Infrastructure Ontario and Niagara Health have issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for teams to design, build, finance and maintain the South Niagara Hospital Project.

The request for qualifications, which was issued on February 4, is the first step in the process to select a team to help deliver the project.

The purchasers will review submissions with the goal of preparing a shortlist of three teams to advance to a formal request for proposals. That document is expected to be released in the fall.

“This is an exciting milestone for the South Niagara hospital project and a critical point in our planning progress,” said Bunny Alexander, chair of the Niagara Health board. “The RFQ brings us one step closer to provide even more of the specialized, accessible and advanced healthcare that Niagara residents deserve.”

Sited at the intersection of Biggar Road and Montrose Road in Niagara Falls, just off the Queen Elizabeth Way, the new South Niagara Hospital will be an integral part of Niagara Health’s connected healthcare system.

The new state-of-the-art facility involves the creation of Centres of Excellence in stroke, complex care, geriatric psychiatry and ageing and wellness. As well, the project will centralize services from existing facilities, making it easier for residents to access the care they need at one location, provide an overall better experience, and enable communities to be healthier.

The new South Niagara Hospital will be designed and built to meet the Canada Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver standards. In addition, the project is working toward being the first WELL-certified healthcare facility in Canada focused on the health and well-being of staff, physicians, volunteers, patients, families and caregivers and the Niagara community.

“Now, more than ever, we see the great need in our community for this hospital,” said Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie MPP Wayne Gates. “This community has worked so hard to make this a reality and any movement forward means we’re closer to bringing a world-class healthcare facility to our region. This news means that in the near future we will see shovels in the ground and people put to work building this hospital. I want to thank all of our partners who have worked so hard to make this project a reality.”

Although a precise schedule and budget for the project have not yet been set, the latest P3 Market Update report issued by Infrastructure Ontario suggests the project’s contract will be set by 2022, and its anticipated budget is over $1 billion.