Humane Prisons In Belgium
In 2008, the Belgian government approved a Masterplan on Humane Prisons to tackle overcrowding and outdated infrastructure in the near future. Most projects are tendered on the basis of a public-private partnership, which is unique for detention centers in Belgium. Rebel advised the Federal Buildings Agency and the Department of Justice in collaboration with Stibbe (legal) and ELD-Orientes (technical) in the set-up of the DBFM (Design-Build-Finance-Maintain) procedure. Starting with four completely new prisons to be built in Flanders and Wallonia. Followed by the prison village near Brussels and a new prison for Antwerp.
The challenge
Together with Stibbe law firm (legal advice), ELD-Orientes (technical advice), Rebel advised and assisted the Federal Buildings Agency and the Department of Justice in the assessment, feasibility & procurement of a series of DBFM tenders for their new prisons. It’s the start of the implementation of the 2008 Belgian Masterplan on Humane Prisons, breaking the cycle of overpopulation and replacing old infrastructure. First project at hand: four new prisons in Flanders and Wallonia.
The solution
Rebel was involved as the responsible party for the entire financial-economical advice with regard to these tenders, including bankability, financial feasibility and risk allocation. Moreover, Rebel advised on the most appropriate procurement strategy in order to achieve the most economical solutions (Value for Money-aspects) for the Federal Buildings Agency and the Department of Justice. Thanks to the close cooperation with the advisors, the Federal Buildings Agency was able to limit the lead time of the tender to a strict minimum, without compromising the quality of the submitted bids. After those four initial projects, Rebel advised on a prison-village near Brussels and a new prison in Antwerp, together with the legal and technical experts. The new prisons are the first detention centers in Belgium set up with a PPP-construction. By guiding the Federal Building Agency and the Department of Justice their knowledge on the matter has enhanced, which benefits future real estate projects within the departments.
Why is it innovative?
The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that it’s a very big and ambitious masterplan for renewed detention of out-dated, uncomfortable and over-crowded circumstances. This is possible because of the PPP-approach. The masterplan has been adjusted several times to accommodate the best possible outcome, with the latest addition has incorporated transitional homes for prisoners that will be released. Also, the design of the Brussels prison (Haren) is a village, making it a distinctive, more humane solution.
