The Ministry of Health of British Columbia, Canada, has launched a request for qualifications (RFQ) to develop a new patient care tower at Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH).

Premier Christy Clark announced the Penticton Regional Hospital Project on July 30, at an event in Penticton. The project includes two phases:

• Phase one is construction of the new patient care tower which will include an ambulatory care centre, surgical services centre, 84 medical/surgical inpatient beds in single patient rooms, a new medical device reprocessing unit, and space for the UBC Faculty of  Medicine program. The tower will be approximately 26,700 square metres (287,500 square feet).

• Phase two involves the renovation of vacated areas in the current hospital, including increasing the size of the emergency department to nearly four times its current size.

The project will be developed on a design, build, finance, and maintain (DBFM) basis.

The total budget for the project is CAD$325 million. It will be funded jointly by the provincial government, with CAD$122 million provided by the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District and CAD$20 million provided by the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation.

Interested parties must submit their qualification documents on or before 6 November 2014. The preferred bidder is set to be chosen by late 2015 and the contract is expectedto be signed shortly thereafter. It is anticipated construction will start in 2016, and the new patient care tower would open in 2019.

Health Minister Terry Lake commented:

Just a few weeks ago we announced approval of the business plan for a new patient care tower at PRH, and already we've reached the first important milestone in this exciting project in the South Okanagan-Similkameen.

See RFQ: http://www.partnershipsbc.ca/files-4/documents/2014-09-17_PRH-RFQ.pdf