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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Approval of Revised Draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for Tennis Operations at Glorietta Park
1. Motion approving a draft RFP for Tennis Operations at Glorietta Park revised pursuant to feedback received from the City Council on June 10, 2025, and September 30, 2025, subject to revisions not affecting the substantive Basis for Award and Evaluation Criteria or process for Selecting an Operator.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Action Item
Approved for January 27, 2026 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On December 17, 2024, Community Services & Parks (CSP) issued an RFP for operation of the tennis courts at Glorietta Park. Two panels, one external and one internal, each evaluated the proposals on an 85-point scale. On June 10, 2025, the Council approved a contract award. On September 30, 2025, however, the Council rescinded its June 10 approval; directed staff to revise the RFP; and, upon Council approval of the revised RFP, reissue the RFP. The revised RFP was to reflect feedback received from the Council on June 10 and September 30.
Feedback received from the Council informed CSP that the Evaluation Criteria should be revised to: prioritize a proposer’s longevity, teaching ability, and responsibility, open play time at no cost and without reservations, lowest public rental rates, and highest revenue for the City; omit advertising and marketing criteria; and address the wide point-spread made possible by evaluating each criterion on a 15-to-20-point scale.
The revised draft RFP revises existing criteria to ensure that experience operating a concession focuses on longevity and that court rentals be evaluated based upon availability to the public at affordable hourly rates; a criterion has been added for duration of experience providing tennis instruction and supervising other tennis instructors; and criteria for advertising and marketing has been removed. Rather than evaluate each criterion on a 15-to-20-point scale, the revised draft RFP provides for evaluation of each sub-criterion on a scale of 0 to 3, signifying the extent to each proposer is qualified based upon that sub-criterion. The revised draft RFP then places the greatest weight upon the criteria of highest priority to the Council.
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Additionally, the revised draft RFP calls for the CSP director to convene only an external Selection Panel, rather than both external and internal panels. Under the revised RFP, the proposer with the highest final score would be presented to the Council as the recommended concessionaire.
Alternatively, in response to comments and questions regarding the operation and use of public tennis courts throughout the City, the Council could direct CSP to make the tennis courts at Glorietta Park available to the community on a first-come, first-served basis and/or to contract with tennis instructors—which could include any or all prospective proposers—to provide classes and private lessons, revenue from which would be split with the City. Currently, the City has thirty-three courts at ten sites; Fremont, Scholl, and Glorietta have been operated by concessionaires since the early 1990s. If the Council directs this alternative, funding will need to be identified to operate, maintain and program the courts without a concessionaire.
RECOMMENDATION
That the Council pass a motion approving a draft RFP for Tennis Operations at Glorietta Park revised pursuant to feedback received from the Council on June 10, 2025, and September 30, 2025, subject to revisions not affecting the substantive Basis for Award and Evaluation Criteria or process for Selecting an Operator.
ANALYSIS
The 2024 RFP
On December 17, 2024, CSP issued an RFP for operation of the tennis courts at Fremont and Glorietta Parks as the operative contracts were expiring. The City received a total of eight proposals from seven distinct proposers for operation of the Glorietta Park tennis courts. In the initial review of proposals, four proposers (who collectively submitted five proposals) were disqualified for not meeting the minimum requirements stated in the RFP.
The three remaining proposers were first interviewed by a panel of three management and executive-level staff members from other cities, then by a panel of three City management and executive-level staff members.
The external and internal panels each scored the three finalists on an 85-points scale comprising a maximum of 20 points for experience and qualifications, 20 points for proposed payment to the City, 15 points for range of services, 15 points for daily operational plan, and 15 points for advertising and marketing.
On June 10, 2025, the Council approved the award of a five-year contract for operation of the tennis courts at Glorietta Park, with the option to renew on a year-to-year basis thereafter for up to five additional years; authorized the City Manager to execute the contract; and rejected all other proposals submitted in response to the RFP.
On September 30, 2025, the Council rescinded its approval and authorization of June 10, 2025, and directed staff to revise the RFP for Tennis Operations at Glorietta Park and, upon Council approval thereof, reissue the RFP. Staff indicated that the revised draft RFP 13 26-89437
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would reflect feedback received from the Council on June 10, 2025, and September 30, 2025.
Council Feedback
Feedback from the Council informed CSP that Evaluation Criteria set forth in Section V.A of the RFP should be revised to prioritize aspects of a proposer’s experience and qualifications, specifically, longevity, teaching ability, and responsibility; open play time at no cost and without reservations; lowest public rental rates; and highest revenue for the City. Additionally, the Council’s feedback informed CSP that the Evaluation Criteria should not consider advertising and marketing.
A concern was also raised regarding the 15-to-20-point scale for each of the five criteria— specifically, that the scale raised the possibility of a wide point-spread based upon differing opinions among panelists, and between the external and internal panels.
The Revised Draft RFP
Reflecting feedback received from the Council, the revised draft RFP modifies the Evaluation Criteria upon which proposers are scored, the scoring method, and the evaluation process itself.
Evaluation Criteria
First, with regard to experience and qualifications, the criterion for experience operating a concession has been revised to focus on longevity, i.e., duration of experience, with a preference for experience operating a tennis or other recreational concession.
Additionally, to capture teaching ability and responsibility, a criterion has been added for duration of experience directly providing tennis instruction and supervising other tennis instructors. Lastly, criteria for certifications in the tennis industry and training experience have been combined and revised to clarify that proposers should be evaluated based upon professional training and certifications they have received in the tennis industry.
