Request For Qualifications Issued To Shortlist Project Teams
SAULT STE. MARIE - Residents of the Sault region took another step toward a new state-of-the-art hospital with the release of a request for qualifications (RFQ) to shortlist project teams to build, finance and maintain the new Sault Area Hospital, announced Infrastructure Ontario and the hospital today.
"Investing in healthcare projects like the new Sault Area Hospital is one of the McGuinty government's top priorities," said David Caplan, Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal. "Through ReNew Ontario, the government's $30-billion infrastructure investment plan, we are rebuilding Ontario's infrastructure and making the single biggest investment in the province's hospitals in well over a generation.”
The new Sault Area Hospital will have 289 beds and offer a full range of services, including acute, general rehabilitation, mental health, complex continuing care hospital services and a new cancer radiation therapy facility. The hospital site will also include a heliport for air ambulances.
The new facility will consolidate the Plummer Memorial and General sites and be located adjacent to the F.J. Davey Home, a long-term care facility.
"We are moving forward with our new publicly owned hospital to ensure Sault and area residents have access to a modern integrated facility," said Sault Ste. Marie MPP David Orazietti. "The Sault Area Hospital project is great news for our city and it clearly demonstrates that our government is committed to delivering the healthcare resources and infrastructure we need."
“We're delighted that our project is progressing to another important stage,” said Jerome Quenneville, President and CEO, Sault Area Hospital. “Our new, top-quality facility will help our physicians, staff and volunteers do what they do best - provide the best care for the community we serve.”
Once qualified project teams have been short-listed, they will be invited to respond to a request for proposals (RFP) in fall 2006 with construction scheduled to begin in spring 2007. Sault Area Hospital will manage the project with Infrastructure Ontario under the province's Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) program. The new facility, like all hospitals in Ontario, will be publicly owned and publicly controlled.
This project also supports the McGuinty government's plan to build a healthcare system that focuses on three priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing wait times and improving access to doctors and nurses.
AFP transactions are strictly governed by the Building a Better Tomorrow Framework, which outlines a made-in-Ontario approach for planning, financing and procuring public infrastructure. The Framework ensures public ownership of hospitals, transparency, accountability and protection of the public interest.
Infrastructure Ontario, an arms-length crown corporation, uses private-sector expertise to expand and renew public assets and deliver infrastructure projects on-time and on-budget using best practices recognized worldwide.
The complete Sault Area Hospital RFQ document is available on www.merx.com.
Contacts:
Wilson Lee
Minister's Office
Public Infrastructure Renewal
416-325-8735
Neil Trotter
Infrastructure Ontario
416-325-7409
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