Idaho seeks bids for third time on drug treatment center

BOISE – After two false starts, the Idaho Department of Correction has again solicited bids to build a 400-bed treatment center for drug abusers convicted of crimes.

Besides helping offenders overcome drug addictions and reducing the chances of them becoming repeat offenders, officials would also like to save money by not having to ship inmates out of state because of overcrowded prisons in Idaho.

The state withdrew the first bid request in August after two companies complained it prevented them from collaborating.

The second bid was withdrawn after it drew only one bidder.

The third request for bids went out April 25, and has a closing date of June 15. That request was put together with help from companies that might submit bids.

“We wanted to make sure we had it right,” Rod Leonard, who led the bidding development team, told the Idaho Statesman. “After the first two times, we needed to make sure everything was squared away.”

He said that if everything goes as planned the state could award the contract by early August.

Lawmakers a year ago approved money to build the center, which is expected to cost about $22 million.

“That thing should have been going by now,” said Rep. Darrell Bolz, R-Caldwell.

About 450 Idaho prisoners are serving time out of state.

Brent Reinke, who became director of the Department of Correction in January, said he wanted to avoid the kind of problems that thwarted the earlier bid requests with the latest effort.

“With my coming on board, what I wanted to do was make sure we dotted all of our I’s and crossed all of our T’s,” Reinke said. “I just don’t want to see this fall on hard times (another) time.”

He said he hopes the center can be completed within a year.

Some companies had asked that the most recent bid request be designed to separate construction of the center from operating the center.

That didn’t happen, but Leonard said he met with companies and they were comfortable with the wording of the bid request.