Construction Groups Demand Kansas City Reject Out-of-State Contractor for MCI Work

A group of local trade groups, unions and subcontractors, outraged that millions of dollars in work at Kansas City International Airport may go to an out-of-state company, are calling on the city government to step in.

In a news conference Tuesday, they criticized the proposed selection of ESCO Construction Co. of Colorado to lay concrete at the airport as part of the $1.5 billion single terminal project.

Since work began on the terminal in early 2019, numerous accusations have surfaced that the developer, Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, is not doing enough to ensure that subcontractors owned by minorities and women get a slice of the work. Edgemoor pledged that a combined 35% of the work would go to firms owned by minorities or women. And now, local subcontractors who bid to do portions of the concrete work at the airport say they’re being cut out in favor of ESCO.

“There is a weariness around people getting tired of being sold one thing and then when it comes time to do it, something else is done,” said Bridgette Williams, president of the Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City, a trade group.

In a news conference across from City Hall Tuesday, Williams called on Pat Klein, director of the city’s Aviation Department, to reject Edgemoor’s recommendation of ESCO. She and other local trade groups, unions and subcontractors favor Ideker Inc. of St. Joseph. She said that Ideker’s bid would cost $1.5 million more than ESCO’s, but that it would award subcontracts to several minority and women business enterprises, or M/WBEs, where ESCO included just one woman-owned firm, or WBE.

Neither Edgemoor nor the city’s aviation department would confirm information on the bids because it is an active procurement. Williams said her information came from Klein.

In a statement, Edgemoor said it was not appropriate for the company to comment on the bid as it is “currently under review and in negotiation.”

“The Edgemoor Team remains committed to delivering the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport on budget, on schedule and providing the best value for our client and airline partners,” the company said. “We are also committed to utilizing as many Kansas City businesses and local workforce as possible.”

ESCO declined to comment on the specifics of its proposal because the procurement process is still ongoing.

“We are aware that there are misrepresented allegations that have been made regarding ESCO’s proposal, however, ESCO has a successful history in complying with bid requirements and meeting the necessary local minority and women business enterprise project goals nationwide,” said Bob Parkin, a representative of the company. “ESCO Construction looks forward to working with the local union labor, subcontractors and the supplier community in Kansas City.”

Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, 3rd District, and Councilman Kevin O’Neill, 1st District at-large, attended the news conference in support of the push to reject ESCO.

Robinson said it was “unfortunate and unnecessary” that the group had to gather.

“This is a once-in-a-generation project, and just as I said then, I say today: that I will not remain silent until every penny that was meant for W/MBE companies are realized in this project,” Robinson said, adding that she was asking the terminal’s developers and Klein to select the firm “that ensures that African American-owned firms do not lose out on millions of dollars.”

Williams said local M/WBEs would miss out on $17 million in work if ESCO’s bid was selected over Ideker’s.

Edgemoor did not confirm that, and the department declined to comment on Williams’ request of Klein, saying that it does not comment on bids that are under review.

Councilwoman Teresa Loar, 2nd District at-large, who has previously complained about the treatment of minorities and women who want to work on the project, attended the press conference as an observer and criticized the effort to have the bid awarded to Ideker, the firm with purportedly more M/WBE participation. Loar said she was concerned the council’s involvement could cross a legal line.

“We can’t go and tell someone, ‘You have to hire these people because they’re our friends or they’re members of our organizations or you have to hire them,’” Loar said.

“I don’t support either bid yet. I support the process, and if the process is working, we should get a good bid.”

Loar cast doubt on the veracity of Williams’ numbers, claiming that ESCO had more M/WBE participation than Ideker.

Williams and Alise Martiny, of the Greater Kansas City Building and Trades Council, also questioned the qualifications of the WBE on ESCO’s team: G2 Construction. They claimed the firm, owned by Lisa Garney, did not have experience doing the kind of concrete work required and had purchased new equipment it has yet to practice using for the job.

But a city attorney informed the City Council via email last week after Williams and Martiny raised the issue in letters to the members that the city has certified G2 Construction to perform the work.

In a statement, Garney said the ESCO and G2 team was proud to learn it had won the work and she looked forward to being part of the project.

“I was disappointed to learn of closed door meetings and attempts made after the bidding had concluded to overturn the contractor and owners (KCAD) recommendation,” Garney said in a statement. “Together with ESCO, we appreciate the rigorous and fair bid process that the Aviation Department and Edgemoor continue to execute, and pledge to support the transparency of this process for the benefit of KC’s citizens.”

Council members discussed the bids in a closed session last week and are expected to do so again Thursday, said Councilwoman Katheryn Shields, 4th District at-large.

The terminal is expected to open in March 2023, just in time for Kansas City to host the NFL Draft.

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