COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          8e 
ACTION ITEM                            Date of Meeting     December 13, 2022 

DATE :     November 17, 2022 
TO:        Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director 
FROM:    Laurel Dunphy, Director Airport Operations 
SUBJECT:  Airport Seating Contract Bag Claim, Ticketing and Concourse 
Amount of this request:                       $0 
Maximum Value of Contract:        $11,000,000 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for the Executive Director to advertise and execute a longterm
contract for up to 10 years for airport seating. 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This request is for authorization to execute a long-term, purchasing agreement with a
manufacturer for airport baggage claim, ticketing, and concourse seating to replace existing
seating to enhance the level of service and address deficiencies highlighted from multiple
sources. There is no funding request associated with this authorization. Individual purchase
orders will be executed to authorize each purchase within approved project authorizations and
charges to this contract will be from department budgets and projects that will be authorized
separately through established procedures and within the total contract amount. We are asking
for $11 million in contract capacity.
JUSTIFICATION
Seating is a significant factor in passenger experience and our seating at Bag Claim and Ticketing
are the lowest scoring areas of the facility. In our 2021 Skytrax Audit, Ticketing seating scored
3.43 and Bag Claim seating scored 3.50 out of a 5 scale, the lowest scoring seating at the airport.
Skytrax feedback is this seating “remains basic, does not provide power outlets and the provision
for passengers with restricted mobility (ADA) or elderly passengers is quite poor.” This feedback
is echoed by our 2017 Open Doors Organization Accessibility Report and our Accessibility
Advisory Committee. A key passenger desire is for seating with power outlets airport-wide, an
industry best practice highlighted by customer service feedback, Skytrax audits, feedback from
Airport Service Quality (ASQ) surveys and from JD Power Rankings. Future purchases from this
contract may include seating for other public areas of the airport. 

Template revised January 10, 2019.

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8e                                 Page 2 of 5
Meeting Date: December 13, 2022 

This request is aligned with the Aviation Division’s Goal 2: Advance this region as a leading
tourism destination and business gateway, specifically Objective 3: Continuously improve the
operational efficiency and customer experience at SEA and Objective 4: Strengthen the
competitiveness of SEA in the regional and global marketplace. The request is moderately urgent
to ensure approved 2023 Small Capital Purchases can proceed in FY2023. Again, we are asking
for $11 million in contract capacity, but individual projects and budget requests will purchase the
seating throughout the life of the contract.
Diversity in Contracting 
Separate from this purchasing contract SEA intends to engage WMBE, DBE or SBE companies for
the disassembly and full recycling of our existing Herman Miller seating when we dispose of that
seating related to replacement furniture purchases. 
DETAILS 
Since 1973, the airport has purchased and utilized Herman Miller Eames Tandem seating at
baggage claim, ticketing designated “Wheelchair Waiting Areas” for where the Port provides the
seating for airline wheelchair providers and our concourses. This seating has served us well but
is outdated, difficult, and time-consuming to repair and lacking in power outlet options.
Scope of Work
The Port will conduct a competitive process to select the manufacturer of the products. The
selection of one manufacturer to supply bag claim, ticketing and seating for other portions
of the airport will ensure SEA adheres to the architectural standards of the facility while
staying contemporary, maintaining Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, and
improving the passenger experience and overall customer service. 
Below is a list of known upcoming seating requirements. 
Project                         Number of Seats        Desired First Seat Delivery Date 
Ticketing Wheelchair         ~139                  December 2023 
Waiting Areas 
Bag Claim ADA Seating       ~128                  December 2023 
Bag Claim Remaining        ~250                 2024 
Seating 
Cruise Seating                 ~600                   2025 
D Concourse                ~705                  2026 
South Satellite                 ~950                    2026 
Project Objectives 
• Improve Customer Experience 

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8e                                 Page 3 of 5
Meeting Date: December 13, 2022 

• Maintain one of the top customer service airports in North America 
• Improve our Skytrax Audit scores for Ticketing and Bag Claim from 3.43 and 3.50 to
over 4.10 helping to maintain our 4-Star Skytrax Airport Rating 
Schedule
We intend to select a supplier and execute a contract by May 2023 
Activity 
Commission contract authorization             4th Quarter 2022 
RFP selection process                            1st Quarter 2023 
Contract executed                              2nd Quarter 2023 
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED 
Alternative 1 – Status Quo: Maintain Herman Miller at bag claim, ticketing, and other areas of
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport 
Cost Implications: $11,000,000 in contract capacity 
Pros:
(1)   Minimizes time and resources of the Port to go through the full evaluation process 
(2)   Ensures a consistent seating standard is maintained 
Cons:
(1)   Does not address seating feedback from Skytrax, ASQ, Open Doors Organization
Accessibility Report, and JD Power Rankings
(2)   Does not improve the level of service for passengers with restricted mobility and our
Wheelchair Waiting Area seating 
(3)   Does not allow assessment of new seating options that may have been introduced since
2003 
(4)   Does not allow the Port to negotiate for best pricing through coordinated purchasing 
This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 2 – Do not establish a new seating standard for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Allow discrete projects to determine and incorporate the seating individually. 
Cost Implications:
Pros:
(1)   Contractors may be able to obtain better prices for large purchases of seating across
multiple projects.
(2)   Provides individual project designers and architects with more autonomy to use the
seating to sculpt the desired experience.

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8e                                 Page 4 of 5
Meeting Date: December 13, 2022 

Cons:
(1)   Will result in inconsistency in Airport seating, increasing maintenance and inventory
costs.
(2)   Does not address seating feedback from Skytrax, ASQ, Open Doors Organization
Accessibility Report, and JD Power Rankings.
(3)   Historically will provide less durable seating or with the lowest upfront cost but with a
substantially higher Total Cost of Ownership while requiring additional staffing time to
maintain and replace.
This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 3 – Execute a long-term contract for airport seating.
Cost Implications: $11,000,000 in contract capacity.
Pros:
(1)   Allows for a rigorous process to determine the optimal seating selection based on the
balance of cost, passenger experience, maintainability, and green principles.
(2)   Enables Port to negotiate for the best price by using coordinated purchasing for planned
purchases over the next five years with a focus on the total-cost-of-ownership for
seating that meets our standards.
Cons:
(1)   Increased engagement from Port resources necessary to take full advantage of the
opportunity and select the correct product.
This is the recommended alternative. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
Budget Status and Source of Funds 
Charges to this contract will be from department budgets and projects that will be
authorized separately through established procedures. Consequently, there is no funding
request associated with this authorization. Individual purchase orders will be executed to
authorize each purchase within approved project authorizations and the total contract
amount. 
Lifecycle Cost and Savings 
The selection criteria will be composed of the total-cost-of-ownership (TCO), comfort,
maintainability, aesthetics, and Century Agenda environmental goals. A team will evaluate
the cost from a lifecycle perspective versus solely an upfront cost perspective and employ a
strategic vendor agreement to ensure a negotiated price is reached to guarantee the best
pricing for all anticipated future purchases. 

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8e                                 Page 5 of 5
Meeting Date: December 13, 2022 

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND 
None
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
(1)   Presentation 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
August 9, 2016 – The Commission authorized similar contract for standardized airport hold
room seating. 














Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).