Firms bid on proposed N.H. ‘hybrid’ prison

The same four corporations that submitted bids to build, and probably run, a men’s prison in New Hampshire, are bidding on a proposed “hybrid” facility that would house women as well, according to the Department of Administrative Services.The hybrid bid, which was due on April 2, is for a private prison with for men and women with a minimum capacity of about 1,700, enough to handle the state’s shrinking prison population. Any excess capacity would most probably be filled by prisoners imported from other states.The state’s request for proposal also invited a bid on a contract to run the facility for two decades. Three of the four vendors have extensive experience running private prisons and are expected to submit proposals for that as well.All four bidders had previously responded to a similar RFP to build a men’s prison with a maximum capacity of 1,450. No one bid on the RFP to build and/or run a women’s prison.It will take at least a month for Administrative Services and the Department of Corrections to evaluate the bids. Any contract would then have to be approved by the Executive Council, and perhaps the legislature.The four bidders are: • Corrections Corporation of America, a publicly traded company from Nashville, Tenn., whose 60 facilities in 19 states and the District of Columbia house some 75,000 inmates. Last year, the company reported $438.3 million in revenue with a profit of $43.7 million. • The GEO Group of Boca Raton, Fla.,, another publicly traded company, which owns 114 correctional detention and residential facilities, encompassing about 80,000 beds. Last year, the company reported $406.5 million in revenue and $18.6 million in profits. • Management and Training Corp. of Centerville, Utah, is a privately held contractor involved in management of U.S. Job Corps facilities as well as prisons. MTC says it has the capacity to service nearly 26,000 inmates, with 19 management contracts in seven states. • NH Hunt Justice Group LLC, whose corporate paperwork was signed by a vice president of Hunt Companies Inc. of El Paso, Texas, and operates out of its headquarters. Hunt Companies is a family-run real estate and construction company involved in a number of public-private partnerships, but its website does not mention prisons. It has built some 70,000 military housing units, with 40,000 still under its management in 20 states. — BOB SANDERS/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW