DOC: Aramark holds 2025 food service master agreement; per‑inmate rate $4.39

Hillary Daley, deputy commissioner of support services for the Department of Corrections, told the Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary that the department’s most recent master agreement for food service operations was awarded to Aramark in 2025 under KRS chapter 45, the state’s model procurement code. She said the initial contract term ends in 2027 and the agreement includes four optional two‑year renewals.

Daley provided the committee the contract’s current per‑inmate cost: "the main, daily rate per inmate per day, is $4.39." She said annual spending on food service operations under prior contracts has typically run about $12 million to $13 million, depending on the inmate population, and that the department is projecting similar totals under the current agreement. Daley said price adjustments in the contract are tied to the consumer price index for the "food away from home" category.

Committee members asked how many vendors responded to the most recent solicitation and whether Aramark was previously the contractor. Daley said Aramark has been the awarded bidder each time the contract has been procured and that there was one other responsive bidder in the most recent procurement. Members requested copies of the contract and supporting documentation, which Daley agreed to provide to the committee.

The committee did not take a vote on the contract at the hearing; members asked DOC to return with additional detail about historical costs and vendor documentation.