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San Antonio audit committee reviews RFPs for Sports & Entertainment District study and $10M program manager
Summary
The Audit Committee received pre-solicitation briefings for two downtown contracting tracks: a $350,000 district study to model cost-of-service and revenue opportunities, and an expected $10 million executive program manager (EPM) RFQ to oversee program delivery and risk; committee members pressed for public-safety input, performance metrics and reminders about political contribution blackout dates.
Troy Ollade, the city’s chief financial officer, told the Audit Committee that staff will release two solicitations this month related to the proposed Sports & Entertainment District: an RFP for a district study (estimated value $350,000) and an RFQ for an executive program manager (EPM) whose initial phase is estimated at $10,000,000.
Ollade said the district study will provide a scalable cost-of-service model — estimating traffic management, security, fire and EMS, and maintenance costs — and will identify additional general-fund revenue opportunities, primarily sales tax, from concessions, pop-ups and other activations. He said the study’s funding is expected from HOT redemption and capital funds and that staff plans extensive vendor outreach and an aggressive schedule (solicitations released mid-to-late January; district-study responses due in early March; evaluation to return to committee in April and city council consideration in mid-April). Ollade also described proposed evaluation weights that include experience, proposed plan, pricing and small-business/local preference points.
Chair Villagran urged the study to model long-term scenarios — through 2045 — and to account for large-event conditions (playoffs and finals), simultaneous events at multiple venues and contingency scenarios such as a government shutdown or a public-health event. She asked staff to remind councilmembers about the political-contribution blackout that begins after solicitation release.
On the EPM RFQ, Ollade said the program manager would establish governance, sequence projects, evaluate risk and pursue efficiencies across concurrent projects (for example, coordinated procurement of major commodities). The EPM procurement would prioritize experience and qualifications; staff proposed a two-year term with three one-year renewal options. Committee members asked whether performance-based pay, incentives or penalties could be built into contracts; staff said those structures are worth exploring but cautioned about the risk of budget padding and emphasized that the EPM would work within governance set by the city and report through a governance committee.
Council members pressed staff to ensure public-safety perspectives are incorporated: some committee members asked to add public-safety representation to the evaluation committee or to require direct outreach to police and fire during the consultant’s work. Troy said the selected consultants will be required to coordinate with police, fire and public works when developing models and cost assumptions.
Staff also noted that parking was intentionally excluded from the district study scope and will be handled via a separate parking feasibility study because parking strategies affect the entire downtown, not just the district footprint.
The committee did not take action; both items were briefings. Staff committed to follow-up memos that clarify evaluation weighting, how to incorporate public-safety input and reminders about blackout dates.
