The Government has launched a search for a firm to carry out a condition check of the island’s prisons.

A recent request for proposals, published on the government procurement website, said the Department of Corrections was seeking proposals for a facilities condition assessment.

The procurement documents said: “With the growing prison population, evolving correctional standards and ageing infrastructure, the Government of Bermuda seeks to undertake a comprehensive review of its correction facilities.”

The review would seek to assess the condition, capacity and functionality of all of the island’s prisons, evaluate if they meet modern security requirements, determine occupancy requirements and assess the feasibility of modernisation and development work.

The documents said that the review would cover Westgate Correctional Facility, the Farm Facility, the Co-Educational Facility and the Right Living House, which is located at the Co-Educational Facility.

The total official capacity of the facilities was listed at about 375 inmates, with the present occupation listed at 159 inmates, or 42 per cent of the maximum capacity.

The project would require the successful applicant to consider the suitability of the infrastructure “in relation to current and future operational demands, international standards and human rights obligations”.

The documents added: “Proponents shall consider various modernisation options, their impact, and recommend the most appropriate route to upgrading the facilities.

“Recommendations shall include comparative cost-benefit analyses for each option.”

Options to be considered include renovation and expansion, demolition and redevelopment, full decommission and replacement with purpose-built facilities, and a phased demolition-and-build approach.

Elements to be considered include the cost of relocating staff and inmates, presence of hard rocks and caves at Westgate, Bermuda’s environment and alignment with the department’s goals of extending the life cycle of assets, conserving water and energy, enhancing safety, and improving conditions for staff and inmates.

In addition to confirming the integrity and conditions of the buildings, the project would involve the identification of hazardous materials, including asbestos and mould, and how to address them.

The deadline for submissions is 3pm on November 10.

Kim Wilkerson, the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General, has said that the Department of Corrections is working on a “comprehensive reform agenda” to address issues at the island’s prisons and bolster staffing.

She said last month that the department had liaised with the Department of Works and Engineering to team up with private contractors “as a matter of urgency” to address ventilation and roofing repairs at the prison.