KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Dec. 18, 2017) — Members of AECOM gathered outside its Kansas City, Mo., office with fellow members of KCI Partnership, a joint venture between AECOM and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., to reveal its newest teammate: Burns & McDonnell. The partnership creates an industry powerhouse with AECOM and Burns & McDonnell representing the top two aviation design-build firms in the country. 

“Combined, we offer Kansas City the strongest possible local team,” says Mike Handelman, senior vice president, AECOM and principal of KCI Partnership. “Our teams share mutual respect, a love of Kansas City, and we are highly compatible on a project of this size and complexity. We have a long working relationship and are currently working together on other airport projects here in the U.S. and around the globe.”

The announcement comes just days after a supermajority of the Kansas City, Missouri City Council rejected a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Maryland-based firm to design, build and finance a new single-terminal KCI airport. Leaders of KCI Partnership say they are ready to step in without delay to deliver Kansas City a world-class airport.

“We are convinced the City can achieve a better deal from KCI Partnership than contemplated in the current MOU,” says Handelman. “We look forward to working with the City to sign a MOU, begin co-development activities, and reach financial close as quickly as possible, so work can begin. We aim to finalize and sign a MOU in less than 30 days, so there is no delay to the project.”

Handelman says KCI Partnership can provide a MOU more beneficial to the City that includes: 

• A commitment to a transformative project with minority business participation of 30-33 percent.
• Working directly with the community to develop a customized agreement that provides more than $15 million in community benefits from KCI Partnership.
• No reimbursement requirements from the City.
• Providing an accelerated payment plan of five days for all contractors.
• Hiring a local workforce and offering an improved workforce training and development program.
• Developing the KCI Legacy Fund which will provide more than $75 million over 30 years in access to new capital for minority, women and small businesses; not just to those working at the airport. 

“We believe the addition of Burns & McDonnell to the KCI Partnership offers the best team and proposal to design, build and finance the new single-terminal KCI,” says Handelman. “We look forward to getting this new airport built for Kansas City and making it a transformative and generational opportunity for all who live and work here.”

About AECOM

AECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations in more than 150 countries. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $18.2 billion during fiscal year 2017. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.

About Oaktree 

Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments, with $100 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2017. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in distressed debt, corporate debt (including high yield debt and senior loans), control investing, convertible securities, real estate and listed equities. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm has over 900 employees and offices in 18 cities worldwide. For additional information, please visit Oaktree’s website at http://www.oaktreecapital.com/.

About Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of more than 5,700 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be No. 16 on Fortune’s 2017 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.