Province announces short list of bidders on Bayers Lake outpatient centre

The province has shortlisted three companies to bid on construction of a new community outpatient centre in the Bayers Lake Business Park in Halifax.

The government announced Friday that Bird Integrated Health Partners, Community Health Partners and EllisDon Infrastructure Healthcare have qualified to bid on the public-private partnership project, which includes design work, building, financing and maintaining the new site.

The three companies will receive the request for proposals in July.

Although opposition parties and others have criticized the government for using the P3 model for the project, government officials have said they believe it presents the best possible value.

While they have pointed to a study by Deloitte they say supports P3 as the best approach in this case, officials have said they will not release the study until a contract for the project is awarded.

Part of $2-billion project

The new site is intended to serve people from outside the Halifax area who must travel here, as well as the growing population of the Clayton Park area. Services will include primary care, diagnostic imaging, blood collection, 24 dialysis stations, medical/surgical clinics and an orthopedic assessment clinic.

The work is part of the $2-billion Queen Elizabeth II hospital system's new generation project. The project also includes the expansion of the Halifax Infirmary site, which will ultimately make way for closure of aging and decrepit buildings on the Victoria General site and expansion of the Dartmouth General Hospital.

The short list of companies qualified to bid on the Halifax Infirmary work is expected to be ready by the end of July, according to a government news release.

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