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Contractor for $90m prison complex named

Tue, May 9th 2023, 08:55 AM
Finance Politics Tribune Stories

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said the contractor for the new corrections and related facilities is Walker's Industries -- though the bidding process for the project remains unclear.

Mr Munroe recently revealed that construction plans for the Bahamas Department of Corrections have expanded, moving from just a $40m high-medium security facility to a $90m “correctional institution, administrative, housing and medical facility”.
#Free National Movement Shadow Minister for Finance Kwasi Thompson said over the weekend that the FNM does not recall the government putting the initial $40m project to public tender.
#“We have not gotten any indication that this massively rescoped $100m project will be subject to any kind of bidding process,” he said. “It is against the law under the Public Procurement Act of 2021 or the Public Procurement Act of 2023 for work of this size and scope not to be put out to an open bidding process with submissions viewed by the Tenders Board established in the law.
#“What was the bidding process for the original contract? Who was awarded the contract? Will the government just hand an additional $50m to the same vendor without a competitive vendor process?”
#Yesterday, Mr Munroe said Walker’s Industries began doing work related to the corrections facility under previous administrations.
#He said the government would provide only $9m upfront for the contractor to construct the facilities.
#“We are not paying them upfront to construct this,” he said. “We’re not even paying them as the construction proceeds. We’re giving them a one-time payment and they have to pay for everything else up to conclusion. I’ve been advised that they have resolved their financing and so, they should be in a position to proceed.”
#“The government isn’t paying $90m for this to be built. The government on the current proposition is paying $9m and then they will have to build this to completion.”
#He said the balance would be paid over time.
#He could not give a date when construction would begin.
# He said a clinic would be on the campus to prevent inmates from being transported to the hospital for treatment.
# The Corrections Department is working with the American Correctional Association (ACA) to improve psychiatric care in the facility.
# Dr Elizabeth Gondles, senior director of professional development of the ACA, said yesterday that the ACA has started involving 32 staff members in learning how to handle mentally ill inmates.
# She said this type of training reduces violence, suicides, and self-harm and provides inmates with a healthier environment.
# “This is why we’re training the first 32 in your country on these techniques (and) on these issues,” she said. “Hopefully, this will be the beginning of you seeing a difference. And in the places that we have done it in the United States, we have seen reductions of suicide, less violent facilities.”

Mr Munroe recently revealed that construction plans for the Bahamas Department of Corrections have expanded, moving from just a $40m high-medium security facility to a $90m “correctional institution, administrative, housing and medical facility”.

Free National Movement Shadow Minister for Finance Kwasi Thompson said over the weekend that the FNM does not recall the government putting the initial $40m project to public tender.

“We have not gotten any indication that this massively rescoped $100m project will be subject to any kind of bidding process,” he said. “It is against the law under the Public Procurement Act of 2021 or the Public Procurement Act of 2023 for work of this size and scope not to be put out to an open bidding process with submissions viewed by the Tenders Board established in the law.

“What was the bidding process for the original contract? Who was awarded the contract? Will the government just hand an additional $50m to the same vendor without a competitive vendor process?”

Yesterday, Mr Munroe said Walker’s Industries began doing work related to the corrections facility under previous administrations.

He said the government would provide only $9m upfront for the contractor to construct the facilities.

“We are not paying them upfront to construct this,” he said. “We’re not even paying them as the construction proceeds. We’re giving them a one-time payment and they have to pay for everything else up to conclusion. I’ve been advised that they have resolved their financing and so, they should be in a position to proceed.”

“The government isn’t paying $90m for this to be built. The government on the current proposition is paying $9m and then they will have to build this to completion.”

He said the balance would be paid over time.

He could not give a date when construction would begin.

He said a clinic would be on the campus to prevent inmates from being transported to the hospital for treatment.

The Corrections Department is working with the American Correctional Association (ACA) to improve psychiatric care in the facility.

Dr Elizabeth Gondles, senior director of professional development of the ACA, said yesterday that the ACA has started involving 32 staff members in learning how to handle mentally ill inmates.

She said this type of training reduces violence, suicides, and self-harm and provides inmates with a healthier environment.

“This is why we’re training the first 32 in your country on these techniques (and) on these issues,” she said. “Hopefully, this will be the beginning of you seeing a difference. And in the places that we have done it in the United States, we have seen reductions of suicide, less violent facilities.”

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