Denver airport officials seek council approval to extend $79.6 million public-area security contract

Denver International Airport leaders asked the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 20 to forward to the full City Council a proposed five-year contract with ACTS Airport Services worth $79,553,656.26, saying the procurement will maintain security coverage across terminal and curbside public areas.

Phil Washington, chief executive officer of Denver International Airport, and senior airport staff described the contract as three base years with two one-year options that would continue vehicle patrols in public lots, monitor sterile-area exits, staff curbside access and support event access management. Sarah Marquez, senior vice president of airport operations, said the contract was the top-ranked bidder in a competitive RFP that produced eight qualified proposals and noted the contract includes a 5% MWBE goal and training requirements for guards.

Airport officials said the vendor will enforce trespassing rules, assist with alarm response and coordinate with Denver Police Department when an enforcement intervention is required. Marquez said DEN operates its own airport emergency dispatch/secondary PSAP to send local responders directly to airport locations and that Denver Health paramedics are used for medical emergencies. Staff also described reporting options including a customer-relations call center, an anonymous "Dear DEN" reporting tool and a CSAE app used at multiple airports.

Councilmembers pressed airport leaders for specifics on accountability, training and identification. The Council President asked how residents file complaints about third-party security guards and how discipline is handled after incidents, citing past problems at Union Station involving contractor personnel. Marquez said the contract contains compliance language and a continuous inspection program administered by the airport security team and promised to provide formal contract-language clarifications on reporting and discipline procedures.

Washington addressed a separate security issue during the same presentation: he said the airport convened a May 11 perimeter-security review after a breach tied to a Frontier flight incident, has initiated a perimeter physical-security assessment that includes law enforcement and security consultants, is conducting a peer review with other large airports, and will bring additional information to the committee on July 1. Washington said some details are being withheld from public materials while ongoing NTSB and TSA reviews proceed.

Committee action: the committee moved, seconded and approved forwarding the ACTS contract to the full City Council for consideration without abstentions noted. Vice Chair Chris Hines said the item will proceed to the full body. No final contract award or council vote occurred during the committee meeting.

What happens next: Airport staff said they will provide the committee the requested contract language about reporting and discipline, and they will return with an update on perimeter security on July 1. The full City Council will receive the referral for consideration.

Attribution note: Quotes and attributions in this article come from committee meeting remarks by Phil Washington (CEO, Denver International Airport), Sarah Marquez (Senior Vice President, Airport Operations, Denver International Airport), and identified councilmembers and committee leadership as noted in the transcript.