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Middlesex commissioners set to vote on $27.8M jail health contract for longtime provider NaphCare. A rival’s price was $2M lower.
JERSEY INTEL EXCLUSIVE
Middlesex County commissioners are scheduled Thursday to vote on a $27.8 million contract to provide health care in the county jail and youth detention center, and the resolution names NaphCare, the company that has run medical care there since 2016. The county’s own procurement portal shows a second company, CFG Health, offered the same contract for about $2 million less.
Image: Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners agenda, Oct. 15, 2026. Prices: Middlesex County OpenGov procurement portal, CC-26-927. Infographic: Jersey Intel.
- What we know: Resolution 26-1210-R would “Award A Competitive Contract To Naphcare PC, NJ LLC In The Total Estimated Amount Of $27,810,786.36” for health care services for the county’s Office of Adult Corrections and Youth Services, under solicitation CC-26-927. The county’s procurement portal lists two prices for the contract’s initial term: CFG Health at $25,791,386.80 and NaphCare PC, NJ, LLC at $27,810,786.36.
- Why it matters: The gap is $2,019,399.56, about 7.8%. The law that governs this kind of procurement lets a county pick a higher-priced proposal when other factors weigh in its favor, but it also requires a written report explaining why.
- What’s next: The resolution is on the consent agenda for the commissioners’ 6 p.m. conference meeting Thursday, Oct. 15, at the County Administration Building, 75 Bayard Street, New Brunswick. A regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The item is proposed, not adopted.
Two proposals, two prices
Middlesex released the request for proposals, titled “Healthcare Services As Required By The Middlesex County Department Of Public Safety & Health, Office Of Adult Corrections And Youth Services,” on July 1, 2026. Proposals were due Aug. 25. As of Thursday morning, the county’s OpenGov procurement page for CC-26-927 listed the project’s status as “Evaluation,” said “No vendor has been selected yet,” and showed a “Pricing Results” table for the “initial term of contract” with two vendors:
- CFG Health: $25,791,386.80
- NaphCare PC, NJ, LLC: $27,810,786.36
NaphCare’s figure matches the amount in Thursday’s resolution to the cent. The difference between the two prices is Jersey Intel’s calculation. Neither the agenda nor the portal’s results page states how many years the initial term covers. The request for proposals listed Nov. 16, 2026 as the award date and Dec. 1, 2026 as the start of services; Thursday’s vote would come about a month earlier.
Why a county can pay more, and what it has to show
The county used “competitive contracting,” a process under New Jersey’s Local Public Contracts Law that is different from ordinary low-bid purchasing. Under N.J.S.A. 40A:11-4.5, proposals are scored “only in accordance with the methodology described in the request for proposals,” so price is not necessarily the deciding factor.
The same law requires the purchasing agent, counsel or administrator to write a report that ranks every vendor, recommends one, and is “clear in the reasons why the vendor or vendors have been selected among others considered.” That report “shall be made available to the public at least 48 hours prior to the awarding of the contract, or when made available to the governing body, whichever is sooner.” It also becomes part of the public record.
The agenda lists 26-1210-R by title only. Jersey Intel checked the county’s procurement portal Thursday morning, and its results page did not include an evaluation report or scoring. That does not mean the county hasn’t prepared or released one; it may be available elsewhere or on request.
The two companies
In an October 2024 release, Middlesex County said NaphCare has partnered with the county “since 2016” to provide medical and mental health care, pharmacy and telehealth services at its corrections and youth services facilities in North Brunswick. The county said then that its jail had earned the National Commission on Correctional Health Care’s Pinnacle Award, with accreditation in jail health, mental health and opioid treatment, and Warden Mark Cranston credited “our NaphCare team.” A strong track record like that is the kind of non-price factor an evaluation could weigh.
CFG Health Systems is not new to New Jersey jails. Essex County’s purchasing portal shows it awarded CFG Health Systems, LLC a $74,366,566 contract on March 25, 2026, to provide health care for inmates at the Essex County Correctional Facility through Dec. 31, 2028.
Nothing in the documents indicates wrongdoing by either company or by county officials.
Questions for Thursday
- How did the evaluation committee score the two proposals, and why did NaphCare rank first despite the higher price?
- Has the evaluation report been made public, and where can residents read it?
- How long is the initial term, and are renewal options priced in?
- Why is the award coming in October when the county’s schedule set it for Nov. 16?
Going to the meeting? The commissioners meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at 75 Bayard Street in New Brunswick. If you attend or record it, or have the evaluation report or other documents on this contract, send them to jerseyintel@gmail.com. Jersey Intel will report what the board actually approves once the resolution or minutes are available.
