DuPage extends jail food contract, awaits new bids
DuPage County officials believe the latest request to extend the temporary jail food service contract should be the last since a fourth set of bids are due early next month.
The county board is expected to approve extending the Minnesota-based A'viands Food & Services Management contract through October at Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. meeting.
A'viands was initially awarded the contract in May 2007, but when the jail's longtime food provider Aramark sued over what they perceived to be an unfair bidding process, the county revoked the contract. The county let A'viands continue working at the jail, but rebid the contract. Those bids were then thrown out over nutritional concerns. A third round of bidding ended in controversy and was eventually tossed when menus sent to the bidders used the wrong measurements.
Since then, the county has bid out the contract an unprecedented fourth time in roughly a year's time and required bidders to agree not to protest the outcome of this latest bid because of the menu, county officials said. A third bidder, North Carolina-based Canteen, has also entered the fray. After agreeing on menus to base the bids on, the three companies' offers will be announced Sept. 3.
"It will be whatever the lowest responsible bid is," said board member Mike McMahon, who heads up the committee overseeing the contract. "The county was put in an awkward position because of the lawsuits, but I really do think it's just about over."
A'viands will net almost $1.5 million for close to 15 months of service at the end of the temporary contract if the board approves the latest extension. A'viands last bid was to provide annual food service for $850,000 a year. However, fees for the temporary contract are based on the company's original bid, which was worth more.
The company not only serves inmates, but provides food for the corrections officers as well. Some of the jailers have complained to county board members about the quality of the food since A'viands took over.