The City of Indianapolis, USA, has selected the consortium WMB Heartland Justice Partners to develop the new Marion County criminal justice complex.

The wining consortium is composed by Meridiam Infrastructure Indy Justice, Balfour Beatty Investments, Inc. and Walsh Investors, LLC.

The team beat out competition form the two other shortlisted bidders: Indy Justice Partners, formed by Fengate Capital Management Ltd., AECOM Global Fund I LP and Shiel Sexton Company, Inc, and Plenary Edgemoor Justice Partners, formed by Plenary Group USA Ltd., and Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate LLC.

Construction is expected to start early 2015 and finally the new Marion County criminal justice complex is scheduled to be opened in 2018.

The new consolidated criminal justice campus will include: 3,480 bed detention facility, 750 bed minimum security/ transitional community corrections facility, 32 courtroom courthouse, a law office building, a medical facility, a juvenile court and 100 bed juvenile detention center, a Sheriff's office, a Surface and structured parking facilities, and a Central facilities for maintenance, warehouse, central plant and underground connecting tunnel system.

The project will be developed on a design, build, finance, operation and maintenance (DBFOM) basis. The contract period is 35 years.

The total project investment estimated at US$408 million. The city of Indianapolis will pay US$47 million per year to the preferred bidder.

Judge David Certo, Marion Superior Court, stated:

"We really need a safe environment to do criminal cases, especially in the county and this project makes it safer for jurors, witnesses and members of the public,"