Analyzing the Costs of Design and Construction (From Constructing Correctional Facilities: Is there a Role for the Private Sector?, P 29-35, 1987, James Sevick and Warren Cikins, eds. -- See NCJ-111104)

• NCJ Number: 111107
• Author(s): R L Engler
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Brookings Institution
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In designing and constructing prisons, jurisdictions should examine how expended time and dollars can result in potential savings in the life-cycle cost of the institution.

Abstract

With the completion of a new prison, institutional costs are just beginning. Operating costs account for about 90 percent of the facility's life-cycle costs, with correctional officer and civilian staff salaries accounting for about 73 percent. Current approaches in prison construction have emphasized creative financing and delivery, including the collaborative design-build approach in which a contract is awarded to a consortium of an architectural firm and a construction company. While this approach saves time and money by reducing procurement time, it also involves design and financial risks. A better approach involves the selection of multidisciplinary teams and dedicated experts who work concurrently on planning, design, financing, and construction of the facility. The team should include experts in financial planning, architecture, engineering, construction management, and program management. This allows all these aspects to be considered simultaneously, allows the jurisdiction to work in detail with each firm, avoids redundancy of effort, and allows both design incentive and the potential for profit.