Chip Ingraham Quoted in Atlanta Business Chronicle

The July 28th issue of the Atlanta Business Chronicle  reports on the latest development in the ongoing legal battle at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Nearly a year since the airport chief fired the team he hired to design a new international terminal at the airport, he has now asked the Atlanta City Council for approval to hire a new team to design a new terminal for a cost of $8.5 million. It’s emphasized that the first team had won a competitive bid for the project, whereas the new team are “on-call contractors,” who have been pre-approved by the city to do miscellaneous work.

While some question the need for another international terminal, the chief justifies the cost and believes that continued investment is crucial to maintain the airport’s title as the “busiest passenger airport in the world.” 

The original design team claims that the airport had no cause to dismiss it, and that the airport chief and staff had been informed of escalating costs that resulted from necessary design elements. That team sued the city in September for damages and harm to their reputation, and a court date isn’t expected until next summer.

Chip Ingraham, “who represents the (original) design team, says the airport chief didn’t go through an official bidding process to select the new design team, but instead asked council to approve two ‘on-call’ contractors to pick up the pieces of the international terminal design. He isn’t sure that’s legal. He believes the city’s provision for pre-approved contractors was never meant for contracts as large as $8.5 million. He also wonders what criteria the chief used to chose the contractors or how thoroughly he checked their credentials to execute a project this size. And, says Ingraham, the price for the work undoubtedly will rise above $8.5 million before the design is completed. The work done by the first team has amounted to about $40 million, Ingraham said. The city still owes the team $6 million, he contends.”