Some members of selection committee want more clarity on aviation aspects of project management proposals
The committee charged with choosing a consultant to oversee the possible overhaul of Louis Armstrong International Airport on Wednesday put off its decision for at least a week so its members can further review proposals from four companies. The deferral followed hourlong presentations by three Poydras Street firms -- Jacobs Project Management Co., Lambert Engineers LLC and Parsons Brinckerhoff -- and Washington-based Tricentennial Aviation Partners.
A contract selection committee on Wednesday put off for at least a week its choice for a firm to manage the potential overhaul of Louis Armstrong International Airport.
In technical parlance that at times left even government bureaucrats scratching their heads, each company laid out how its team would manage the transformation of the aging airport into the "world-class" facility that Mayor Mitch Landrieu has said he wants.
"I don't think there were any softball, minor-league presentations today. They all seemed very well qualified," said Oliver Wise, director of the city's Office of Performance and Accountability and a member of the five-person selection panel.
Norman Foster, the city's chief financial officer and another member of the panel, said that while the aviation-related aspects of the proposals might have been second-nature to airport staffers, he wants to run some details past his City Hall colleagues who specialize in capital projects.
The selection committee also includes airport deputy directors Walter Krygowski, Raymond Nutall and Michelle Wilcut.
Landrieu last summer suggested two plans that could realize his vision for a top-notch airport: expanding the existing facility by adding new terminals to the west, or constructing a new main terminal on airport-owned property between the current airport and Interstate 10, adjacent to dense Kenner neighborhoods. Officials appear to favor constructing a new terminal and converting the current facility into a cargo facility.
The firms competing to oversee the effort would analyze the options, then work with other consultants -- architects, environmental engineers, land-use experts and financial advisers -- to see it through, airport officials have said.
Together, the deals are expected to cost $7.5 million. The city plans to award each contract separately and to have them all in place by late spring.
Whether the deferral of a recommendation on the pivotal project-management component until Feb. 8 -- at the earliest -- alters that timeline was not immediately clear.
An Aviation Board committee is slated to consider the selection panel's choice on Feb. 9, with the full board expected to weigh in a week later, said Ray Moran, the airport's chief procurement officer.
One key aspect missing from every presentation Wednesday was cost. In line with federal regulations governing the procurement of professional services, the city must select a firm "based purely on qualifications," then negotiate a price, Moran said.
Michelle Krupa can be reached at mkrupa@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3312.