It’s a three-way race to win a building contract worth $600-million.
A trio of consortiums are in the running to build two new hospitals in Courtenay and Campbell River as the request for proposals was officially announced Monday.
“The quality of the three short-listed firms is very strong,” said Claire Moglove, chair of the Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital District. “Moving to (this) stage is a significant step in the development of the North Island Hospitals Project, which will have such a positive impact on healthcare delivery in our region.”
The list of consortiums vying for the two-hospital project was whittled down from eight to three last October. The three selected to bid are Arbutus Healthcare Partners, Plenary Health and Tandem Health Partners.
All three involve major building, engineering and design firms with an extensive history of health care construction in North America.
“We look forward to seeing how the proponents develop their visions for these two state-of-the-art facilities,” said Don Hubbard, chair of the health authority.
The contract is expected to be awarded in early 2014. Construction will begin soon after, and the hospitals are expected to be completed in 2017.
The North Island Hospitals Project includes a 95-bed hospital in Campbell River and a 153-bed hospital in the Comox Valley.
The estimated capital cost of $600 million ($266 million for the Campbell River Hospital) will be a 60-40 split shared respectively by the province and the Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital District. The hospitals will be built through a private-public partnership with the winning bidder taking responsibility for the hospitals’ maintenance and upkeep for the next 30 years.
This week, site preparation work began in Campbell River as an excavator began clearing temporary parking spaces beside Yucalta Lodge on 2nd Avenue.
Quick facts
- The project will create approximately 1,900 direct jobs and more than 1,400 indirect jobs.
- All health-care services will continue to be funded by the B.C. government and delivered by VIHA.
- The new Campbell River Hospital will be approximately 23,000 square metres and built adjacent to the existing hospital site.
- The new Comox Valley Hospital will be approximately 29,000 square metres and built near at the intersection of Lerwick and Ryan Roads in Courtenay, adjacent to the North Island College campus.
- The Campbell River Hospital will support a Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal Maternal Health.
- The new buildings will be designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards, and will maximize the use of wood.