Kamloops and area residents are one step closer to the new Patient Care Tower at Royal Inland Hospital with the selection of the preferred proponent for the project.

EllisDon Infrastructure has been named the preferred proponent on the Royal Inland Hospital Patient Care Tower project following an extensive evaluation of proposals from three short-listed teams. EllisDon Infrastructure will design, build and partially finance the Patient Care Tower project, as well as maintain it for a 30-year period.

“Premier Horgan and I are committed to getting the Patient Care Tower built at Royal Inland Hospital, the sooner the better,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The selection of a preferred proponent gets us one step closer to this important new tower. This state-of-the-art facility will enable us to deliver better public health care for Kamloops and the surrounding region.”

The next stage in the competitive selection process is to complete a performance-based contract with EllisDon Infrastructure this fall. Construction is expected to begin in the fall, and the new tower is anticipated to be open for patients in early 2022. Details of the contract, including financial and schedule, will be released after the agreement has been finalized.

“The selection of EllisDon Infrastructure brings us closer to concluding the selection process and to breaking ground on this important project for Kamloops and the entire Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region,” said Doug Cochrane, Interior Health board chair. “This project will help to modernize Royal Inland Hospital, and will improve patient care for residents of the entire region.”

The Patient Care Tower project will take place in two phases. Phase 1 will be the design and construction of the Patient Care Tower, which will feature single-patient rooms and will bring Royal Inland Hospital up to current standards of care, improving working conditions, as well as infection control and prevention measures. Phase 2 will include significant renovation and expansion to the emergency department, pediatrics, post-anaesthetic recovery and the morgue. New parking stalls will be added to the site.

“The Thompson Regional Hospital District is proud to be a funding partner of the new Patient Care Tower at Royal Inland Hospital,” said Ken Christian, Regional Hospital District chair. “Royal Inland has served the needs of regional residents for over 100 years, and its wards and specialty areas urgently need to be modernized.”

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.

“On behalf of the board of directors and foundation staff, we want to extend our congratulations to EllisDon Infrastructure on their successful project proposal. Our community and region are very deserving of this investment in our local health care facilities,” said Heidi Coleman, CEO of the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation. “We’re thrilled to see the project move forward, and are excited to see the start of construction.”

Quick Facts:

• In selecting the preferred proponent, an evaluation committee comprised of representatives of Interior Health and Partnerships BC evaluated the request for proposals. The evaluation committee appointed five evaluation review teams with specific expertise in health-care planning and operations, design and construction and facilities operations. Community groups were consulted in the process.
• The overall objective of the evaluation was to select the best proposal that was affordable and met the project objectives and requirements. A fairness adviser from Singleton Urquhart LLP was appointed to oversee and monitor the entire evaluation process. The report of the fairness adviser concluded that the process for selecting the preferred proponent was open, fair and equitable.
• Once the Patient Care Tower is complete, Phase 2 renovations will begin with a planned completion date in the fall of 2024.

Learn More:

Read more about the Royal Inland Hospital Patient Care Tower project and other Interior Health capital projects: www.buildingpatientcare.ca

A backgrounder follows.