Congress, through the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, (P.L. 105-33) (the Act), directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) to house 2,000 District of Columbia (DC) sentenced felons in private correctional facilities by December 31, 1999. To accomplish this Congressional mandate, the competitive procurement process for this initiative began with the announcement of the requirement in December of 1997. The Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued in February 1998.

In recent months, however there have been several serious incidents in various privately operated correctional facilities. These incidents have raised public safety concerns around the nation. The FBOP has determined a reconsideration of the security and programmatic needs for the low-security male inmate population is the best course of action.

Today, November 23, 1998, the FBOP amended the current procurement to delete the 1,200 low-security male inmate population. Offerors were requested to modify their proposals to reflect the remaining requirement to include 350 minimum-security male inmates, 350 Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA) male inmates, and 300 various security female inmates. The revised proposals will be due on December 23.

On or about December 12, 1998, the FBOP will release a new RFP for the 1,200 low-security male inmate requirement, enhancing the RFP by adjusting the evaluation factors to emphasize past performance and augmenting security requirements to meet the needs of the low-security male inmate population. Although the facility must be within 300 miles of the District, extra consideration for a location closer to the District will not be given as it was in the original solicitation.

This course of action is considered the most prudent from the point of view of correctional practice and public safety.