El Paso County closes Coliseum bids to ensure fair proposal evaluation

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso County Commissioners Court voted on Monday to close bids for the management and operation of the county-owned coliseum.

The court voted to close bids so the county can issue a revised solicitation with clearer information, according to a news release. It also includes sports tourism promotion program services.

The county said it saw "significant interest" from the vendor community and more than 200 questions during the procurement process.

"The volume and nature of those questions made clear that additional operational detail is needed to ensure potential proposers have complete, consistent and comparable information before submitting proposals," the county said in the news release.

According to the county, the court chose to close before award to protect the integrity of the process and avoid asking for competition on incomplete information. It hopes reissuing a solicitation will provide a clearer scope for interested parties to compete fairly and for the county to evaluate proposals fairly.

The county said it's working to obtain more facility, operational, financial, maintenance and transition-related information to support a stronger solicitation.

Future updates about a new solicitation will be made through the county's official procurement channels, the county said.

The El Paso County Coliseum has long served as a major entertainment venue in the region, hosting boxing matches, concerts, rodeos and other events. It has operated since the 1940s.