1551-26-R-RFQF-00004-V07

The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) and Wilkinson County Industrial Development Authority are issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to procure a qualified private facility operator to manage the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF) located in Woodville, Mississippi. The facility, which has operated since 1998 and currently houses approximately 920 inmates across minimum, medium, and closed custody levels on 97 acres, requires a contractor to assume full management and operational responsibilities beginning July 1, 2026. The selected contractor must provide comprehensive facility operations management, including personnel management, systems oversight, and program implementation, with all personnel, systems, and programs fully implemented and operational within 180 days of contract execution. Key qualifications include a minimum of five years of experience providing similar correctional facility operator services and a minimum average score of six points on two reference checks for a total minimum of 12 points. Required insurance coverage includes $10,000,000 in general liability and $500,000 in motor vehicle liability, with MDOC and the State of Mississippi listed as additional insureds. The contract term is three years (July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029) with two optional one-year renewal periods not to exceed five years total, and proposals are due by 2:00 p.m. CST on March 25, 2026, to MDOC's Central Office in Jackson. An optional facility tour is scheduled for February 25, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. CST, with registration required by February 20, 2026. Evaluation criteria consist of price (35 points), technical factors (31 points), and management factors (34 points), for a total of 100 points, and the proposed costs must provide a minimum 10 percent cost savings compared to state operation while maintaining the same level and quality of service as required by Mississippi Code Annotated 47-5-1211.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to specific organization types or disadvantaged enterprises. The contractor must submit cost proposals based on a per-inmate per-diem rate, with fees payable directly by MDOC, though a specific budget range or award value is not disclosed in the procurement documents. The facility operator must comply with American Correctional Association Standards, maintain ACA accreditation, and adhere to extensive reporting requirements with potential monetary offsets ranging from 0.5 percent to 1.0 percent of daily inmate population multiplied by the per-diem rate for late, incomplete, or inaccurate reports. The contractor assumes responsibility for facility maintenance up to $150,000 per incident, with the Authority bearing costs for repairs and replacements exceeding that threshold. No incumbent vendor or existing contractor information is provided in the available procurement materials, indicating this may represent a transition from state operation or a contract renewal with new competitive procurement requirements.