Maricopa County’s Office of Procurement Services has canceled the process to choose a new booking manager for Chase Field just weeks before the current contract ends.
Booking non-baseball events is a key issue in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lawsuit against the Maricopa County Stadium District. The Club’s lawyers have argued that a failure to host enough events like concerts or monster-truck rallies has created a huge funding shortfall, which makes the contract between the Club and the District unperformable.
The deal with the current booking manager could be extended, said Kevin Tyne, chief procurement officer for Maricopa County.
“Though that extension would, in our determination, only be for a reasonable period of time,” Tyne said. “To give us enough time to move forward, whether it be with a resolicitation or one of the other several options that are on the table.
Tyne’s office canceled the two bids it received. They were submitted by Valley-based companies, R Entertainment and Select Artists Associates, the current booking manager.
The cancellations have nothing to with the Diamondbacks lawsuit, Tyne said.
