PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA               Item No.      4e 
ACTION ITEM 
Date of Meeting    November 10, 2015 
DATE:    November 3, 2015 
TO:      Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:   Stuart Mathews, General Manager Aviation Maintenance 
Brendalynn Taulelei, Sr. Maintenance Manager, Asset Management & Logistics 
SUBJECT:  Authorization to Execute Snow Removal Contract 
Amount of This Request:        $1,100,000   Source of Funds:    Aviation Operating
Budget 
Est. Total Project Cost:          $1,100,000 

ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to execute a contract to
provide snow removal services for the Air Operations Areas (AOA). The contract  will be
structured as a one-year agreement with up to four years of additional service to be determined
annually by the Port. The total estimated cost of the contract is $1,100,000. 
SYNOPSIS 
Snow removal at the Airport is accomplished by Port personnel with Port-owned equipment and
is augmented by contracted labor and equipment for snow events that exceed the capacity of the
Port's Airport resources. 
The estimated total contract cost is $1,100,000 with anticipated average annual costs to be in the
range of $150,000 to $200,000 not including tax. Depending on the severity of the winter snow
conditions, there may be some years where the annual estimates will be above the average range;
however, the total contract amount of $1,100,000 will not be exceeded. The contract will be
structured as a one-year agreement with four annual renewal options to be exercised at the Port's
discretion. 
BACKGROUND 
During winter weather conditions, the Port is responsible for the removal of snow and ice from
runways, taxiways, and specified Airport roadways and parking facilities. The Port executed
competitive procurements for snow removal services for the AOA both in 2009 and in 2012. In
these past time periods, snow removal expenditures averaged $133,290 per year with a peak
expenditure of $298,925 during the January 2012 snow and ice storm. 

Template revised May 30, 2013.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
November 3, 2015 
Page 2 of 6 
In recent years, contract expenditures have been drastically lower due to multiple years of El 
Nio conditions. The estimated contract value is based on an annual average cost of $200,000
plus tax over a period of five years. State and local taxes are included in total contract amount of
$1,100,000. 
PROJECT JUSTIFICATION AND DETAILS 
Snow removal is required at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to sustain commercial airline
operations, passenger movements, and air cargo operations, during snow and ice conditions.
Current Port staff and equipment are not sufficient to accomplish all of the snow removal
requirements during extreme winter snow and ice storms. 
Project Objectives 
Ensure the safe movement of aircraft, employees and the traveling public, in and out of
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport during snow and ice weather conditions. 
Maintain the continuity of business operations on the AOA, landside roadways, and
parking areas. 
Maintain the continuity of aircraft cargo business operations. 
Scope of Work 
A snow removal contractor will augment the Port's capability to perform snow removal on both
the secure and public sides of the Airport; including the AOA. This work is seasonal and
typically starts in November and may continue into April of the following year. 
The contractor will provide heavy construction equipment and equipment operators to manage
peak snow and ice accumulations. The equipment will include dump trucks, front loaders,
graders, excavators, bulldozers, power brooms, and other support vehicles. The contractor shall
serve in an 'on-call' role and will be deployed as directed by the Airport's Snow Command
Center (SCC) during snow removal operations. There is no service fee for the contractor to be
'on-call', however, the Port does reimburse for costs incurred for badging and training of the
contractor's supervisors. This cost will occur even if snow removal services are not necessary. 
Schedule 
The proposed contracts should be executed no later than November 30, 2015, in preparation for
upcoming winter season. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
The total contract is estimated at $1,100,000 (2015-2020). We anticipate average costs per year
to be in the range $150,000 to $200,000 not including tax. State and local taxes are included in

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
November 3, 2015 
Page 3 of 6 
the total contract amount.  Each year the anticipated cost will be included in the operating
budget. The funding source will be the Airport Development Fund. 
STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES 
Ensuring the Airport remains operational during adverse winter weather conditions directly
supports the Port's Century Agenda objectives of meeting the region's air transportation needs 
at Sea-Tac Airport for the next 25 years and to make Sea-Tac Airport the West Coast
"Gateway of Choice" for international travelers. 
Reliable access to and from this vital transportation hub during extreme snow and ice conditions
is essential for business and commercial travelers, employees, and the region's trade and
commerce. Without supplemental contracted snow removal capabilities, aircraft operations could
be discontinued for extended periods resulting in significant economic impacts to the Port's
Airport tenants, Airline partners, the traveling public and the region's commerce. 
TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE 
Economic Development 
Keeping the Airport operational during adverse weather conditions provides significant
economic benefits to the Port, its customers, business partners and the region. The supplemental
resources gained through this contract will enhance the Port's ability to successfully meet the
needs of the region and Airport customers. 
Environmental Responsibility 
The snow that is removed from the AOA and roadways is contained and controlled in snow melt
dump sites. Coordination with the Port's environmental staff ensures compliance with all
environmental requirements. With the snow containing deicing chemicals, careful measures are
taken to keep the snow within the Industrial Waste Treatment System or other controlled
storage/melt sites. 
Community Benefits 
In addition to keeping the Airport operational for the traveling public, airline partners and cargo
activities, this contract opportunity also encourages the use of small, disadvantaged, minorityowned
and women-owned businesses within the community. The contract manager will
coordinate with the Office of Social Responsibility to maximize small business utilization in
support of the Port's Century Agenda strategy to "use our influence as an institution to promote
small business growth and workforce development."

