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Thursday, April 16, 2015

Maryland approves emergency prison food contract with company that 'put a gun to its head'

Comptroller Peter Franchot on Wednesday called for an attorney general investigation over a state contracting blunder before voting along with the rest of the Maryland Board of Public Works to accept an emergency deal for a Baltimore City prison food provider.

"You gave four days' notice to the state, put a gun to its head and said, 'You're gonna raise the rates,'" Franchot said to leaders of the contractor, Crystal Enterprises Inc. of Prince George's County. "I find that to be deplorable."

The board accepted the contract after Crystal told the state in February that it could not keep providing food to Baltimore City prisoners under a three-year, $37.8 million contract approved the month before. Crystal informed officials on Feb. 24 that it could not keep serving food after the end of the month because it was providing thousands fewer meals per day than called for under state procurement documents, cutting into its financials.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Feed them dog food, problem solved. It's cheap, plentiful, and what they should be eating anyway.

Anonymous said...

That alone should allow the State to hold them in violation of contract.....make them re-bid - or give it to the runner up in the previous bid......

Anonymous said...

Let me take a stab at this, just guessing, but I'm putting money down that Crystal Enterprises of Prince Georges County would be a Minority Business Enterprise?

Anonymous said...

Crystal Enterprises is a black company that feeds off the state.

Anonymous said...

I have been retired from that system since 1988 and over the years nothing has been changed. Different contractors and same old
BS screwing the taxpayers of MD.

Anonymous said...

Blocked! What is that, a subscription thing?

Concerned Retiree said...

They can not legally do that. In every Maryland contract, if written according to procedure, has in several areas in the contract that the numbers included in the contract or estimated only. They should made to abide by the contract until they have a rebid or if been less than 6 months give to 2nd lowest bidder, or Lowest bid if they were a minority business.
They should be barred from all bids for the State for I believe two (2) years.
Yes you are probably right they were probably a minority business. They are given preferential treatment in Maryland. They even get bids if they are the highest bidder.
Get bids through Freedom of Information Act and you will see that is a fact.

Anonymous said...

Your a slob. Inmate or not they are human.

Anonymous said...

bread and water. haul the water from the river, add it to the flour, bake the bread. Voila, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served. Don't like it? Don't be a criminal.