Bird Construction preferred proponent on BC health facility

By Canuckle (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

In a news release on its website, Fraser Health has selected Bird Design-Build Construction Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bird Construction, as the preferred proponent to design and build a new mental health facility and energy centre at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, British Columbia, as part of phase one of the hospital’s redevelopment.   

The next stage in the competitive selection process is to negotiate a performance-based contract with Bird Construction by early 2017. The total cost of phase one of the redevelopment is $258.9 million, and includes a heliport move and temporary parking lots which are not part of this design-build contract.

“This is an important project milestone,” said Michael Marchbank, president and CEO of Fraser Health. “It brings Fraser Health one step closer to breaking ground on our new patient-centred facility for people and families coping with acute mental health and substance use challenges.”

The new 75-bed Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) wellness centre will be a four-storey building with approximately 13,000-square-metres that will provide both inpatient and outpatient services.

The MHSU building will include a two-level bridge link to the existing hospital with one level for patient movement and the other for hospital services. In addition, the building will have a multi-level 450 stall parkade to service the campus.

The energy centre is designed to support the needs of the existing campus in addition to the new MHSU building and is sized to support future proposed redevelopment phases. It will also house an IT communication hub which is designed to support Royal Columbian Hospital’s future information technology infrastructure requirements. 

The project, targeting LEED Gold certification, is expected to commence construction in early 2017 and be completed in winter 2019.  At this time there can be no assurances that the Company will receive a contract award related to this project.

In a release from Bird Construction, Ian Boyd, Bird’s president and CEO, stated that “We are proud to be selected as the preferred proponent on this project and look forward to enhancing our existing relationship with Fraser Health. Projects like these are technically complex, which remain a strategic focus for our company, and provide the opportunity for our staff to participate in giving back to the New Westminster community through the construction of a facility that will have a lasting positive impact.”

The selection of this preferred proponent follows an extensive evaluation of three teams shortlisted in December 2015, which were invited to submit proposals to design and build phase one’s new 75-bed mental health and substance use centre and energy centre. An evaluation committee comprised of representatives of Fraser Health and Partnerships BC evaluated the proposals and appointed four evaluation teams to review and score each proposal. Evaluation teams included clinicians, staff, technology experts and consultants with specific expertise in health-care planning and operations, design, construction, and facilities operations.

A fairness advisor, 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. He has reviewed the process and concluded the evaluations 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 after the agreement has been finalized.