Serco Group gets £415m deal to build and operate Belmarsh West prison

Business services group Serco (LON:SRP) has won a 26-1/2 year contract from the British Ministry of Justice to provide and operate a new prison at Belmarsh West, London, for £415 million.
Serco had previously announced its selection, in June 2009, as the preferred bidder to provide and operate two new prisons at Belmarsh West, London, and Maghull, Liverpool, also expecting to sign a contract to provide and operate the prison at Maghull later this year.
The Belmarsh West prison will be built to Category B standards by Serco's construction partner Skanska to accommodate 900 adult male prisoners. Construction will begin immediately and will conclude in H1 2012.

This is the first jailhouse contract to be awarded in the UK to an alliance of the private and voluntary sectors, with the latter represented by Serco’s partners Catch22 and Turning Point.

Serco has a strong track record internationally of providing high quality service in the management of prisons...our consortium comprises some outstanding delivery partners, including Skanska, with whom we have worked since 1994 and our third sector partners Catch22 and Turning Point who are renowned for their rehabilitation and resettlement solutions,” said chief executive Christopher Hyman.