Senate Bill 2844, as passed by the 2022 Session of the Mississippi State Legislature, has been signed by Governor Reeves. This bill will provide the Alcoholic Beverage Control division of the Mississippi Department of Revenue with a path forward to improving our liquor distribution center operations. There are two major components of the bill:
1. The bill provides funding for the design, construction and equipping of a new liquor distribution warehouse.
2. The bill provides for the Department of Revenue to enter a contract with a third-party operator for the operations of the warehouse.
The first step for the Department will be to begin the process of drafting and issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to select a third-party operator. The Department is currently reviewing the timelines for this project and hopes to schedule a tour and question and answer session for interested parties. We ask that any entity interested in submitting a proposal to operate our warehousing operations, to email the Department at warehouseoperator@dor.ms.gov so that we may place you on our list to obtain information on the date and time for the meeting. The new operator will begin operations in our current facility and then transition to the new facility once construction is complete.
The Department will also begin meetings with the Department of Finance and Administration to start the process for site selection and design for the new warehouse. Any parties interested in obtaining information on the RFP process for the design and construction of the new warehouse should email the Department at warehouseconstruction@dor.ms.gov so that we may place you on our list to obtain any updates concerning this process.
Both RFPs will be issued in a competitive bid process and will follow all state procurement laws.
The Mississippi ABC will continue to operate our liquor distribution center until a new third-party operator is selected and in place. Our shipping contracts will remain in place until the end of their contract period. We look forward to continuing to serve our partners and will commit to you that we will continue to work diligently to provide you with the best possible service.