Associated Press
JACKSON, Mississippi — The Mississippi Department of Corrections should kill as many of its no-bid contracts as possible and start a competitive process to see if it can get better deals.
That’s one of the early recommendations being made by a group that Gov. Phil Bryant appointed to review prison contracts.
The five-member task force agreed Monday on 12 recommendations to give to the governor and the Legislature.
Bryant appointed the group after former Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps and businessman Cecil McCrory were indicted on federal corruption charges tied to prison contracts. The two have pleaded not guilty and await trial in April.
The task force recommends all Department of Corrections contracts go through a bid process.
It also recommends that every state agency seek bids on contracts worth at least $100,000.