NCJ Number
98542
Date Published
1984
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper describes 'turnkey' contracting for a new correctional facility, which places on a single contractor the legal responsibility for the design, location, financing, construction, and complete operation of a correctional facility on a contract basis.
Abstract
The 'turnkey' approach for new facilities is being used by both the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. These agencies have entered into contracts with private vendors to provide and operate detention facilities for juveniles and undocumented aliens. The concentration of authority in a contractor permits planning and decisionmaking to proceed more rapidly and without institutional prejudice toward facility design or operation. A key aspect of the 'turnkey' approach is the solicitation document, which elicits the best proposal regarding service and cost and identifies qualified bidders through the verification of prior relevant experience and organizational resources. There are two general approaches for preparing the solicitation document. One approach, represented in typical Federal procurements, provides detailed descriptions of desired programs, activities, and individual tasks, along with requirements pertaining to applicable laws, regulations, prior experience, insurance, and performance and bid bonds. The second approach is more open-ended, containing the same itemization of laws and regulations as the aforementioned approach but having only a general description of the desired services. The open-ended approach is more effective in obtaining innovative approaches to new contract service areas. Issues that must be addressed in the solicitation document are the contract duration, contractor personnel experience and training, and contractor insurance and performance bonding. Bids are typically evaluated through a point system that ranks bids on a maximum score of 100 points. Current contractors in the corrections field are identified.