24 AIRFIELD MAINTENANCE October 2026 AirportImprovement.com BLV airside equipment remain top purchases, he reports that more airports are exploring contracts for construction equipment, HVAC and other facility systems, information technology systems, flooring, vehicles, office equipment and other categories. For Sourcewell, this broader interest reflects the wide range of functions required to operate a modern airport. Cooperative purchasing can help airports find/purchase/implement solutions more efficiently by jumpstarting the procurement process with access to competitively solicited contracts, McAllister summarizes. He encourages airports to check sourcewell-mn.gov/lookup to see if they are already registered with Sourcewell. Those that are can explore available contracts. Those that aren’t can find information about the process. This year was the third time BLV has used Sourcewell to hire Hi-Lite for markings maintenance. Mills describes the alternative contracting vehicle as instrumental in the partnership between the airport and Hi-Lite, and now Sightline. “They were able to combine it all and build out a really custom scope of work to get their assessment and work done within the budget over the course of two years,” he says. Gregson says Hi-Lite’s contract through Sourcewell allows airports better pricing because three or four jobs can be done in one trip versus putting individual components out for separate bids. Working the Plan The cooperative purchasing process did more than provide a roadmap for current and future projects; it also cemented vendor relationships. “Having that assessment that gave us such high marks was definitely reassuring and definitely assured us to stay with that contractor,” says Trapp. Speidel commends BLV for its “assessment first” strategy to determine specifically which markings needed maintenance. Repainting indiscriminately can eventually take them outside tolerance criteria, he notes. As a Sourcewell awarded supplier, Hi-Lite works to be considered a project partner rather than a contractor. “We want to save airports time and money”, says Mills. “We want to keep you compliant.” From the airport’s perspective, James and Trapp say their experience with cooperative purchasing for airfield markings work has been positive. The Sightline assessment reinforced confidence in the quality of Hi-Lite’s work, and Sourcewell’s alignment with BLV’s procurement requirements makes it easier to continue partnering with them for future projects. “When you find a good team, as long as they continue to perform at the same level, you’re going to leverage that as long as you can,” says James. Mills encourages other airports to follow BLV’s lead and not to wait until just before their annual Part 139 inspection to review airfield markings because there might not be time for needed maintenance. “Proactive maintenance is always cheaper in the long run than reactive maintenance,” he emphasizes. Hi-Lite’s marking services include surface painted holding position signs.
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