Infrastructure Ontario (IO) has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for teams to design, build and finance the Grandview Children's Treatment Centre Redevelopment project in Ajax.

The scope of the public-private partnership project calls for the consolidation of the existing main site in Oshawa with several satellite locations. The new purpose-built facility will sit on 5.6 acres of land on Harwood Avenue that was donated by the Town of Ajax. Grandview will maintain three satellite locations to reduce extensive travel times for some clients and their families.

The new Grandview Children's Centre will provide family-centred care for children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs and their families in the Durham Region. The building will be an open, welcoming and inclusive community based paediatric facility supporting an integrated mix of rehabilitation, medical and clinical services, education and research activities.

In July, IO announced that it had selected global design and consulting firm B+H Architects to serve as the planning, design and conformance team, and Colliers Project Leaders to serve as project manager.

B+H Architects will prepare project documents, including output specifications. It will also monitor construction progress and provide coordination and oversight during commissioning, completion, and transition to the new facility.

Colliers Project Leaders will support the management of the project on behalf of Grandview Children’s Centre by providing advice on the output specifications, procurement, contract administration and post-occupancy stages.

IO will review the RFQ responses with a view to narrowing down the submissions it receives to three. Those shortlisted teams will then respond to a request for proposal that is targeted for release in February 2021. Construction is expected to start in November 2021 and finish in December 2023.

“I think that this is one of the most significant moments in Grandview’s journey in terms of watching this project move from a dream to a reality,” said Grandview Children’s CEO Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann. “This milestone is signalling to the market that it’s time to let Grandview know if you’re interested in being the team that bids to build the new Grandview. We are getting very close to handing the detailed planning over and asking someone to convert the words and our story into a final design.”