Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport in the US state of Wisconsin handled roughly 6.9m passengers in 2017. Source: Visit Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee County Department of Transportation has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a series of concessions at General Mitchell International Airport.

Proposals are sought to develop, build, finance, manage and operate news and gift retail, speciality retail and retail service concessions across a total of approximately 14,540sq ft of space.

Contracts run for 10 years with three one-year mutually renewable extension options that include a timeframe for further terminal enhancements. The bid deadline is set at 25 January at 15:00pm (CET).

Package A covers news & gift and speciality retail at eight locations in the main hall area of the terminal (pre-security) and on concourses C and D. Package B spans speciality retail and/or retail services at three locations including one pre-security in the main hall and two at concourses C and D. Proposers can apply to operate either or both packages.

A total of 11 concessions have been put out to bid at General Mitchell International Airport. Source: The Milwaukee County Department of Transportation.

SENSE OF PLACE FOCUS

The RFP feeds into the airport’s plan to reconfigure its retail concessions programme, which features new pre- and post-security retail concessions and amenities to improve the passenger experience in a way that captures the Milwaukee and Wisconsin *’sense of place’.

Proposals will be weighted equally on concession planning and development experience (50%) and construction and development experience (50%).

The awarded party will pay a concession fee to the County, which calculates as the greater of the minimum annual guarantee or the revenue share percentage.

MAG in the first year is set and will henceforth be adjusted based on 85% of the previous year’s rent paid, but no less than the first year’s MAG.

Source: Visit Milwaukee.

Proposers will pay the County a revenue share percentage should it exceed the MAG paid and will bid a percentage of gross revenues for the entire retail programme they operate and manage that will be shared with the County in each year of the contract. Percentages proposed cannot be less than the year prior.

If annual revenues are greater than $15,500,000 annually, the proposer will pay a revenue override percentage. Proposers can bid a percentage of the gross revenues above the percentage used to calculate the concession fee and this applies across the entire retail programme.

Expertise in airport concession planning, design, development, financing, construction and general management is a pre-requisite for proposers, who will align the concessions management programme in line with the County’s objectives.

A pre-bid meeting is due to take place pre-security at the main terminal mall area behind Miller Brewhouse on 16 November at 9:00am (CET).

For further information contact: [email protected]

*According to the RFP document, sense of place includes – but is not limited to – a theme, use of materials, architectural features, signage and street lighting with the chosen proposal agreeing to accept any future guidelines adopted by the County of GMIA and its tenants. This also includes national brands as part of the mix.