Last week the State Procurement Office deemed Rights of Passage, the vendor awarded the juvenile services’ contract, as ineligible.
The $15.8 million contract was contested by a second bidder, Youth Opportunity Investments. YOI claimed that ROP was ineligible to run the facility, although it does currently operate a center in Alexander, AR. Edward Armstrong, director of the Office of State Procurement, agreed with YOI’s claim.
The decision of the Office of State Procurement is final. Officials have stated that this does not affect the timeline of transfer from state services to a private sector.
The operational start-up of the Harrisburg, Dermott, Lewisville and Mansfield facilities are set to begin on July 1, 2019.
