# Tucson International Airport Construction: Bid Security, Bonds and DBE Changes URL: https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/projects/airport-and-port-construction/tucson-international-airport Updated: 2026-10-29 · Reviewed by the Principal, Gleason Insurance Brokers, LLC Publisher: My Contractors Insurance Quote, a website of Gleason Insurance Brokers, LLC Tucson International Airport is run by the Tucson Airport Authority, a nonprofit corporation that leases the airport, yet its bid documents place construction under Arizona's public works statutes in Title 34. A 2026 airfield bid called for a 10 percent bid bond on the base bid and all alternates from a non-individual surety, and it said TAA will no longer include DBE contract goals while it reevaluates its program under the USDOT interim final rule issued September 30, 2025. Insurance limits sit in the standard specifications, so each solicitation controls the final terms. ## Key Decision Points - The Tucson Airport Authority is a civic nonprofit corporation formed in 1948 that operates the airport under a lease expiring October 14, 2098. - TAA's bid documents say the work is subject to Title 34 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. - A 2026 invitation to bid called for 10 percent bid security on the base bid and all bid alternates, with no individual sureties. - TAA stopped including DBE contract goals under the USDOT interim final rule of September 30, 2025, but bidders still report subcontractors and payments. - Airfield work is paid in part with FAA and Arizona Department of Transportation money. - Contractor insurance limits are in the standard specifications, and we found no published wrap-up program for TAA. ## A Nonprofit Authority That Bids Like a Public Owner Tucson International Airport is not a City of Tucson department. Note 1 of the Authority's financial report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021, describes TAA as "a civic, nonprofit corporation" organized under Arizona law and established April 12, 1948. It also says the airport lease runs until October 14, 2098. TAA has its own board, its own business development office and its own bids page. That structure can lead a contractor to assume private-owner terms. TAA's own bid documents point the other way. The notice for its Airfield Safety Enhancement program, design-bid-build package 2, says "The Work to be performed will be subject to the provisions of Title 34 of the Arizona Revised Statutes," the same body of law that governs city and county public works. A bidder should read a TAA job as a Title 34 public works bid and confirm any departures in the solicitation. For how TAA compares with city and county airport owners, see [airport and seaport construction requirements](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/projects/airport-and-port-construction). ## Bid Security on the Base Bid Plus Every Alternate The Airfield Safety Enhancement notice, advertised February 26 and March 5, 2026, with a bid opening on April 7, 2026, required bid security for "ten per cent (10%) of the amount of the Base Bid and all Bid Alternates." The security could be a certified check, a cashier's check or a surety bond, and the bid bond form says it "shall not be executed by an individual surety or sureties" and is executed under A.R.S. 34-201. The words "and all Bid Alternates" matter on airfield jobs, where alternates for added paving, lighting or phasing can be large. A bid bond written as 10 percent of the base bid alone may not meet that wording, so the bond penalty or percentage language should be checked against the bid form before bid day. The same form ties award to delivery of "the bonds and certificates of insurance as specified in the standard specifications," so the contractor should know before bidding that its surety and its insurers can deliver on time. That bid has closed. Future TAA solicitations can set different terms, and each notice controls. For how bid bonds are underwritten and priced, see [bid bonds for public contracts](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/construction-surety-bonds/bid-bonds). ### Illustrative scenario: A Lighting Contractor Bids an Airfield Package with Alternates Catalina Airfield Electric, a Tucson electrical contractor, plans to bid an airfield lighting package for the Authority with a base bid of $6 million and two alternates adding $1.5 million. Its surety's standard bid bond reads 10 percent of the base bid, so the firm asks for a bond that covers the base bid and all alternates. It submits the escorted visitor badge request for the site walk, notes that the bid carries no DBE contract goal but still sets up subcontractor reporting and checks that its umbrella has no airport operations exclusion before pricing the specifications' insurance section. These details are hypothetical, and a real program depends on the Authority, the surety or carriers and the firm's own risk. ## Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds and Retention Because TAA's documents put the work under Title 34, the Arizona bond and retention statutes are the starting point. A.R.S. 34-222 calls for a performance bond and a payment bond, each equal to the full contract amount, and bars individual sureties. A.R.S. 34-221 allows the owner to retain 10 percent of progress estimates, caps later retention at 5 percent once the statute's conditions are met and lets the contractor substitute qualifying securities. The bond forms, the