Denver committee advances DIA advertising contract with JCDecaux

Denver City Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted 5-0 on June 17 to advance Resolution 26-0755, a proposed 10-year concession agreement with JCDecaux Airport, Inc. for advertising at Denver International Airport.

Airport staff and the contractor told committee members during the briefing that the revised deal would guarantee at least $184 million in rent to Denver over the contract term, plus an estimated $16 million in city tax revenue.

The public council record reviewed Wednesday night showed committee approval, not final adoption. The meeting agenda identified the item as a 10-year concession agreement at DIA under file PLANE-202578444, and the meeting detail page still listed the minutes as draft and did not show an available packet. Badger could not verify a final full-council vote in the public record available by late Wednesday.

Questions in committee focused on business-participation rules and how Denver is handling federal and city diversity programs while requirements are changing.

Airport staff told the committee the solicitation had closed before a federal interim final rule affecting Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification took effect Oct. 3, and that the award decision had already been made, so the rule change did not affect scoring or the selected vendor. Staff also said DIA is recertifying roughly 160 firms for its ACDBE pool and estimated that process could finish in the third or fourth quarter, pending FAA approval.

Officials also told council members that MWBE goals for future design and construction work tied to the advertising overhaul would be set later through Denver’s Division of Small Business Opportunity after that scope is submitted.

According to the committee briefing, the contract requires 2% small-business participation. JCDecaux said during the meeting it treats that number as a floor and expects to exceed it. Staff also said small-business work under the contract would include maintenance, cleaning and repairs through Jay Perez and Associates.

The available record does not show council members changing the contract terms before the committee vote, and Badger did not find an amended resolution or revised public packet in Denver’s Legistar files Wednesday night.

The main unresolved questions are what happens next at full council, when ACDBE recertification will finish, what MWBE goals DISBO will eventually set for later design and construction work, and whether the city will publicly track participation beyond the contract’s stated 2% small-business requirement.

JCDecaux said in a company press release that it was selected after a competitive bid process and that the contract would go to Denver City Council for consideration. But as of late June 17, the clearest verified action in the public local record was the committee’s 5-0 vote to move the deal forward, not final council approval.