MUCH-NEEDED CORRECTIONAL CENTRE GETS THE GO-AHEAD THANKS TO P3 PARTNERSHIP
In British Columbia, a new public-private partnership is on track to create one of the province’s most modern and cost-effective correctional centres in the Okanagan. The 378-cell, high-security, state-ofthe-art facility is expected to create approximately 1,000 construction jobs and over 200 correctional worker positions. Under the P3 agreement, Plenary Justice — a group made up of Plenary Group, PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc., Honeywell, and Jug Island Consulting — takes on the responsibility to design, build, finance, and maintain the correctional centres for a 30-year term.
Mike Houle, Vice President, Client and Market Engagement Partnerships, British Columbia, explains that working with private companies helps ensure massive infrastructure projects like the Okanagan Correctional Centre are on time and on budget. “The P3 approach really helps government focus on large infrastructure, but at the same time, it can protect its limited capital resources. It gives the government greater certainty around the cost of delivery, as well as schedule.”
Todd Craigen, Vice President and District Manager, PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc., would agree, “The biggest advantage [of P3 partnerships] is the risk transfer from the public sector to the private sector in terms of cost and schedule certainty. This translates into lower capital cost expenditures, faster project delivery, and high service levels.”
P3 means getting the right people for the right jobs
Houle also notes that P3 partnerships allow governments to get the very best people working on their projects. According to Houle, “The P3 partnership creates a consortia of teams all interested in bidding on our projects. Educated, informed, and experienced teams come together to work on our projects, and they take accountability for major risks like schedule and budget over the course of a 30-year agreement.”
Correctional facilities have unique issues
Getting the best people on the project is especially important with vast, complex facilities like correctional institutions, which can be particularly challenging not only to build but also to maintain .“Modern correctional centres are really complicated buildings and their construction is just not for the faint of heart,” says Houle. “The benefit of having an organization like Plenary Justice is that they brought together the best in class across the entirety of the industry to serve the province’s interests.”
Craigen has no doubt the project will be a boon for the province. “The Okanagan Corrections Centre project is a great example of partnerships within our province between the provincial government, corrections, and more importantly, the Osoyoos Indian Band on whose land the project is located. It will bring hundreds of direct and indirect jobs to the area for years to come.” Houle shares Craigen’s enthusiasm: “This project provided the government an interesting partnership opportunity.The province of B.C., the Osoyoos Indian Band, and Plenary Justice all have the chance to come together to serve the community.”
“The P3 approach really helps government focus on large infrastructure, but at the same time, it can protect its limited capital resources.”