Second, with regard to programming, the criterion for public rentals has been revised to clarify that proposers should be evaluated based upon court rentals they make available to the public at affordable hourly rates.
Third, the criteria for advertising and marketing, which previously evaluated a proposer’s marketing plan and ability to attract business to the tennis courts, has been removed.
Scoring Method
Rather than evaluate each criterion on a 15-to-20-point scale, the revised draft RFP provides for evaluation of each sub-criterion on a scale of 0 to 3, signifying the extent to which each proposer is qualified based upon that sub-criterion. The 0-to-3-point scale means the following:
Score of 0: Unqualified
Score of 1: Minimally Qualified
Score of 2: Well Qualified
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Score of 3: Best Qualified
To ensure that the revised RFP reflects the Council’s priorities, the following criteria would receive greater weight than the remaining criteria:
Duration of experience operating a concession for a public agency, with a preference for experience operating a tennis or other recreational concession; Duration of experience directly providing tennis instruction and supervising other tennis instructors;
Open play by the public free of charge and with no reservations required; Court rentals by the public at affordable hourly rates; and Proposed payment to the City.
The full list of Evaluation Criteria and suggested weighting in the revised draft RFP is as follows:
Evaluation Criteria Weight
Duration of experience operating a concession for a public agency, with a preference for experience operating a tennis or other recreational concession 15%
Previous development and implementation of tennis or other recreational programs 10% Duration of experience directly providing tennis instruction and supervising other tennis instructors
10%
Professional training and certifications received in the tennis industry 5% Business management experience 5%
Business awards or tennis industry achievements 5%
Open play by the public free of charge and without reservations required 15% Court rentals by the public at affordable hourly rates 10% Tennis instruction (group and private lessons) 5%
Tennis camps, tournaments, and/or other special events or programs 2% Integrated programs and services to accommodate persons with disabilities 3% Proposed payment to the City 10%
Daily Operational Plan 5%
Evaluation Process
The previous RFP called for the CSP director to convene a Selection Committee of individuals with diverse experience, perspectives, and backgrounds to objectively evaluate the proposals and proposers themselves through interviews. The previous RFP then called for City staff to interview the top three proposers and make a recommendation to the director, who, in turn, would submit a recommendation to the Council. The Selection Committee was previously referred to as the “external panel,” and City staff as the “internal panel.”
Under the revised RFP, the CSP director would again convene an external Selection Committee of three individuals with diverse experience, perspectives, and backgrounds to objectively evaluate the proposals and proposers themselves through interviews. The scores given by each panelist would be averaged, weighted, and tallied to assign each proposer a final score. The proposer with the highest final score would be presented to 15 26-89437
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the Council as the recommended concessionaire. An internal panel would not be convened.
Alternatives to the Revised Draft RFP
The Council has heard comments and questions regarding the operation and use of public tennis courts throughout the City. Some of the City’s tennis courts are operated by concessionaires, while others are open to the community on a first-come, first-served basis, including some at which private instruction is provided to the community by instructors under contract with the City.
As the previous RFP explained, the City has sought concessionaires to operate the tennis courts at Fremont and Glorietta Parks to facilitate quality tennis services including court reservations, classes, clinics, camps, tournaments, and events that CSP, at present, does not have the resources to provide directly. The City supplements these services by contracting with instructors to provide classes and private lessons elsewhere in the City.
Given that feedback from the Council would have the revised RFP seek experienced tennis instructors and prioritize open play by the public free of charge and with no reservations required, staff has identified two other options, either or both of which the Council might consider in lieu of approving the revised draft RFP.
First, the Council could direct CSP to make the tennis courts at Glorietta Park available to the community on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to departmental and facility rules and regulations. Additionally, or alternatively, the Council could direct CSP to contract with tennis instructors—which could include any or all prospective proposers— to provide classes and private lessons at the tennis courts. If the City were to contract with tennis instructors, the courts could remain available to the community free of charge part-time, and classes and private lessons—revenue from which would be split with the City—provided part-time.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
CSP provides outdoor recreational activities throughout the City to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. By utilizing vendors to oversee the operation of tennis activities at Glorietta Park, staff has sought to make quality tennis lessons and programs, and reservations, available at a price-point comparable to other cities in the area, without the need to hire additional City staff to operate the courts internally.
Stakeholders include City employees, residents and visitors to City facilities.
Staff advertised the previous RFP on the City’s website, the CSP monthly newsletter, and social media. Staff also reached out directly to all proposers from the previous RFP in 2014. In addition, staff kept a list of all inquiries made throughout the past 10 years and ensured that inquiring parties were notified directly of the RFP. 16 26-89437
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FISCAL IMPACT
The selection of a tennis concessionaire will result in the award of a revenue contract.
The amount of revenue is unknown at this time and will be determined by the selected proposal.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
The action being considered is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 in that it consists of the operation, repair, or maintenance of existing public facilities involving negligible or no expansion of former use. Moreover, because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, it is exempt from CEQA. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).)
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
1) The Council may consider not approving the revised draft RFP for Tennis Operations at Glorietta Park to identify a concessionaire, and instead direct CSP to identify staffing and related costs necessary to make the tennis courts at Glorietta Park available to the public for open play at no cost and/or contract with tennis instructors to provide classes and private lessons, revenue from which would be split with the City.
2) The Council may consider any other alternative not proposed by staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Onnig Bulanikian, Director of Community Services & Parks Prepared by:
Gabrielle Goglia, Community Services Manager
Tereza Aleksanian, Assistant Director of Community Services & Parks Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1: Revised Draft Request for Proposals for Tennis Operations at Glorietta Park