QUEEN CHARLOTTE / Three qualified teams have been shortlisted to participate in the next stage of the competitive selection process to design and build a new hospital in the Village of Queen Charlotte.

Ten design-build teams responded to the Queen Charlotte / Haida Gwaii Hospital replacement project Request for Qualifications (RFQ), which closed Sept. 21. Following evaluation of the responses received, the three teams invited to move forward to the Request for Proposal (RFP) stage are:

• Bouygues Building Canada and Perkins + Will.

• Lark/Maple JV.

• PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.

Northern Health expects to issue the RFP in late November, select a preferred proponent and award a contract by spring 2013. Design-build activities will get underway immediately after the signing of an agreement and the hospital is expected to be completed by summer of 2015.

"It is exciting to see the selection process move along to design and build a new hospital in the Haida Gwaii," said Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid. "All across northern British Columbia, we are building better patient care for future generations of patients and families."

"Once complete, the new hospital will help to minimize the need to leave the island for specialized care," said Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister Ida Chong. "The hospital will offer a range of care options from acute care to residential care beds and incorporate elements of the rich culture of Haida Gwaii, thanks to input from our valued First Nations stakeholders."

The replacement hospital will feature eight acute care beds, eight long-term-care beds, plus one labour, delivery and recovery suite. The redevelopment will provide a modern environment for the delivery of public and mental health and addictions programs, and home and community care services.

A newly reconfigured hospital layout will benefit the delivery of acute and emergency services, which will include designated program space for diagnostic imaging, laboratory and pharmacy services. A new home and community care house with eight residential care beds for clients with complex needs will also be included.

"A new hospital on Haida Gwaii will enable Northern Health clinicians and staff to deliver client-focused, health-care services in a modernized environment that will ultimately improve outcomes for patients," said Cathy Ulrich, Northern Health chief executive officer and president.

"Having narrowed the potential design-build teams to three is very exciting," said Carol Kulesha, North West Regional Hospital District vice-chair and Village of Queen Charlotte mayor. "This puts us one step closer to officially starting construction of the new facility in 2013."

The total value of the replacement hospital is up to $50 million. Funding will be cost-shared by the Province and the North West Regional Hospital District.

A new hospital on Haida Gwaii will enable Northern Health clinicians and staff to deliver client-focused, health-care services in a modernized environment that will ultimately improve outcomes for patients.

The new building will be designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification, and will optimize the use of wood in the interior and exterior of the building, consistent with the Wood First Act.

A backgrounder follows.

Media Contacts:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)

Northern Health
250 961-7724

BACKGROUNDER

Queen Charlotte / Haida Gwaii Hospital replacement project

The Queen Charlotte/Haida Gwaii Hospital replacement project was officially announced by the government of British Columbia and the North West Regional Hospital District in the Village of Queen Charlotte on April 12, 2012.

Ten teams responded to the RFQ to design and build the hospital replacement project. After a thorough evaluation of the submissions against the criteria outlined in the RFQ, three teams were shortlisted. In alphabetical order, they are:

Bouygues Building Canada and Perkins + Will:

• Bouygues Construction.

• Perkins + Will.

Lark/Maple JV:

• Maple Reinders Inc.

• Lark Projects Ltd.

• CEI Architecture.

PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.:

• PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.

• Hughes Condon Marler Architects.

The fairness advisor, John Singleton, has reviewed the RFQ process and found that the evaluation met the criteria of fairness, openness, transparency and integrity. The fairness advisor's report will be available on Partnerships BC's website at: www.partnershipsbc.ca

Media Contacts:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)

Northern Health
250 961-7724