Carbon County officials awarded a three-year, $2.1 million food service contract at the prison to the second lowest bidder after a review of the bids showed “substantial noncompliance” with the lowest bidder.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners rejected Trinity Service Group’s bid for the food service contract, citing additional surcharges and additional costs not shown in the bid totals, and deviations from the bid specs that the county had advertised.

“When we put an RFP (Request for Proposal) out, we’re looking for certain things. Nothing more, nothing less,” said Commissioner Rocky Ahner. “When it goes off the path of what we’re asking for, that is not acceptable. Services have to remember, we’re hiring them, they don’t hire us.”

The county then awarded the contract to Aramark Correctional Services LLC of Philadelphia at a per-meal rate of $2.62 the first year; $2.75 the second year; and $2.89 the third year for a total contract price of $2,167,964.22.

The quotes are based on a total of 261,075 meals delivered annually.

Carbon County opened the bids on March 31 and then tabled the bids for review.

Trinity Service had held the food service contract at the correctional facility since August 2013 after the county chose to outsource the kitchen service instead of hosting it in-house.

In 2019, Trinity bid $1,037,238.44 for the current contract.

In February, the county received notice from Trinity that it would terminate the agreement at the end of its contract on June 1.