Tiesu namu aģentūra (TNA) has once again announced an open competition for the redesign, author’s supervision, and construction of the new Liepāja Prison, which provides for a reduction in the scope of construction compared to the original building design. Liepāja Prison will be the first place of detention to be newly built in Latvia since the restoration of independence, and it is planned to be completed by March 31, 2023.
At its meeting on September 8, 2017, the government decided to postpone the Liepāja Prison construction process until 2020. In order to reduce construction costs, TNA, as the organizer of the competition, agreed with the Prison Administration on changes to the building design that could be made while maintaining the building’s functionality, safety, and operational efficiency requirements.
Santa Sausiņa, TNA board member: “We hope that revising the scope of the Liepāja Prison project and using the design&build method, combining design, author’s supervision, and construction within a single procurement, will help avoid possible additional costs during construction, as well as ensure quality execution of construction works by requiring the winner to take full responsibility for implementing the project’s construction.”
Interested parties must submit proposals by December 14 of this year. In parallel with the design, author’s supervision, and construction competition, an open competition for construction supervision will also be announced already in October. All proposals are intended to be evaluated by March 1 of next year. In accordance with the government’s mandate, after the procurement results on the total construction costs of the new prison have been compiled, a report will be prepared for the Cabinet of Ministers. If the government supports allocating the necessary funding, a contract will be signed with the winner of the procurement.
The design of the new Liepāja Prison envisages several innovations that have not previously existed in the Latvian prison system but have already become an objectively justified requirement when planning investment in new prison construction elsewhere in Europe. For example, all reinforced concrete walls of the residential blocks will be built with an additional anti-radio-wave metal mesh that blocks mobile communications and ensures inmate isolation, infrared cameras will be installed, and remote control of cell door locks will be introduced, making it possible to reduce the number of security staff. This prison will also require fewer guards thanks to a well thought-out placement of guard posts, while the layout of the prison’s premises will eliminate the possibility of contact between inmates during their movement.
Thanks to the creation of prison infrastructure that meets modern requirements, it will be possible to implement more effective enforcement of sentences – successful resocialization of inmates to promote their successful return to society, thereby reducing recidivism and ensuring public safety as a whole.
Liepāja Prison is designed for 1200 inmates. The whole complex comprises 8 different buildings. The total territory area is 305 116 m², the total built-up area is 64 053,7 m², the total
floor area is 51 092 m² (originally – 51 407,4 m²). The complex will be located 5,6 km from the center of Liepāja. One of the main factors in the prison’s design was the safety of both inmates and staff. The prison complex will include inmate residential blocks. Special attention has been given in the new prison to inmate resocialization and employment opportunities, with a large employment center providing work opportunities for inmates, as well as an education center for inmate training.
The Liepāja Prison construction procurement regulations were developed by TNA in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, the Prison Administration, the Latvian Association of Civil Engineers, and the Latvian office of the law firm Sorainen. The initial development of the Liepāja Prison building design was supervised by the State Real Estate Agency of Estonia, which has already implemented several similar prison projects in Estonia since the restoration of independence.
The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Latvia has delegated implementation and supervision of the construction process to VAS Tiesu namu aģentūra, which technically provides and organizes the procurement. The requirements needed for the prison’s construction, meanwhile, are set by the Prison Administration, which will also be the actual user of the new prison. The final decision on implementing the project is taken by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Liepāja Prison is the first place of detention that Latvia will build since the restoration of independence. The prison complex will be located in Liepāja, at Alsungas iela 29. The project provides for the accommodation of 1200 inmates, implementing a new-level resocialization program for the education and integration of inmates into society. More than 400 staff are expected to work at the new prison complex.
Additional information:
Agris Balodis, project manager
VAS Tiesu namu aģentūra
Phone: 67804754
E-mail: agris.balodis@tna.lv