Puerto Rico’s P3 authority has dropped plans to use a public-private partnership to build a juvenile detention facility, citing technical reasons.
In the first week of September the Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority announced that the New Beginnings Juvenile Facility Project would not proceed to the request for proposal stage.
The project was stopped at the request of the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the P3 authority said.
Puerto Rico is under a consent decree with the U.S. court system with regards to its juvenile justice system. The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico appointed a monitor to oversee Puerto Rico’s actions with juvenile justice.
“The monitor raised certain concerns regarding potential compliance risks that the project would engender for the commonwealth,” the authority said. The department’s policy is that juvenile institutions should not have more than 120 beds. New Beginnings was planned for 500 beds.
In August 2012 the department shortlisted four consortia for the project and announced the consortia. However, it never formally sought a request for proposals.
“The authority reiterates that this administration is committed to the delivery of new infrastructure projects using public-private partnerships,” it said.
Puerto Rico has had many P3s in recent years. In February Gov. Alejandro García Padilla approved a public-private partnership for the island’s main airport.
