El Paso County publishes Coliseum management Request for Proposal
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso County has released new details outlining what it wants from the organization selected to oversee the county’s sports tourism promotion program and Coliseum-related operations.
As ABC-7 previously reported, county commissioners voted unanimously on May 11 to move forward with a Request for Proposals process, opening the management contract to competitive bids for the first time in more than two decades.
The newly released RFP shows the county is seeking an organization capable of leading a large-scale tourism promotion program centered around sports, entertainment and regional economic development.
According to the documents, the county wants the selected organization to focus on increasing hotel occupancy, attracting visitors to El Paso County, improving regional branding and supporting youth and amateur sports programs.
The county is also asking bidders to recruit sporting tournaments and tourism-generating events, coordinate with hotels and venues and track economic impact data connected to those events.
The proposal places a major emphasis on marketing El Paso as part of the larger Paso del Norte region.
The county wants future tourism efforts to include partnerships with Fort Bliss, Southern New Mexico communities and other regional tourism stakeholders.
The documents also specifically mention support for binational tourism promotion efforts aimed at attracting visitors from Mexico and international markets.
The RFP calls for annual marketing and business plans that would require approval from commissioners court. The selected organization would also need to provide regular reports detailing hotel room nights generated, event attendance, marketing performance and economic impact estimates.
County officials are also seeking organizations with experience handling public funds and managing tourism or economic development programs on behalf of government entities.
Under the evaluation criteria, the county said proposals will be judged heavily on experience with government contracts and hotel occupancy tax funds, marketing strategy and demonstrated tourism results.
The county also plans to evaluate financial oversight capabilities, local and regional knowledge and references from previous government clients.
The El Paso Sports Commission, which has managed Coliseum operations for more than 20 years, remains eligible to compete in the bidding process and has publicly stated it plans to submit a proposal.
County officials have previously said the RFP process is intended to create an open and competitive process, and is not necessarily a reflection on the current management.
The anticipated contract would run for an initial three-year term with up to two one-year renewal options, contingent on funding availability and commissioners court approval.
