Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson cancels bid for fairgrounds concessions after family protested

Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Mississippi's top agriculture official said he's cancelling the bid process for concessions sales at the state fairgrounds.

The decision comes after the family-owned business that held the contract for years challenged the bid process.

Now, the Mississippi State Fair Commission will no longer have a standing contract with any concessions vendor, according to a statement from Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson.

The coliseum is located on the Mississippi State Fairgrounds. Many events are on the fairgrounds, and a concessions contract was contested.

Instead, the fair commission will "bring concessions in-house on an interim basis, and promoters of events at the Mississippi Fairgrounds will have the freedom to select the catering and/or concessions vendors of their choice," Gipson said.

The commission might decide to have a contract later, Gipson said.

How did this start?

Clark & Co. had been the exclusive concession company at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds for about 20 years, meaning they provide concessions to almost every event hosted at the Coliseum or fairgrounds, though not the actual Mississippi State Fair.

The Clarks previously said their family-owned company would be put out of business if they lost the contract.

The company was about to lose a bid to a French-owned company when it challenged the recommendation, and the commission held a special meeting last month to consider an eight-year contract.

Incumbent Mississippi AG Commissioner Andy Gipson gives the thumbs up during the election night party for republican gubernatorial candidate Tate Reeves at the Westin Hotel in Jackson, Miss. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Gipson is running to keep the seat he was appointed to by Miss. Gov. Phil Bryant following the election of Cindy Hyde-Smith to the U.S. Senate as a representative for Mississippi.

It was not a typical state contract.

It does not require a bidding process because Clark & Co. pays the state to have the right to be the concessionaire at events such as rodeos or horse shows.

But this year, the fair commission decided to put out a bid.

The bidding process

At the November meeting, Gipson explained that they received bids from two companies: Clark & Co. and Valley Services, which is owned by Elior, a French company.

According to its website, Valley Services operated in Mississippi before merging with an Elior company in 2013, and it lists a Flowood address.

Bob Graves, a special assistant attorney general, said both bids were evaluated on several factors, including price, past performance and history, and Valley Services scored higher than Clark & Co.

John Christopher, attorney for Clark & Co., addressed the meeting and said it wasn't so simple.

According to Christopher, the Valley Services offer was unclear and could be easily manipulated so the state would lose out on money.

Christopher also argued that picking Clark & Co., a local, family owned-business, means more money stays in Mississippi.

"My understanding was Mississippi businesses were going to be preferred over out-of-state businesses," Christopher said.

Full backstory:Fight brewing over who runs concessions at Mississippi State Fairgrounds. Here's why.

Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL.