Committee OKs six-month extension for Centurion inmate health contract amid protests and litigation

The Fiscal Review Committee voted to extend Centurion of Tennessee’s contract for inmate health services by six months so the department can maintain continuous medical and behavioral care in correctional facilities while litigation and procurement protests proceed.

Department of Correction officials said they were advised to pause issuing a new request for proposal because of pending litigation tied to the procurement process. Ashley Fuqua, the department’s legislative director, told the committee that the pause followed advice from the attorney general’s office and that a recent notice of intent to award had been protested and subsequently closed by the central procurement office.

Representative Jason Bricken and others raised concerns about awarding continued work to firms that have been the subject of complaints or protests. Senator Yeager and Representative Shaw questioned whether the litigation would be resolved within the six-month window and were told it might not be; the department said it might need to request another extension in the fall depending on the court’s posture.

Committee members discussed the statutory requirement that the Department of Correction provide health care to inmates and were told that without an extension, the department might not be able to provide uninterrupted services. The committee approved the six‑month extension by voice vote; the transcript records at least one member saying they would vote against but the motion passed and members were directed to see the clerk if they wished to be recorded as a no.

Ending: The department said it had paused a new procurement on attorney general advice and will return with further procurement steps once litigation is resolved.