PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA               Item No.      6e 
ACTION ITEM 
Date of Meeting     August 9, 2016 
DATE:    August 1, 2016 
TO:      Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:   Michael Ehl, Director Aviation Operations 
SUBJECT:  Airport Hold Room Standardized Seating Procurement 
Amount of This Request:    $0 
Maximum Value of      $20,000,000 
Contract: 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to advertise and execute a
long-term contract for up to 10 years for airport seating. 
SYNOPSIS 
This memorandum requests authorization to execute a long-term, strategic agreement with a
manufacturer for airport hold room seating. Purchases will take place over the next 10 years, and
the new seating standard will be determined through the competitive solicitation process. 
Key Benefits: 
Allows for selection of a new standard based on a holistic assessment of benefits to
include: total-cost-of-ownership, aesthetics, comfort, amenities such as electrical power
(plugs and/or USB), cup holders, etc. sustainability, durability, and maintainability. 
In support of the Century Agenda Goals for small business, RFP seating specifications
will require the vendor/distributor to be a small business. Market research and outreach
with manufacturers known for airport seating has indicated that several manufacturers
have, or are willing to establish, a relationship with small business vendor/ distributor, in
support of Port goals. 
Allows the airport to secure a better price by taking advantage of large planned
purchases. Aviation staff have identified a requirement for more than 8,000 seating units
over the next 5 to 10 years due to passenger growth, facility development, and expected
new facilities. 
Enables the Port to evaluate newest advances in gate seating amenities  including
electrical outlets, soft seating options, and the capability to integrate with potential
food/retail ordering technology such as tablet devices  and durable  materials that
incorporate recycled and recyclable content. 

Template revised May 30, 2013.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
August 1, 2016 
Page 2 of 5 
BACKGROUND 
Since 1973, the airport has purchased Herman Miller Eames Tandem seating as our hold room
standard for all airport gates where the Port provides the seating. Airport gate seating is a
significant factor in passenger experience. In a 2012 report on Factors Affecting Passenger
Comfort in the Waiting/Gate Areas, passengers define seating as not only the availability of a
chair but also the location of the chair in relation to their gate, the width of the seat, and the
amount of room around the seat for leg room and luggage. Passengers expressed an interest in
recliners, cushioned seats, footrests and headrests as well as cup holders. Some mix of seating
arrangement or cluster seating was preferred with less of a continuous-row formation. Only
about 60% of the seats in the traditional row or straight-line seating arrangement are actually
used for seating. This results from the fact that approximately 70% of all airline passengers are
travelling alone and prefer not to sit in very close proximity to strangers. Increasingly, access to
electrical power is becoming an expectation for passengers, and we currently provide power for
30% of our customers. 
PROJECT JUSTIFICATION AND DETAILS 
This is the right time to reevaluate the seating standard for four reasons: 
Airport gate seating is critical to customer experience 
Passenger preferences have shifted in regard to demand for a mix of cluster and straight-
line seating and access to electrical power 
Significant evolution has occurred in airport gate seating that will enable the Port to
select a standard that best meets customer desires while maximizing value 
Over the next 5 to 10 years, the Port will purchase more than 8,500 seats, enabling the
Port to lock-in advantageous pricing based on economies of scale 
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport lags behind our Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey
scores for gate comfort. Any improvement will be a "win" given the volume of increased
passenger traffic and the disruption of various construction projects that are likely to have a
particularly negative effect on gate comfort. 
The Port will conduct a competitive process to select the manufacturer of the products.  The
selection of one manufacturer to supply airport-wide hold room seating will ensure the airport
adheres to the architecture standards of the facility while staying contemporary, maintaining 
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, and improving the passenger experience
and overall customer service. 




Revised March 28, 2016  pjw

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
August 1, 2016 
Page 3 of 5 
Below is a list of known seating requirements. 
Project                Number of Seats     Desired First Seat Delivery Date 
B Ramp Level Hold Room     ~150           May 2017 
Concourses B & C         ~3,200           After Contract Execution, no driver 
D Hardstand Terminal      ~1,100           April 2018 
North Satellite           ~2,100            November 2018 
IAF                    <100            Q4 2019 
South Satellite           ~2,100            2021 
Project Objectives 
Improve External Customer Service 
Become one of the top customer service airports in North America 
Improve ASQ survey scores for "Comfort of Waiting/Gate Areas" from 3.85 to our goal
of 4.14, and maintain top 5 ranking in comparison with our ASQ panel 
Schedule 
We intend to execute a contract by December 2016. 
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 within the total contract amount. 
Lifecycle Cost and Savings 
The  selection criteria will be composed of 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 best pricing for all
anticipated future purchases. 
STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES 
This request for contract authorization is aligned with the Aviation Division's goal 1.5.1.1
Improve External Customer Service, and directly supports the Aviation Division's Goal of
becoming one of the top customer service airports in North America, the division objective of
improving our ASQ Gate Comfort score from 3.85 to 4.14 by Q4 2021, and the division action to
Implement a Gate Comfort Improvement Initiative. 

Revised March 28, 2016  pjw

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
August 1, 2016 
Page 4 of 5 
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED 
Alternative 1  Status Quo: Maintain Herman Miller as the airport gate seating standard for Sea-
Tac International Airport 
Cost Implications: $22,000,000 (10% higher than the preferred Option 3) 
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 allow assessment of new seating options that may have been introduced since
2003 
(2) 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 Sea-Tac International Airport.
Allow discrete projects to determine and incorporate seating individually. 
Cost Implications: Likely $22,000,000 or more 
Pros: 
(1) Contractors may be able to obtain better prices for large purchases of gate seating across
multiple projects at multiple airports 
(2) Provides individual project designers and architects with more autonomy to use gate
seating to sculpt the desired experience 
Cons: 
(1) Will result in inconsistency in Airport seating, increasing maintenance and inventory
costs 
(2) Likely to have higher costs than using the Port's purchasing power from coordinated
purchasing across multiple projects 
(3) Could shift the cost decision to the cheapest upfront cost and reduce our ability to have
the lowest seating TCO perspective 
(4) Limits the Port's ability to have consistent Century Agenda environmental goals included
in the selection process 
This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 3  Execute a long-term contract for airport seating 
Cost Implications: $20,000,000 (10% savings over Option 1) 
Pros: 
(1) Allows for rigorous process to determine the optimal seating selection based on balance
of cost, passenger experience, maintainability, and green principles. 

Revised March 28, 2016  pjw

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
August 1, 2016 
Page 5 of 5 
(2) Enables Port to negotiate for best price by using coordinated purchasing for planned
purchases over next five years. 
(3) Enables Port to execute the time intensive task of Total-Cost-of-Ownership in order to
select the best seat standards. 
Cons: 
(1) Increased engagement from Port resources necessary to take full advantage of
opportunity and select correct product 
This is the recommended alternative. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
Computer slide presentation 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
None 











Revised March 28, 2016  pjw