Transportation and Infrastructure Minister John Abbott says the new prison will come at a ‘reasonable cost.’ (Curtis Hicks/CBC)
The statement also confirmed the project will still be a public-private partnership, also known as a P3.
Details in documents
Abbott reiterated Tuesday that the government was reducing the overall size of the facility and moving from a campus-style model to a stacked floor model. That will change costs, he said, but not programming plans.
He also said the proposed cost of the previous facility was more expensive than the province could afford.
In December, Abbott said there would be a maximum cost limit to the new proposal, but the request-for-qualifications documents didn’t state what that amount is. That number is still being finalized, he said Tuesday.
The RFQ is the first stage of a two-stage process for selecting a bid. Documents state requests for proposals will be due sometime in the fall and construction is still scheduled for spring 2025.
Despite being the only company to express interest, New Avalon Corrections Partners isn’t guaranteed the government contract.
“This RFQ does not in any way commit the authority to proceed to an RFP stage or award a contract,” states the documents.
The documents detail what the government is looking for in the new prison. The building will need to have an area of between 10,000 and 11,000 square metres, have approximately 280 resident beds, and accommodate special-purpose beds, resident programs, recreation facilities, health services, support staff facilities and other features.
More details and specific information will be finalized when the requests for proposals are developed along with a project agreement, noted the documents.
Abbott said he’s confident the project will begin on its new schedule.
“It’s now time for us to move this project forward. It is essential for anybody that’s at the penitentiary right now. For the inmates that are there, the staff that are working there, we know that it’s not sustainable for quite some time,” he said.
“We believe that we’ve got the right elements now in place.”