An EllisDon spokesman, who was eligible to bid for the project as part of the EllisDon Infrastructure Healthcare consortium, confirmed to CBC News on Monday that the company announced its intentions to the provincial government on June 16. “EllisDon withdrew from the Halifax Infirmary project due to unprecedented cost escalation, supply chain and labor productivity affecting the construction industry,” the company said in a statement. The renovation of Halifax Hospital is part of the so-called New Generation project of the Queen Elizabeth II Center for Health Sciences. Work also includes the construction of a new outpatient center on Lake Bayers (EllisDon won the contract for this project) and the renovation and expansion of Dartmouth General and Hants Community Hospitals. In 2018, the new generation project was estimated to cost $ 2 billion. However, with a global rise in the price of materials, labor shortages and inflation, this rate is unlikely to remain accurate.
The final offer will be considered this fall
The tender for the work of the Hospital was to be awarded by the end of spring, but last week the province confirmed that the assignment was delayed for several months. The government rejected requests for an interview with Prime Minister Tim Houston or Secretary of Public Works Kim Masland on Monday. A provincial spokesman said in an email that the tender was delayed to “review the scope of the project” and allow successful bidders to secure funding based on current market conditions. This includes, but is not limited to, labor pricing. and supply chain availability. “ The statement said that the procurement process is continuing with the remaining bidder, Plenary PCL Health, and that we hope that the final bid will be reconsidered in the autumn. There will be public information at that time, according to the province. The internal documents mentioned by the CBC last week indicate the challenges facing the scope of the Infirmary project.
The province rejected the proposed joint venture offer
The documents state that the population forecasts used in 2015 to plan the project have already been exceeded due to the recent population explosion in Nova Scotia. As a result, the documents recommend adding 144 beds, four operating rooms and a new emergency department to the project. The EllisDon statement said that earlier this year they and PCL proposed a joint venture for the project, “which would be the best solution to meet these challenges”. “The possibility of a joint venture is crucial because it allows both EllisDon and PCL to reap the combined benefits of their balance sheets, human resources and business partners to deliver this crucial project.” EllisDon said the idea was rejected by officials in the county’s Department of Public Works. The government spokesman confirmed that he had received the offer. Opposition politicians, meanwhile, continue to express concern about what is happening to the project.
The public needs more information, the opposition says
Liberal public works critic Brendon Clark said having only one candidate for mass rejuvenation, which includes more beds, surgery and a new cancer center, is “a huge problem”. “There is no competitive offer at this point,” he said. “One remaining bidder will make a bid at some point. You know, the government may say, ‘Well, we don’t have to take it,’ but then you go back to the first one and you have no work to do.” Clark said the Halifax Infirmary’s work is “the cornerstone” of the Tory government ‘s campaign promise to fix healthcare. Any problems with the project will result in a drop in the entire system in Halifax and the rest of the province, he said.
“We have to make sure we do it right,” says the MLA
NDP Health critic Susan Leblanc said the government is in a difficult position to try to continue the process with only one bidder and risk a non-competitive bid or stop the project to get more bidders involved and risk long delays in a vital bid. important infrastructure project. “I know very well how much we need this hospital and how much we need better health services in Nova Scotia and so I do not want to say we have to stop, but I think we have to make sure we do it right,” he said. Leblanc said it makes sense to re-evaluate things when new information emerges, such as a change in population forecasts, but said the government should provide more information to the public about what it is considering and what it might mean for the project. When the QEII New Generation project is completed, it will allow the closure and possible demolition of the Centennial, Dickson and Victoria buildings on the campus of Victoria General Hospital in Halifax. MORE TOP STORIES