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
November 3, 2015 
Page 4 of 6 

ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED 
Alternative 1)  Increase Port resources with temporary staff and equipment to meet peak snow
and ice conditions. This is not the recommended alternative. 
Cost Estimate: $5.22 million 
Pros: 
Adding POS temporary staff and equipment will increase the available 
resource pool for extended shift rotations during lengthy snow events at the
Airport.
The additional staff can be deployed to support other Airport operational areas
(i.e. terminal crowd control). 
Cons: 
Additional temporary staff will require compensation and benefits which will
result in increased costs to the Port. Estimated costs for additional staff to
work a typical 5-week snow period can amount to approximately $715,000 in
wages over a five year period. 
New heavy equipment will need to be purchased to add to existing Port fleet 
of heavy equipment; the snow removal contractor is required to provide a
minimum of 13 heavy equipment and operators as part of the contract. The
heavy equipment identified includes 3 motor graders, 3 wheel loaders, 4 dump
trucks, 1 fuel truck and 2 trucks for supervisors. The estimated capital cost to
purchase this heavy equipment is approximately $3.61 million dollars. 
Ongoing maintenance costs for all equipment listed is an additional $487,500 
over the five year period. 
Due to the additional new equipment, 1 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) auto
mechanic is required to maintain the new equipment. Wage and benefit costs
for 1 FTE over the five year period amounts to $399,880. 
Overtime costs will increase with the new additional staff during long snow
removal operational periods. 
The additional temporary staff will increase the Port's overall employee
headcount. 
Alternative 2)  Rely on existing Port staff with the understanding that we cannot keep up
during peak snow and ice conditions and invest in additional heavy equipment to add to the snow
fleet. This is not the recommended alternative. 
Cost Estimate: $4.01 million 
Pros: 
Current Airport operations and facility staff have experience and familiarity
with snow removal operations, therefore the training period will be shorter.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
November 3, 2015 
Page 5 of 6 
Cons: 
Using existing staff and equipment will limit the Port's ability to keep all
areas of the Airport operational during adverse weather conditions. 
Additional airport maintenance staff can be repurposed to assist with snow
removal however this option will degrade the level of support for airport
terminal services and customers. 
Not all airport staff are Heavy Equipment trained. A CDL license is required 
for all personnel who operate heavy equipment. 
An investment of $3.61 million dollars is required to add heavy equipment to
the snow fleet. The current fleet will be at capacity and dedicated to snow
removal efforts on the AOA runway and taxiways. The current snow fleet is 
not sufficient to handle the additional workload of hauling snow off to the
designated snow dump sites. 
With the additional new heavy equipment, 1 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) auto
mechanic is required to maintain the new equipment. Wage and benefit costs
for 1 FTE auto mechanic over the five year period amounts to $399,880. 
Work shift periods during snow operations may be extended; however, with
limited staff availability it will be challenging to retain resources for longer
shift periods. 
Customer service to Airport customers will suffer as existing staff will be
focused on snow removal on the AOA. 
It may be challenging for staff to get to the airport due to snow and ice in their
own residential areas. 
There will be slow responses to address airport facility system failures due to
staffing limitations and priority snow removal. 
During extreme snow events, existing Port staff and equipment will not be
able to keep up with snow and ice conditions which may ultimately lead to an
airport closure. 
Alternative 3)    Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute a new contract for
supplemental snow removal services at the Airport. This is the recommended alternative. 
Cost Estimate: $1.1 million 
Pros: 
With contracted snow removal services in place, existing Port staff can focus 
on deicing efforts on the AOA during peak snow events to ensure the
continuity of airport operations. 
Other available Port staff will be on-hand to address any facility system issues
and customer service operations in the terminal (i.e. crowd control). 
Advertising a snow removal service contract as a procurement opportunity
supports the Port's Century Agenda strategy to "use our influence as an
institution to promote small business growth and workforce development".

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
November 3, 2015 
Page 6 of 6 
The contractor will be responsible for the hiring of operators and for securing
the heavy construction equipment required for snow removal. 
The Port retains the ability to direct the activities of the snow removal
contractor. 
No additional hiring of additional staff is required therefore salary and benefit
considerations are avoided. 
No purchase of new heavy equipment is necessary therefore saving the Port an
investment of $3.61 million to add to the existing snow fleet. 
.      Cons: 
The total estimated cost of the contract(s) would be $1,100,000.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
None 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
August 7, 2012  the Commission authorized the Chief Executive Offer to execute an
area-specific contract to provide snow removal services for the Airport Operations
Area. The contract was structured as one-year agreements with up to four years of
additional services to be determined annually by the Port.