Management and operational services for EverBank Field, the Arena, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and other Downtown facilities are up for bid.
The City is soliciting bids through a Request for Proposal that went live Friday and will conclude April 18.
The winning bid will “provide promotional, operational, managerial and maintenance support services” for EverBank Field, the Arena, Baseball Grounds, the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, the Equestrian Center, the Osborn Center and the Ritz Theatre and Museum, according to the document.
There are minimum requirements. To have a response evaluated, the company must have successfully managed at least one professional football stadium facility in the past three years; one professional basketball or all-purpose arena with seating capacity of 10,000 people in the past five years or one professional baseball stadium facility within the past five years; and one performing arts or convention center comparable in size to the Times-Union Center, Ritz Theatre and Osborn Center within the past five years.
The current management, SMG, has held the contract since 1993 when it was last competitively bid.
The contract has been annually renewed since then.
City Chief Financial Officer Ronnie Belton said putting the contract out to bid again is a “good exercise” for potential savings to taxpayers.
“We are looking at everything and trying to get the most bang for our buck,” Belton said. “It just makes sense.”
Belton said the RFP is an opportunity “to see what’s out there” and he is looking forward to seeing over the next several weeks what bidders will offer.
He said SMG receives around $1 million annually for its services and the reason for the RFP has nothing to do with the company or the job it has done. He said it’s about finding potential savings.
Belton said the company has indicated it will bid on the job. “It has nothing to do with them,” he said. “They could very well win it.”
A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday on the 8th floor of the Ed Ball Building. The purpose is to allow those interested to provide suggestions and feedback to the City about the RFP and allow the City to provide additional information about the proposal and facilities.
The current contract with SMG runs through March 30, 2013, but the City can exercise a 60-day termination clause.
Belton said following the April 18 deadline, bids will be vetted, finalists chosen and a selection would soon follow to allow for a period of transition, if there is one.
“We’re going to see what we get,” he said.
The 56-page RFP is available on the City’s website under the Procurement Division.
356-2466