarily from Aviation Environment &
Sustainability annual operating budgets but will also use Capital Funds for approved projects as
needed.
Scope of Work
The service agreement will provide services to implement environmental review, permitting and
compliance, and sustainability initiatives. Specific support services may include conducting
preliminary environmental review and strategy development; preparing, negotiating, and
obtaining environmental permits, including associated documentation; support post-project
administration, monitoring, and compliance; developing conceptual and preliminary
environmental designs, and researching and preparing documentation related to sustainability
initiatives such as LEED and Airport Carbon Accreditation. The above tasks include specialized
environmental monitoring and data collection; compiling and managing data; and assessing,
analyzing, modeling, or otherwise using the data to support decision-making, materials
preparation, and communications.
This service agreement is not intended to support the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term
Projects environmental review.
Schedule
The IDIQ service agreement will have a contract ordering period of five years plus three option
years during which service directives may be issued. Each service directive will specify the scope,
duration, and schedule associated with the work. The contract ordering period will ensure
continuity of environmental review, permitting, and compliance efforts. The contract may extend
past the eight-year ordering period, but no new services directives will be issued after the
ordering period or when contract funding capacity is reached, whichever occurs first.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
Alternative 1 – Utilize existing Port staff.
Cost Implications: $0
Pros:
(1) Minimizes expenses
(2) Allows for development of institutional knowledge
(3) Continuity across projects reduces ramp-up time
Cons:
(1) Staff capacity is limited
(2) Less access to specialized expertise on technical topics
(3) Risk of internal blind spots
This is not the recommended alternative.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8c Page 4 of 5
Meeting Date: July 14, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
Alternative 2 – Utilize project-specific contracting
Cost Implications: $50-300,000 per project
Pros:
(1) Allows for clear scope and project-specific deliverables
(2) Costs can be integrated into project budgets
Cons:
(1) Time-consuming to initiate on a project-by-project basis
(2) Expertise would only be available to specific projects
(3) Lack of ability to utilize expertise for other projects
This is not the recommended alternative.
Alternative 3 – Current proposal for an IDIQ managed by senior Port staff.
Cost Implications: $6,000,000
Pros:
(1) Enables time-sensitive projects.
(2) Enables high-capacity projects.
(3) Aligns staff and technical expertise to varying workloads.
(4) Reduces contract procurement and administration as well as technical staffing costs.
Cons:
(1) Less cost predictability
This is the recommended alternative.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There is no funding associated with this request for authorization. Funding for Service Directives
under this contract will be for work authorized by either future capital projects or annual Aviation
Division operating budgets.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
Environmental review and permitting services to support aviation capital development and
operations have been procured via IDIQ service agreements dating back to at least the 1997
Master Plan Update. Contracts were procured most recently in 2009, 2012, 2016, and 2019. The
2019 procurement was for 5 years and $6.5 million. That contract is set to use remaining funds
by mid-2027. New procurements for stormwater services have been authorized separately. With
no planned increase in staffing, this procurement anticipates a significant increase in
development activities and related environmental impacts and proposes a commensurate
increase in funding.
COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8c Page 5 of 5
Meeting Date: July 14, 2026
Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST
(1) Presentation slides
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS
November 19, 2019 – Commission Action: “Aviation Environmental Review and Permitting IDIQ
Contract”
March 6, 2016 – Commission Action: “Aviation Environmental Review and Permitting IDIQ
Service Agreement”
