A preferred proponent has been selected as part of the next step towards building a new patient care tower and parkade at Penticton Regional Hospital.
The naming of Ellis Don Infrastructure as the preferred proponent follows an extensive evaluation of the three teams that were shortlisted and invited to submit proposals to design, build, partially finance and maintain a new patient care tower and parkade at Penticton Regional Hospital.
“We’re absolutely thrilled, so excited,” said executive director Janice Perrino of the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation. “This is a huge step forward. Now we know who we’re going to be working with. There are still lots of things that need to be done but everything is happening on time.
“For us, it’s that step we were looking for and now we’ll start to learn more about what it’s going to look like and what the plans are.”
She added the important thing now for the foundation is to raise the remaining $14 million of its $20 million goal for equipment and other related costs.
“We’re hoping people will take this challenge on. Obviously the government is ready to move forward and we’ve seen that with today’s announcement.”
“We remain committed to an expansion of Penticton Regional Hospital because we recognize the growth of the region and an increasing demand on health-care services,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “In short order we will be celebrating the groundbreaking of this new patient care tower and the benefits it will bring for patients, families and health-care professionals in this region.”
The next stage in the competitive selection process is to conclude a performance-based contract with Ellis Don Infrastructure by spring 2016, with construction activities beginning soon after. The new tower is expected to open in 2019. Details about the agreement will be released after the agreement has been finalized.
“Every step in the process brings us closer to the start of construction,” said Dan Ashton, MLA for Penticton. “It will have a significant impact on Penticton and the South Okanagan-Similkameen region creating upwards of 1,900 jobs for workers over the life of the project. Many individuals including myself have spent years working towards this expansion and to be so close to concluding the selection process is incredibly exciting.”
This project includes two phases. Phase one is construction of the new patient care tower and parkade which will include an ambulatory care centre, surgical services, 84 medical/surgical inpatient beds in single patient rooms, a new medical device reprocessing unit, and space for the UBC Faculty of Medicine program.
During procurement, an addendum was added to the Request for Proposals to include design and construction management services for phase two. Phase two involves the renovation of vacated areas in the existing hospital to allow for an expanded emergency department plus renovations to the pharmacy, stores and support areas.
“The selection of Ellis Don Infrastructure as the preferred proponent means we can move on to concluding the selection process,” said Erwin Malzer, Interior Health Board Chair. “It brings us closer to breaking ground on what will be a patient-centred, environmentally sustainable and modern hospital for the residents of the South Okanagan-Similkameen.”
“The RHD is excited to be a part of the new patient care tower,” said Michael Brydon, Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District chair. “As a funding partner, we appreciate the efforts of Interior Health, Partnerships BC and Ellis Don Infrastructure as we move through this stage of the project.”
As part of Interior Health’s commitment to environmental sustainability and green buildings, the new patient care tower will be designed and constructed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, helping to create a healthy and healing patient environment and workplace.
A fairness adviser, John Singleton, of Singleton Urquhart LLP, was appointed to oversee and monitor the entire evaluation process to ensure it was fair and followed the requirements outlined in the request for proposals. The report of the fairness adviser concluded that the process for selecting the preferred proponent was open, fair and equitable. The fairness adviser’s report will be made publicly available once completed on Partnerships BC’s website at www.partnershipsbc.ca.
