San Antonio council briefed on three major airport contracts; staff cites $260M CMAR, $12M kiosk system and Terminal C concessions push

City of San Antonio officials on Wednesday briefed the council on three major solicitations tied to the San Antonio International Airport and said the airport won a $10,000,000 Airport Terminal Program award to help fund the terminal program.

The briefing covered (1) a construction manager at risk (CMAR) procurement for renovations to Terminal A and Terminal B, (2) a request for competitive sealed proposals for a common‑use passenger processing kiosk system and (3) a pre‑solicitation for Terminal C concessions. "Today we have three solicitations related to the airport, all large high‑profile contracts," Jeff Coyle, assistant city manager, told council. He added that the $10,000,000 ATP award is the largest for any medium hub in the country in this round.

Why it matters: The contracts will shape passenger experience and airport revenues for years. Staff emphasized competition, local participation and standards to avoid repeating prior procurement missteps. "We will certainly take your feedback," Jesus, the airport project lead, said, describing plans to prioritize preconstruction planning, schedule alignment and design standards in the CMAR selection.

Most important facts: Staff said the CMAR solicitation followed a two‑step RFQ→RFP process that produced three finalists — a Manhattan/JV, Skanska USA and Austin Commercial — and that the CMAR contract amount in the solicitation is $260,000,000, with total project costs including soft costs and contingencies approaching $300,000,000 funded from the airport's aviation capital funds. Jesus said the evaluation emphasized preconstruction planning, staffing and prior aviation renovation experience.

On passenger processing, staff described a common‑use kiosk RFCSP with an estimated value of $12,000,000 for a five‑year term plus two one‑year options to expedite check‑in for non‑signatory carriers. "These are common‑use kiosks that we provide throughout the airport to expedite processing for our passengers," Jesus said, noting a turnkey readiness goal and scoring that prioritizes implementation, training and software maintenance.

On concessions, staff outlined a large Terminal C pre‑solicitation split into multiple packages — retail, food & beverage, duty‑free and others — totaling roughly 35,000–36,000 square feet of concessions. Jesus said the first‑year minimum annual guarantee for the packaged parcels is about $8,600,000. The RFP will separately package duty‑free and will include scoring elements and an expressed preference to maximize local participation; staff said a 46% local participation target guided parcel design and scoring, and staff expects to exceed previous local participation levels.

Council concerns and staff responses: Several council members pressed staff on protecting competition and preventing one vendor from capturing multiple large packages. The mayor asked how the city would prevent a single firm from winning most packages; staff responded the city intends to encourage multiple bidders and will include enforceable performance standards — minimum operating hours, performance sanctions, default provisions and reinvestment requirements — in contracts. Jeff Coyle noted the right to award multiple packages is retained to avoid re‑solicitation delays when a single, clearly superior proposal emerges.

Council members also asked about timing, passenger impacts and funding. Jesus said major renovation construction is expected only after 90% design is reached and cited a target of beginning construction around the late‑2020s design milestone to avoid overlapping work with Terminal C. Jeff told council the airport has secured roughly $188,000,000 in federal grants since 2022 and continues to pursue larger grants for roadway and loop projects.

Other details: Anne, a subject matter expert on concessions, explained that duty‑free operations sell a broad range of products but that alcohol and tobacco are "duty paid" and limited to outbound international travelers who must demonstrate international travel eligibility. Tim O'Kronley, deputy director, said Terminal C will include dedicated lactation rooms and that the airport has incorporated more than 166 accessibility suggestions into design work.

What happens next: Staff plans solicitation releases in the months ahead — the kiosk solicitation release was targeted in May with proposals due in July and a post‑solicitation briefing planned for fall; concessions and CMAR solicitation schedules were outlined with evaluation periods and a return to council for post‑solicitation approval later in the year. Staff emphasized outreach efforts, industry days and technical assistance to help local vendors participate.

The council did not vote on any items during the briefing; staff said they will return with post‑solicitation reports, recommended awards and final contract documents for council action.