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Airport advisory board recommends lease of Lot 32 to Fontaine after appeal over RFP envelope rules
Summary
Bonner County Airport Advisory Board reviewed an appeal from 7B Aviation over an RFP technicality, discussed RFP clarity and scoring, and voted to recommend a lease for Lot 32 to Fontaine. The board asked staff to add a submission checklist and proceed with Lot 33 with a 45–60 day response window.
The Bonner County Airport Advisory Board voted to recommend that the Bonner County Commissioners enter into a lease for Lot 32 at Sandpoint Airport with Fontaine, following a formal review of proposals and an appeal over RFP submission requirements.
The advisory board considered a written appeal from 7B Aviation alleging conflicting submission instructions in the RFP and arguing that its envelope met the deadline despite missing the RFP’s required exterior date notation. The appeal named principals Ariel Grace Smith, John Smith, Larry Moore Cummins and Skyler Smith and asked the board to reconsider rejecting their proposal for a technical envelope deficiency.
The board’s review covered the RFP language, the county attorney’s prior guidance and the selection matrix used to score proposals. Airport Manager Dave Shuck summarized that three submissions were received, one failed to meet the stated submission criteria and therefore had not been forwarded to the selection committee. Shuck told the board that the RFP required that submitters write the due date on the exterior of their envelope and that two of the three submissions had complied while one had not.
Members debated whether to waive the requirement for this one submittal. Some board members urged strict adherence to the written criteria to preserve fairness and protect against future challenges. Others said the technical discrepancy felt minor and proposed allowing the submission to be considered. The board discussed options including asking the county attorney to review the appeal, holding a special meeting to consider all three proposals together, or leaving the previous exclusion in place and proceeding with the two compliant proposals.
After discussion, a motion was made and seconded to recommend Fontaine for Lot 32 based on the scoring matrix outcomes. The advisory board recorded a roll-call recommendation vote: Ken Lee — Aye; Dave Shuck — Yes; Jeff Conley — Aye; Joe Grant — Aye; Gavin — Aye. Motion passes; the board will forward the recommendation to the Bonner County Commissioners for final action.
The board also agreed to several procedural follow-ups: staff will respond to the appellant explaining the board’s consideration; staff will add a clear checklist to future RFP materials to reduce envelope/formatting errors; the board intends to release the RFP for Lot 33 within one to two weeks with a 45–60 day response window; and the board discussed holding a short special meeting within roughly 2–3 weeks if members want to re-score materials after the inclusion of any previously excluded submission.
The advisory board noted the process remains discretionary under the county’s RFP language, which allows the county to accept or reject proposals “in its sole discretion.” The board said the scoring matrix approach will continue to be used but that some clarifications (checklist, clearer definitions of categories such as “end user”) will be added for future solicitations.
The decision is a recommendation to the county commissioners; the commissioners will execute any lease and finalize terms.
