The Honourable Elvis Loveless, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Honourable John Hogan, Minister of Justice and Public Safety, today provided an update on the procurement of a new correctional facility to replace Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.
On November 23, a Request For Proposals (RFP) was issued to three teams of companies interested in designing, building, financing and maintaining a new correctional facility to replace Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s.
In December, two of the three proponents informed the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure they will not submit proposals. Reasons provided by these companies include the impact of considerable changes in the Canadian construction market and commitments to other projects.
The procurement of the new correctional facility will continue with the remaining team, Avalon Corrections Partners. The departments will build on the experiences of other jurisdictions and with guidance from its external legal, financial, procurement, technical and fairness advisory team, to ensure that the new facility meets the needs of the province and provides best value to taxpayers.
The proposal for the new 276-bed correctional facility is required to be submitted in late 2022 and will be evaluated based on cost, design, services offered, project schedule and management, and site development.
A value-for-money assessment completed by EY recommended in 2018 that using the design, build, finance and maintain approach would lead to savings of 11.9 per cent compared to the traditional design-build procurement.
Updates with the procurement process will be provided as it progresses.
Quotes
“The need for a new correctional facility is not going away. Starting over would delay the project and be a disservice to the inmates, their families, and correctional staff who need a new correctional facility to be built. Like our other major infrastructure projects, this will be closely monitored by advisors and we look forward to continuing the procurement so that we can build a new facility.”
Honourable Elvis Loveless
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
“This is a project that has been outstanding for some time and is critical to increasing the safety of inmates and staff of Adult Corrections. A new facility will allow us to improve mental health and addictions services, and provide additional programming and recreation which will provide inmates with opportunities for rehabilitation.”
Honourable John Hogan
Minister of Justice and Public Safety
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Learn more
Government Improving Correctional Facilities in Newfoundland and Labrador
Contracts Awarded for Advisors for New Correctional Facility Procurement
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Media contacts
Kathryn Summers
Transportation and Infrastructure
709-729-1758, 699-6147
kathrynsummers@gov.nl.ca
Emily Jane-Gillingham
Justice and Public Safety
709-729-5524, 730-4607
emilygillingham@gov.nl.ca