Despite numerous obstacles, the construction of the State Prison is in its final phase

After all the facilities of the prison complex have been built, the finalization of the works on the external and internal decoration is underway. There are a total of ten facilities, of which facilities A, B, C and D are intended for the accommodation of convicts and detainees, while the other six are service facilities (medical block, sports hall, workshop, kitchen, etc.).

As the State Prison will be the most secure prison institution in the region, where the most serious offenders in all forms of crime will serve their sentences, current activities are focused on installing the latest high-security systems, the installation of which, together with the accompanying equipment, is also underway.

Given that the works were previously interrupted in the best part of the year for construction work and are currently being carried out in the cold and in bad weather conditions, it is expected that the construction will be completed by the end of May this year.

We remind you that previously, in the midst of the construction season, in July 2016, there was an unplanned three-month suspension of works due to a court dispute between the potential contractor for electrical installation works and the main contractor.

The state as an investor, namely the Ministry of Justice of BiH, suffered the greatest damage due to the suspension of works, although it was not a party to the proceedings and despite the fact that the dynamic work plan had been fully met until then.

So far, donor and loan funds have been used for the construction, and the implementation of the last tranche of the construction loan is underway. We remind you that the construction of the state prison was financed by a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank in the amount of 19.3 million euros. BiH invested 6.45 million euros, EU donations amounted to 9.15 million euros, technical assistance from the European Commission amounted to 1.7 million euros, a donation from Sweden amounted to two million euros, and the US Government provided 1.1 million dollars for training prison staff.

The prison complex will cover an area of ​​24,000 square meters, and each cell, which will house one prisoner, will be 12 square meters in area. The construction and operation of the future state prison is fully in line with European prison rules and standards.

With the implementation of the planned project, Bosnia and Herzegovina will receive maximum security prison facilities, with a capacity of 348 places, of which 298 for prisoners and 50 for detainees. This will significantly relieve the capacity of entity prison facilities and solve the problem of their overcrowding, but also contribute to better resocialization of perpetrators of "lighter" crimes.

New tender for the construction of the State Prison

The Board of Directors of the Institute for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions, Detention and Other Measures of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at its session held on 31 October 2013, made a decision to cancel the tender for the execution of construction works on the construction of the State Prison.

Namely, after a detailed consideration of the Report on the Evaluation of Bids prepared by the Commission for the Selection of Contractors for the Execution of Construction Works, the Board of Directors unanimously concluded that, given that all submitted bids exceed the budget planned for the execution of construction works, the most acceptable option is to make a decision to cancel the tender, in accordance with the provisions of the Council of Europe Development Bank Guidelines.

It is expected that a new tender for construction works will be announced in the middle of this month, and that its evaluation will be completed in January 2014.

Apart from the postponement of the start of construction, which the Ministry could not influence, there were no other delays in the project itself, as work was carried out on the development of a completely new project, in line with the new European Prison Rules, which was a condition for obtaining a loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank. Work on the new project began in 2010 and since then all activities have been carried out according to the planned deadlines. In the previous period, numerous preparatory works were carried out, such as those required by a capital investment, from extensive technical and construction works, including the construction of an access road and associated lighting, geomechanical testing and demining of the terrain, the construction of test wells, to numerous other activities.

The implementation of the contract for the construction of the construction road is also underway, the completion of which is expected by the end of November.

In the meantime, approval has been given to the selection of the company that will supervise the execution of the main works.

Upon completion of construction, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the most modern and safest prison facility, compared to all other institutions of similar purpose in the country and in the Balkans. This will be the only prison facility at the BiH level that will meet European standards for accommodating prisoners, which is particularly significant considering the fact that the existing entity prisons are characterized by the problem of overcrowding and inadequate capacity.

The evaluation of bids for the construction of the State Prison has been completed

The Bid Evaluation Commission for the selection of the contractor for the main works on the construction of the Institution for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions, Detention and Other Measures of BiH has completed the bid review process and submitted a report and recommendation to the Board of Directors. After confirmation by the Board of Directors, the approval of the selection of the contractor should also be given by the Council of Europe Development Bank.

At the same time, the Board of Directors approved the report and recommendation of the Bid Evaluation Commission for the selection of the supervision of the execution of the main works on the construction of the Institution for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions, Detention and Other Measures of BiH. The report was submitted to the Development Bank for its opinion in accordance with the provisions of the Framework Financial Agreement between BiH and the Council of Europe Development Bank. If the Development Bank gives its approval, the conditions will be created for the conclusion of the contract for the supervision of the execution of the main works on the construction of the state prison.

The implementation of the contract for the construction of the construction road is also underway, the completion of which is expected by the end of November.

Submission of bids for the construction of the State Prison by mid-June

A large number of domestic and foreign companies have applied to the announced main tender for the construction of the State Prison. The deadline for submitting bids is June 12, and after the closing of the tender procedure, the evaluation of bids and the selection of the contractor will follow. The construction of the facility is expected to begin in the fall of 2013.

The creation of conditions for the start of the main works was preceded by numerous activities to prepare the new project and revise it. Extensive technical and construction preparatory works have been completed, including the construction of the access road and associated lighting, geomechanical testing and demining of the terrain, the construction of test wells, and numerous other activities.

The new project is fully compliant with European standards and envisages the construction of the most modern and secure prison facility in the region. The facility will have a net area of ​​approximately 24,000 m2 and will house 348 convicts and detainees of the Court of BiH. Placing the most serious convicts in this prison will relieve the capacities of other penal correctional institutions and enable the resocialization of persons convicted of minor crimes.

The facility will have minimal energy costs due to maximum energy savings through the use of renewable energy sources and minimal maintenance costs.

The original construction deadlines were postponed due to the revision of the old and the development of a new project, i.e. its alignment with the latest prison rules. The costs of developing the new project were fully financed by the European Union. Due to the increase in the total area of ​​the institution, utility costs, security systems, access roads, etc., the value of the construction was also changed to approximately 77.5 million KM, and the project will be financed from donor, loan and domestic funds. By decision of the Council of Ministers of BiH from November last year, the construction of the state prison was declared a long-term capital investment.