Airport Saves Big on Vertical Transportation Through OMNIA Partners

An airport serving more than 22 million passengers per year – including more than 1 million traveling internationally – is one of the busiest single-runway airports in the world. In that high-volume environment, efficient vertical transportation is the key to customer satisfaction.

When this airport announced plans for a major redevelopment, the OMNIA Partners cooperative contract generated savings and efficiencies – even with an incumbent provider of elevators and escalators. Working with KONE to establish the most appropriate method for procurement of products and services, the airport found a new avenue for negotiation and saved the administrative time and expense associated with resoliciting the contract.

The cooperative contract provided a productive, streamlined process, rapid improvement of onsite experiences within vertical transportation operations, value comparable to competitive offerings, and the confidence that comes from working with a trusted partner.

The Challenge: Gaining Efficiencies

Elevators and escalators in this international airport must be reliable, dependable and deliver maximum uptime. In the context of a major redevelopment project, airport leaders identified the need for efficiencies and standardizations as the key to optimized uptime.

To achieve that goal, they placed priority on Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), project management expertise, equipment compatibility and the value of a trusted partner for maintenance and modernization projects.

View the entire OMNIA Partners cooperative contract portfolio.

The Results: Value and Efficiencies

Seeking to work with key stakeholders to establish the most appropriate method for products and services, this airport utilized the OMNIA Partners cooperative contract for KONE maintenance and modernization projects. “It was a valuable resource for equipment acquisition,” says the Director of Procurement and Contract Services, “especially since there was also room for additional negotiation.”

By conducting market research, the airport left nothing to chance. When KONE offered cost-saving measures, providing value comparable to competitive offerings, the airport was confident that it was making the right decision. “This facility is constantly improving and expanding, and there are a lot of efficiencies when we can standardize equipment,” the Director of Procurement and Contract Services says. “Plus, KONE provides monitoring, maintenance and training with standardized equipment, and that applies to modernization of existing equipment as well as equipment planned as part of the redevelopment.”

Operational Effectiveness and Confidence

The cooperative contract also improved operational effective-ness. Because KONE classified the airport redevelopment as a major project, the KONE Major Projects team became involved. Supported by local branch operations, that heightened level of collaboration ensured design, engineering and delivery were being managed to meet the customer’s expectations.

Marked by intense review and face-to-face presentations, the RFP process is both time-consuming and costly. All the cooperative contracts in the OMNIA Partners portfolio were competitively solicited and publicly awarded by a public agency utilizing industry best practices. Other airports and agencies nationwide can “piggyback” off the contract as the RFP process had already been done for them. Use of the cooperative contract’s comprehensive contract package accelerated the project start date, delivering rapid improvement on customer experiences with vertical transportation operations.

This airport’s relationship with KONE allowed customization of local needs. Because most of the airport’s elevators and escalators were manufactured by KONE, retaining the OEM as a trusted partner will benefit both the facilities team and travelers. The airport has confidence in KONE’s commitment to keep equipment running and meet project timelines.

Available through OMNIA Partners, Public Sector, KONE is a global supplier of vertical transportation products and modernization services. KONE specializes in elevators, escalators, and moving walks. KONE designs, manufactures, installs, and provides modernization, maintenance, and repair services. To download the full case study, click here.

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