retention article and any release terms in TAA's standard specifications control the specific job, so read them alongside the statutes. Surety capacity is the practical limit. A runway or taxiway package with federal and state funding can be large against a regional contractor's work on hand, and the surety's own underwriting of financial statements, backlog and indemnity decides support, subject to the terms of the bonds issued. Payment bond claims and the rest of Arizona's Title 34 bond rules are explained in [Arizona public works bond requirements](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/construction-surety-bonds/public-works-bond-requirements/arizona). ## DBE Contract Goals Stopped Under the 2025 Interim Final Rule The federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program in 49 CFR Part 26 applies to FAA-funded airport work. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an interim final rule on September 30, 2025, that changed those regulations. In response, TAA's 2026 airfield bid notice says: "TAA will no longer include DBE contract goals or count DBE participation toward overall program goals," pending reevaluation of its program under the rule. For a bidder, that removes the goal and good faith efforts step from those bids, but not the paperwork. Bidders still report their subcontractors, and payments are tracked in a TAA online system. A later TAA qualifications request for construction manager at risk services carried no goal and encouraged DBE and small business subcontracting. TAA's approach can change as the federal rules develop, so check each solicitation for its current DBE terms rather than relying on an older bid. Bonding and insurance for firms that bid federally funded public work are covered in [insurance and bonds for public works contractors](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/who-we-serve/general-contractors/public-works-contractors). ## Escorted Site Visits and Where the Insurance Limits Sit Airfield sites are secured areas. The 2026 bid notice asked prospective bidders to submit an "Escorted Visitor Badge Request Form" before the site visit, which means a site walk has its own lead time. Construction crews typically need further badging and security steps once a contract is awarded, and TAA sets those in the contract documents. Insurance limits are not in the notice. The bid bond form refers to certificates of insurance "as specified in the standard specifications," which are distributed with the bid documents, and we did not read them. We found no owner-controlled or rolling wrap-up program on TAA's site, so a bidder should price its own general liability, auto, umbrella, workers' compensation and any pollution coverage from the specifications unless a solicitation says otherwise. Auto and umbrella forms with airport or aircraft exclusions deserve a check before airside work begins. ## Runway Work and CMAR Delivery Ahead The largest program in view is airfield safety work on TAA's parallel runways. A staff update in the Board of Directors packet for September 2, 2026, says completion of runway 12R-30L is scheduled for July 2027, and that runway 12L-30R is planned for closure in the second quarter of 2028, subject to funding for the remaining phases estimated at about $100 million. That figure is a staff estimate subject to funding, not an approved budget. The same update said a construction manager at risk solicitation for the 12L-30R work was to be initiated in September 2026. TAA also advertised a CMAR qualifications request in September 2026 for a checked baggage inspection system modernization, funded in part by the FAA and ADOT and placed under A.R.S. 34-601 and the sections that follow. Check TAA's bids page for the current status of any solicitation before planning a response. For city and county requirements across the Tucson market, see [Tucson construction and development requirements](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/arizona/metros/tucson). ## Before You Ask for a Quote ### What to Gather - The solicitation's notice, bid form and standard specifications insurance section - Bid bond wording that reaches the base bid and all bid alternates - Surety confirmation for performance and payment bonds under A.R.S. 34-222 - Escorted visitor badge request forms for site walk attendees - Subcontractor list and payment tracking setup for TAA's online system - Auto and umbrella policies with any airport or aircraft exclusions ### What to Ask the Insurer or Surety - Does our bid bond cover 10 percent of the base bid plus every alternate? - What insurance limits and endorsements do the standard specifications set? - Does this solicitation set a DBE goal, or only subcontractor reporting? - What retention and release terms apply under the contract and A.R.S. 34-221? - Will the surety support the full package if alternates are awarded? - What badging steps do crews need once the contract is awarded? ## Broker Notes **Quick Answer:** TAA bids are subject to Arizona Title 34. A 2026 airfield notice required 10 percent bid security on the base bid and all alternates, no individual sureties and an escorted badge request for site visits, and set no DBE contract goal under the 2025 USDOT interim final rule. **Common Mistake:** Writing the bid bond at 10 percent of the base bid only. TAA's 2026 airfield notice measured bid security against the base bid and all bid alternates. **Broker Perspective:** Because TAA is a nonprofit corporation, firms sometimes