Denver council approves $248.3 million in DIA contracts
The three agreements cover North Terminal Expansion management, baggage-system operations and maintenance, and passenger-train modernization. Records do not disclose procurement methods or implementation schedules.
Denver City Council approved three contracts totaling $248,321,522.92 for projects at Denver International Airport, including North Terminal Expansion management, baggage-system operations and maintenance, and modernization of the airport’s passenger train system.
The council adopted the three resolutions en bloc on Aug. 10 with 12 votes in favor and none opposed, according to the official council minutes. The total excludes any separately priced or exercised option years; the public records reviewed do not disclose option pricing.
The largest agreement, Resolution 26-1076, awards $135 million to Mile High Delivery Partners Joint Venture for program-management support for the North Terminal Expansion. The agreement runs for 10 years from contract approval, according to the Legistar matter record.
A city project document says the expansion is intended to increase passenger-processing capacity and improve check-in, security screening, baggage handling and international-processing facilities. The records reviewed do not establish a construction completion date, opening date or schedule of passenger disruptions.
Resolution 26-1077 authorizes an $83.32 million agreement with BEUMER Lifecycle Management LLC for operations and maintenance of DIA’s Individual Carrier System, the airport’s baggage-handling system. It has a five-year base term and a possible five-year option, the city’s matter record says. The records do not identify a start date, service guarantees, planned outages or projected effects on baggage delays or passenger wait times.
The third agreement, Resolution 26-1078, provides $30 million to Lea & Elliott Inc. for technical and programmatic support for DIA’s Automated Guideway Transit System Revitalization Program. The contract has a five-year base term with two one-year extension options, according to the Legistar record.
DIA has said the broader modernization effort will replace or upgrade aging guideway switches, signaling software and the train’s power-distribution system and expand the maintenance facility. The airport says the work is intended to improve reliability and resiliency. DIA reported in February that the passenger train serves more than 150,000 riders a day and that 19 additional train cars were scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028. Those remain future plans as of Aug. 14, 2026; the council’s action did not establish a public schedule for construction, service interruptions or replacement transportation.
The three resolutions followed review by the council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Aug. 5. The public Legistar summaries and Aug. 10 minutes reviewed for this story do not state whether the contracts resulted from a request for proposals, competitive bidding, a sole-source process or another procurement method. They also do not provide solicitation numbers, notice-to-proceed dates or detailed project milestones.
The contracts commit the city to long-term support for projects intended to increase airport processing capacity and improve baggage and train-system reliability, but the records do not show when passengers will see specific changes or whether construction and maintenance will cause disruptions.