Kansas is suing the U.S. Army, alleging that the military is trying to prevent the state from continuing to provide cafeteria service at Fort Riley, a contract worth about $1.1 million a year that it's received since 2006.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families filed the lawsuit this week, claiming that the Army is seeking to add the fort's cafeteria service to a procurement list, which would remove it from public bidding and leave the state unable to provide the service, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
If the cafeteria service is added to a procurement list, Fort Riley would be required to buy the services from a supplier designated by the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, which provides employment to blind and disabled people.
Kansas and the Army are in arbitration process to resolve the dispute. But DCF said it is seeking an injunction to stop the Army from purchasing cafeteria services elsewhere until the dispute is resolved.
The state's current cafeteria contract already uses a licensed blind vendor, according to the lawsuit. DCF spokeswoman Theresa Freed said Kansas does not make a profit from the contract. She said the lawsuit was filed to give the state the right to first refusal for licensed blind entrepreneurs to operate food and vending service in federal facilities in Kansas.
Department of Defense spokesman Nate Christensen told the newspaper the agency does not comment on pending litigation.