Chester County prison board approves nearly $6.8M food-service contract, OKs SAVIN support and MAT grant application

The Chester County Prison Board of Inspectors on Jan. 21 approved a three-year food-service contract worth $6,796,355 and a no-cost maintenance agreement for the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) system, and authorized submission of a $149,000 medication-assisted-treatment (MAT) grant application.

The contracts and grant application were presented and discussed during the board's regular meeting. Gordon introduced the procurement items, saying the food-service contract (identified in the meeting as "Elor, also known as, Summit Food Service") covers meals for the county prison, the youth center and the correctional center and is the result of a competitive RFP. Gordon said the vendor will provide food service and “provide transport services from our facility to the youth center and to the correctional center,” which he described as a net operational improvement.

Board members moved and the board approved the contracts by voice vote. The meeting record shows no recorded roll-call tally; the clerk reported the motion carried with no opposition.

Also presented was a SAVIN maintenance arrangement with the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Institute, described in the meeting as having no cost to the county; the board approved that item in the same motion.

Warden Borden and the chair discussed a grant application for MAT programming. The grant was described as $149,000 with a reported term from April 1 to March 31, 2028, intended "to enhance and sustain" MAT services in the jail. The board moved to approve submission of the application and the motion passed by voice vote.

Public comment at the meeting included opposition to the food-service award from Joseph Merck, who said the jail food is "deplorable" and urged greater transparency around the RFP, the vendor choice and related contracts; Chair Josh Maxwell offered to meet with Merck after the meeting to review details. Another attendee raised questions about commissary pricing and other procurement items during public comment but the board did not delay the contract approvals at the meeting.

Next steps noted in the meeting record: implementation of the contracts as awarded and grant administration if the county is successful. The board did not specify additional public-review steps at the Jan. 21 session.