The provincial government says it received just one submission to its request for qualifications for the replacement of Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.

The province surprised many, including NAPE, when it announced in December that it was going back to the drawing board by re-issuing a Request for Qualifications for replacement of the aging Pen.

The aim, according to government, was to procure a facility that is “fiscally responsible” while maintaining new planned programming.

Today the province announced that New Avalon Corrections Partners was the sole submission—the same group was one of three teams that answered an RFP for the design, construction and maintenance of a new facility to replace HMP issued in 2020.

An RFQ is the first stage in a two-stage procurement process, and is not a proposal according to government.

In a release issued today, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says government will continue the procurement process with the one proponent.