City’s RFP Process was Ignored in 2021. Now, Questions Continue to Swirl Around the Multi-Million-Dollar Contract Awarded for Electric Charging Stations at the Great Park.
It's been 14 months since the Great Park Board of Directors — comprised of Irvine's Mayor and four Councilmembers — threw aside the City's standard "Request for Proposal" (RFP) process and, instead, voted to award a multi-million-dollar contract for vehicle electric charging stations to a company that was not recommended by City staff.
During a 2021 meeting, Councilmember Mike Carroll made a motion to disregard the City's formal bidding process results and, instead, award the contract to Casco Construction. Councilmember Tammy Kim supported Carroll, adding an amendment insisting that the contract include Noodoe as Casco's subcontractor to manufacture the charging units.
Kim stated that Noodoe should be selected because the company was an Irvine-based business that would bring a boon of manufacturing jobs to the City. In fact, that same month Noodoe was relocating its administrative office to Houston while laying off its Irvine staff ... and all manufacturing takes place at Noodoe's factory in Taiwan.