expect private-owner terms; its documents use Title 34, so surety and insurance evidence typically needs to be ready as for any public owner. **Coverage Impact:** Insurance limits are in TAA's standard specifications rather than the notice, and coverage terms can vary by carrier guidelines and programs, subject to underwriting and the policies issued. ## Questions Buyers Ask ### Who owns and runs Tucson International Airport? The Tucson Airport Authority, a civic nonprofit corporation established April 12, 1948, operates the airport under a lease that expires October 14, 2098, according to its financial report. ### Does Arizona public works law apply to TAA construction? TAA's 2026 airfield bid notice says the work is subject to Title 34 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, and its bid bond is executed under A.R.S. 34-201. ### How much bid security does TAA require? The 2026 Airfield Safety Enhancement notice required 10 percent of the base bid and all bid alternates, by certified check, cashier's check or surety bond. Confirm the amount in each notice. ### Does TAA set DBE goals on its contracts? TAA's 2026 notice says it will no longer include DBE contract goals while it reevaluates its program under the USDOT interim final rule of September 30, 2025. Check each solicitation for current terms. ### Does TAA use a wrap-up insurance program? We found no OCIP or rolling wrap-up on TAA's site. Insurance requirements are in the standard specifications issued with each bid. ## Official Sources 1. [A.R.S. 34-222, Performance and payment bonds](https://www.azleg.gov/ars/34/00222.htm), Arizona State Legislature. Performance and payment bonds each equal to the full contract amount; no individual sureties Verified 2026-10-26. 2. [A.R.S. 34-221, Retention](https://www.azleg.gov/ars/34/00221.htm), Arizona State Legislature. 10 percent retention of estimates, later retention capped at 5 percent, substitution of securities Verified 2026-10-26. 3. [Notice of Invitation to Bid, 10119102 Airfield Safety Enhancement Program Design Bid Build 2 (2026)](https://flytucson.com/10119102%20Airfield%20Safety%20Enhancement%20Design%20Bid%20Build%202%20-%20Notice%20of%20Invitation%20to%20Bid.pdf?t=202603181611510), Tucson Airport Authority. Title 34 applies; 10 percent bid security on base bid and all alternates; no individual sureties; A.R.S. 34-201; FAA and ADOT funding; escorted visitor badge request; DBE contract goals discontinued under the September 30, 2025, interim final rule; subcontractor reporting Verified 2026-10-26. 4. [Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, FY2021, Note 1](https://flytucson.com/Documents/Taa/Governance%20And%20Public%20Info/Media%20Center/Brochures%20and%20Publications/2021-Final-ACFR.pdf?t=202601220904440), Tucson Airport Authority. TAA is a civic nonprofit corporation established April 12, 1948; airport lease expires October 14, 2098 Verified 2026-10-26. 5. [Board of Directors Meeting Packet, September 2, 2026](https://flytucson.com/Documents/Taa/Governance%20And%20Public%20Info/TAA%20Meetings%20and%20Public%20Notices/Public%20Meeting%20Materials/2026-09-02%20-%20PKT%20-%20Board%20of%20Directors%20FINAL.pdf?t=202609141216350), Tucson Airport Authority. Runway 12R-30L completion scheduled July 2027; 12L-30R closure planned second quarter 2028 subject to funding estimated at about $100 million; CMAR solicitation to be initiated September 2026 Verified 2026-10-26. 6. [Notice of Request for Qualifications, CMAR, Checked Baggage Inspection System](https://flytucson.com/Notice%20of%20Request%20for%20Qualifications%20-%20CMAR%20%E2%80%93%20Checked%20Baggage%20Inspection%20System.pdf?t=202609240953560), Tucson Airport Authority. CMAR delivery for CBIS modernization advertised September 2026; FAA and ADOT funding; A.R.S. 34-601 et seq.; no DBE goal, DBE and small business subcontracting encouraged Verified 2026-10-26. ## Related Decisions - [airport and port construction requirements](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/projects/airport-and-port-construction) - [Phoenix Sky Harbor contractor requirements](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/projects/airport-and-port-construction/phoenix-sky-harbor) - [Pima County development bond rules](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/arizona/metros/tucson/pima-county) - [ADOT contract requirements](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/construction-surety-bonds/public-agency-contractor-requirements/adot) - [project excess liability](https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/project-specific-liability-insurance/project-excess-liability) --- Start a quote request: https://mycontractorsinsurancequote.com/get-a-quote · Call 844-978-7283 Contract and insurance reviews are a courtesy service that may be available at times, depending on our workload and on the size, timing and complexity of the project. A review is not guaranteed and is limited to insurance considerations. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice from your own legal counsel, which you may need before signing a contract or obtaining coverage. Insurance and surety services are provided through Gleason Insurance Brokers, LLC. Site information is educational and does not constitute legal advice, a binder, an offer of coverage, a guarantee of eligibility or confirmation of policy terms. Insurance conditions are governed by actual issued policies; surety rights and obligations are governed by bond and indemnity documents.