Tucson Fuel Facilities, LLC (TFF) is a consortium of airlines that leases and operates the jet fuel systems for commercial carriers at Tucson International Airport (TUS). When TFF was ready to evaluate the condition of the fuel facility recently leased from the Tucson Airport Authority (TAA), it partnered with the firm that had designed the original facility: Burns & McDonnell.
After reviewing this 45-year-old facility, the team determined the state of the facility presented issues too significant to overcome. Some of these concerns included eight large, single-wall underground storage tanks and electrical components with outdated parts no longer available from the manufacturers.
With this information, TFF leaders then evaluated their options alongside the TAA, deciding the most effective decision was to build a brand-new fuel facility. However, this decision presented some potential issues. Details on exactly what was needed could not be determined until the design could be further along. Additionally, a lease amendment for the new facility would need to be finalized before the fuel consortium would be able to secure a loan for the project.
In an effort to move forward with the project and overcome these barriers, TFF requested that the Burns & McDonnell team finance the design portion of the work. As a long-term business partner that has assisted other clients in this matter, Burns & McDonnell agreed to finance the initial stage of the project. This would define the project scope and budget in a manner that assisted TFF with obtaining the project construction financing. This helped to fulfill the needs the fuel consortium had in completing the project.
By partnering with the fuel consortium, whose members represent multiple airlines throughout the country, the Burns & McDonnell team has accelerated the project by 12 months using a design-build delivery method. A fully operational facility will be designed and constructed by late 2021.
