Department of Design and Construction Logo Image Credit: DDC
Contracting for the construction of the Borough-Based Jails under way. On February 4, 2020, the Department of Design and Construction announced the issuance of four Request for Qualifications for the Design-Build teams that might construct the new borough based jails. The four jails will be located at 24-125 White Street in Manhattan, 745 East 141st Street in the Bronx, 126-02 82nd Avenue in Queens and at 275 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.
In October 2019, the City Council approved a plan to shutter Rikers Island and build four smaller, borough based jails. With the construction of “smaller, safer and fairer” facilities, the City believes it will lead to a smaller and more humane justice system. The facilities are intended to offer better connectivity to family space, attorneys, courts, medical and mental health care, education, therapeutic programming, and service providers.
Procurement for the borough-based jails project will happen in a two-step process. First, applicants will submit a Statement of Qualifications (“SOQ”) responding to the Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”). The Department of Design and Construction will evaluate the submitted Statements of Qualifications and select a list of three qualified vendors. Second, the three selected vendors will submit responses to the respective Request for Proposals. The design build teams will then be selected from those proposals. In this case, four vendors will be selected to construct the four jail facilities. Read Cityland’s prior coverage of the other 3 borough-based jails early-work RFPs here.
The Design-Build process is a unique aspect of the project. It allows the City to manage a team of designers and construction contractors from the onset of the project. The single entity and point of contact is intended to produce a more timely and cost efficient result.
RFP Schedule Image Credit: DDC
Per the Department of Design and Construction’s press release, “DDC is committed to using best practices as defined by the Design-Building Institute of America. DDC will utilize a best-value selection that prioritizes design, quality, past performance and qualifications. DDC will make available stipends to short-listed firms that participate in the Request for Proposal (RFP) process, but are not selected to be awarded a Design-Build contract.”
Commissioner Lorrain Grillo, Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, stated “The firms eventually selected to design and build our new facilities have a tremendous opportunity to impact the lives of DOC staff, individuals in custody, volunteers and visitors. We want these new jails to reflect the very best in modern correctional practice, and New Yorkers expect and deserve nothing less.”
Elizabeth Glazer, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice said “Rarely does the architectural design and construction community get an opportunity to create important civic buildings that can have a positive lasting effect on the life of the city.” She added “We look forward to submissions that reflect both the quality and innovation that these buildings deserve and the magnitude of the transformation of the criminal justice system.”
To read the Department of Design and Construction’s press release click here.
To read more of CityLand’s coverage of Borough-Based Jails click here.
By: Jason Rogovich (Jason Rogovich is the CityLaw Fellow and New York Law School Graduate, Class of 2019)