More than $130m to be spent on Howard Springs Centre for National Resilience next year

More than $130m will be spent on the Howard Springs quarantine facility.

MORE than $130m of contracts for the Howard Springs Centre for National Resilience are to be released before starting next year.

The tenders include $80m to $90m for facility management, $40m to $50m for catering services and $10m to $20m for security services.

Stage one will include an expression of interest, which will be publicly advertised with responses reviewed by an ­assessment panel.

Short-listed providers will then be identified for stage two, which will involve a more comprehensive request for tender.

All contractors must hold relevant skills, qualifications and licensing, appropriate employment requirements and demonstrate that they can provide services in a “complex quarantine environment within stringent infection control parameters”.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said easing Covid-19 ­restrictions did not mean the pandemic was over “and it does not mean that we should not plan for an uncertain ­future”.

“The coronavirus has ­proven to be unpredictable and while the vaccine remains our strongest defence – not all arrivals into the Territory will be vaccinated and not all Australians around the world have had access to TGA-approved vaccines,” Ms Fyles said.

“The Centre for National Resilience will remain a vital national resource with the international repatriation program to continue for as long as it’s needed.

“The Territory Labor government’s successful management of the Centre for National Resilience has kept Territorians safe and we will continue to uphold that gold standard.”