The provincial government has announced the Saskatchewan Hospital project is moving to the Request for Proposals stage.
According to the province, three teams had responded to the Province's Request for Qualifications, which closed July 15, for the new 188-bed Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford and 96-room Integrated Correctional Facility.
After evaluating the responses, three have been invited to move on to the Request for Proposal stage: Access Prairies Partnership; Integrated Team Solutions; and Plenary Health North Battleford LP.
One will be selected by summer 2015, according to the province, with construction expected to begin soon after. The current target for completion is the summer of 2018.
The project is being done as a design-build-finance-maintain public-private partnership (P3) procurement model, said the province. The cost of the facility will be determined through the competitive process.
The news Tuesday is certainly the most significant announcement yet towards getting shovels in the ground for the project, following a long planning process including three LEAN planning sessions with hospital staff.
However, the news of the move to the RFP stage of the P3 was not greeted with enthusiasm from members of CUPE, who swiftly sent out a news release expressing concern about the public-private partnership portion of it.
They and the Council of Canadians have organized a Town Hall Meeting for Oct. 22 at the Dekker Centre that will include guest speakers such as Council of Canadians chair Maude Barlow and former MLA Len Taylor to speak on the issue.
"There have been significant challenges with P3 hospitals in other jurisdictions," said Brian Manegre, President of CUPE Local 5111 in a statement. "Evidence from Canada and the UK shows that P3 hospitals cost more and that there are issues about transparency and accountability."
Provincial government officials, however, seemed happy to see the project move forward to the next stage.
In a statement, SaskBuilds Minister Gordon Wyant said the government was "pleased with the qualifications and level of experience of the three teams that expressed an interest in the project."
"This is a unique project and the P3 model will deliver savings for taxpayers as well as additional value through innovations in design that couldn't be achieved through a traditional approach. Moving forward with a Request for Proposal is the next step in the delivery of this very important facility," he said.
Health Minister Dustin Duncan had been in North Battleford for the final LEAN planning session with hospital staff. On Tuesday, in a statement, he called the move to the RFP phase "an exciting step forward for the hospital project."
"The new facility will better meet the needs of individuals with mental health issues," Duncan added.
The announcement had been made earlier this year that a new integrated correctional facility would be part of the build.
On Monday, Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell spoke at a noon-hour luncheon in North Battleford where she reiterated the government's commitment to the integrated Saskatchewan Hospital-corrections facility project.
But, in speaking to the Regional Optimist, she was not ready to make any announcements on the project's progress, saying only "it's in the works."
That changed the very next day, as Tell welcomed the move to the RFP phase by pointing out the new integrated facility's potential to help offenders.
"This facility is an important addition to the province's ability to provide programming to offenders with mental health issues," she said. "We are happy to be able to draw from a pool of skilled and experienced teams like these, and look forward to making a decision on this project."
"This is great news for the community and an important step in delivering a new facility that will better meet the needs of people with mental health issues," Prairie North Regional Health Authority CEO David Fan said in a statement.
"I want to thank our patient and family representatives as well as the staff for their input in the design process. The new integrated facility will help ensure patients receive the care and support they need in a modern environment."
