According to a study by Airports Council International, America’s airport infrastructure needs between now and 2021 are estimated to be nearly $100 billion and continuing to rise annually. Capital improvement program needs include terminal buildings, airfield improvements and surface access programs. Faced with aging infrastructure and increased passenger travel demand, airports are planning and implementing critical capital improvement projects that are necessary to modernize facilities, improve safety and enhance the passenger experience.
To ensure that capital improvement projects have the best chance for successful outcomes, it is essential to engage stakeholders who have a vested interest in the airport due to their power to influence outcomes. Airport stakeholders can be internal and external, and may include airlines, employees, tenants, passengers, government authorities, local communities, suppliers, media and unions.
Airports by their nature are complex facilities that involve a wide range of stakeholders who often have differing objectives. As an advisor for our airport and airline clients, it is often the responsibility of the consultant to be actively engaged in the community outreach program. From chairing outreach meetings and providing responses to stakeholder comments, the overarching objective is to maintain project schedule, budget, and scope through a proactive and responsive communications program.
At times, we may fall into the trap of waiting to receive feedback at the end of the project, rather than soliciting input in the beginning. We believe that developing a structured approach to engaging stakeholders on complex projects greatly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the design team and ensures delivery of a tailored product.
Engaging stakeholders in the early phases of a project allows for the design team to collect input early and hopefully reduce feedback later. By effectively collecting input, the project team can ‘visit the future’ and incorporate stakeholder comments during the design that would have normally been received after a deliverable.
Frontloaded coordination with stakeholders improves the overall efficiency of a project by avoiding re-work caused by addressing feedback. Allowing for stakeholder input also fosters a sense of trust by providing everyone an opportunity to be heard. Most airfield projects require compromises by the airport and the stakeholders to successfully construct a quality project on an active airfield. Having established a foundation of trust and inclusion can make the involved parties more receptive to necessary changes and compromises. In contrast, if stakeholders are not involved in the development of the project plan, they will feel the impacts are being imposed upon them and thus will be much less receptive and cooperative during the process.
The benefits of engaging stakeholders early in the design process have been noticed by owners and consultants alike. For example, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has formalized the coordination with their Stakeholder Engagement Process (SEP). The SEP at SFO is a structured process that requires project teams to chair early input meeting, review alternatives and the collaborative development of project design criteria with the stakeholders during the planning and programming phase. By recording the outcomes of the SEP in a published binder for each project, SFO effectively aligns expectations between stakeholders and the design team and increases the likelihood of enjoying an Exception Project outcome or EPO.
“SFO uses the Stakeholder Engagement Process to ensure our designers develop plans that meet the needs and expectations of our stakeholders,” said Christopher McManus, San Francisco International Airport project manager - planning, design & construction.
The HNTB design teams regularly enjoy successful project outcomes because of stakeholder engagement. Our work at Van Nuys Airport on the 16R project is a prime example of the power of developing open lines of communication with the primary airport businesses. These relationships have allowed HNTB and Los Angeles World Airport to approach the Taxiway A & B project with confidence that we can work through the complex project phasing with the airport users and find a reasonable solution.
From day one on the project, we have been identifying a road map of how to integrate the stakeholders in the design process and have held several meetings and forums to review and discuss the objectives, constraints, and opportunities. Through this process, we are on track for an equitable phasing solution that allows for a quality project to be constructed within the available FAA funding while limiting impacts to airport users.
“In addition to bringing technical expertise, it is vitally important for the project team to understand potential operational impacts and develop a strong working relationship with key stakeholders, especially airport tenants, early in the design process. This collaborative approach results in optimal solutions, minimal disruptions to airport users and operators, and successful project execution,” said Flora Margheritis, airport manager for Van Nuys Airport.
Stakeholder engagement is a vitally important element of any airport construction or capital improvement project and requires strong relationship and communications skills. By building trust and openly communicating regularly with stakeholders early in the process, challenges can be addressed and overcome through collaboration and cooperation. In this way, everyone benefits.
James W. Long, PE serves as project manager, aviation infrastructure for HNTB Corporation, a national infrastructure solutions firm in the firm’s Los Angeles headquarters. He is responsible for the marketing, negotiation, and delivery of high-quality civil engineering services to airports throughout the Southwest. His airfield project portfolio is highlighted with examples of complex construction phasing plans, intricate aircraft gating layouts, and extensive stakeholder coordination. HNTB Corporation moved into the top six ranking of airport consulting firms in the U.S. according to Engineering News-Record’s Top Design Firms Sourcebook for 2017.
