Orange County votes to cancel and resolicit automated enforcement RFP after vendor protests and legal review

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Oct. 28 to cancel the county’s current solicitation for an intersection automated enforcement system and to resolicit the contract after public protests and legal review changed how proposers were scored.

The vote followed public comment from vendor representatives and community groups and a staff explanation that a July 1 board action suspending the county’s MWBE program required procurement committees to remove MWBE points from scored proposals. Procurement manager Carrie Mathis told commissioners the reconvened scoring changed proposal rankings — moving Novoa Global to the top spot after MWBE points were removed. Several vendors urged the board to cancel the procurement instead of proceeding with the revised rankings.

Why it matters: The contract covers a potential expansion of camera‑based enforcement across Orange County and carries multiyear pricing and public‑safety implications; the county’s existing contract was extended to maintain service while procurement questions were resolved.

What staff said: Carrie Mathis, procurement manager, said the solicitation originally included a weighted MWBE component. After the board’s July 1 vote to suspend the MWBE program, the county attorney’s office advised that procurement committees could remove the MWBE scoring and treat all proposers the same. Mathis told the board that removing MWBE scoring from all proposals changed rankings and produced a different top‑ranked firm.

What vendors said: Rachel Cobb, representing RedSpeed USA, urged the board to cancel the current RFP and reissue it, saying her company’s proposal “offers significant savings for Orange County taxpayers — approximately $10,000,000 compared to VeriMobility and $4,000,000 in savings compared to Novoa Global.” Chris Carmody of Air Mobility and Russell Drake of Bridal Black Daily also urged a cancelation and a new procurement, arguing the process and the late scoring adjustments disadvantaged local and minority‑owned bidders.

Legal context and board concern: County legal staff said the panel relied on guidance that allowing the MWBE scoring to remain after the board action could create exposure because the federal executive action that led to the MWBE suspension remains in effect; staff also said the county faced possible loss of federal grant funding if it did not certify compliance. Commissioners said they wanted to preserve a level playing field while protecting federal grant eligibility.

Board action: Commissioner Uribe moved and Commissioner Gomez Cordero seconded a motion to cancel the current solicitation and resolicit. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioners and staff said resolicitation would take about six months; procurement told the board the county has a one‑year extension in place under the current contract, so day‑to‑day enforcement service would continue through August 2026.

Next steps: Procurement staff said they would incorporate clarifications from prior addenda into any new RFP, consider the county’s small business enterprise status if it changes, and proceed with a standard advertising period (staff estimated six months to complete the protest period and procure). The board did not direct specific language changes to the new solicitation at the Oct. 28 meeting.

Quotes: “It was unfair for the federal government to use its leverage over the grants that you receive to force you to suspend your MWBE program,” said Chris Carmody during public comment. Carrie Mathis said procurement “treated everybody equally” by removing MWBE scoring from all proposers after the board’s July 1 action.

Ending: The board’s vote resolves the immediate procurement ranking dispute by restarting the competition; staff warned the board that resolicitation can invite another protest cycle and that the county’s time to reprocure should be counted in months when planning any expansion of camera counts.