Committee forwards airport engineering services agreement with MLEN to full council with no recommendation after local-outreach concerns

City staff asked the finance committee to forward a five‑year basic engineering services agreement with Mlullen Consulting Engineering Incorporated (MLEN) to the full council. Staff said the FAA requires solicitation of engineering qualifications every five years and recommended MLEN based on aviation experience.

"The reason we'd like to go with Mlullen Engineers is due to their aviation experience," a staff member said, noting MLEN's aviation portfolio and attendance at FAA and state aviation conferences. Staff also noted the RFQ was advertised statewide once a week for two weeks.

Several committee members asked why the city had not directly contacted local firms, whether pricing had been requested (staff said no prices were requested for this qualifications-based solicitation), and whether local firms had adequate notice of the RFQ. Staff said the process complied with legal advertising requirements and that each individual project would still go out for bid; MLEN would serve as the city’s engineer for airport projects and would be engaged on a per-project basis.

After extended discussion about local economic impacts and outreach, the committee moved to forward item three to the full council with no recommendation so the full council may consider the contract and any additional outreach or process changes.

Committee discussion noted the contract term is five years and that staff will provide information on the expiration date of the current agreement at the next meeting.