San Antonio staff recommend $40M airfield design, $35M Terminal A/B contract and release presolicitation for centralized receiving center

San Antonio airport officials briefed the City Council B session on Jan. 28, 2026, recommending selection of firms for major design contracts and releasing a pre‑solicitation for a centralized receiving and distribution center at San Antonio International Airport. Jesus, director of airports, said staff will bring final contract approvals to an A session after council feedback and review.

The presentation covered three related procurements. For the airfield design (ASIP), Jesus said the request for qualifications carried a $40,000,000 contract value, funded by FAA grants and aviation capital funds, to begin preliminary work aimed at converting taxiway/runway configurations (13R/13L) and increasing long‑term capacity. Jesus said two firms—Kimley Horn and Aricent H—advanced to final interviews and that Kimley Horn "came out as a as a successful respondent," a recommendation staff asked council to support and move forward to an A session for final approval.

On Terminal A and B, staff described a $35,000,000 RFQ for architectural design services intended to align A and B with the Terminal C design standards and modernize security checkpoints, ticketing, gate hold room space and long‑term concessions. Jesus said 13 firms responded, eight were interviewed and HOK (Helmuth, Obata & Kassabaum) was recommended. A member of the evaluation team noted HOK impressed reviewers with creative options and tiered cost scenarios, though the firm’s highest tier exceeded the preapproved carrier budgets.

The third item was a pre‑solicitation for a centralized receiving and distribution center (CRDC). Jesus said the CRDC would move incoming goods, concession supplies and trash processing off the public concourse into a secured, sterilized off‑site facility with freight‑elevator delivery during non‑peak hours. He described the CRDC procurement as an RFP with an estimated contract value of approximately $11.25 million over 10 years (with a 5‑year renewal option) and said funding would come from the airport’s O&M budget. Staff outlined evaluation weights (30 points experience/qualifications, 30 points project understanding and management plan, 20 points pricing, 10 points local preference, 5 points veteran‑owned small business, 5 points small business prime) and named evaluation committee members, which include the assistant city manager and airport concession and TSA representatives.

Council members voiced broad support but pressed staff for additional detail and transparency. Councilmember Spears urged continued federal advocacy for runway work, saying the project is a federal priority. Councilmember White asked how the CRDC would improve operations; Jesus said centralization and sterilization would reduce on‑terminal storage, improve concessionaires’ stocking efficiency and move deliveries to off‑peak windows. Councilmember Aldo Antiguido requested an updated milestone schedule; Jesus agreed to provide a Gantt chart of project timelines.

Several councilors questioned why initial evaluation rankings shifted after interviews. Jesus and evaluation team members explained that interview performance, demonstrated local commitment and construction phasing plans influenced final scoring. Toriel, the city’s chief financial officer, clarified procurement constraints: the first two solicitations were RFQs that are typically statutorily driven and, when federally funded or FAA‑eligible, limit the use of local preference points; the CRDC is an RFP funded from O&M and therefore may include local and veteran preference points.

Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez asked about mentor‑protege and local‑firm participation; staff said the airport intentionally pairs national prime firms with local partners and highlighted past outreach and fellowships intended to grow local aviation capacity. Councilmember Villagran asked staff to provide names of interviewers and scoring panels to explain point changes between initial and final evaluations; Jesus agreed to follow up with that information.

Jesus emphasized the projects are long‑range efforts, not immediate changes, and said Terminal C remains on schedule — roughly 28 months from opening — and that design work for A and B will align terminals across the airport campus. Staff requested council support to proceed with their recommendations; staff will take the finalized post‑solicitations to an A session for formal approval. The meeting adjourned at 2:49 p.m.; a public comment period was scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

Quotes used in this article come from the Jan. 28, 2026 City of San Antonio B session briefing and are attributed to speakers appearing in the official transcript.