By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Following up on a September Request for Information, the Indian Health Service agency of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services has issued a Request for Qualifications for a qualified Architecture/Engineering firm to design a $500M, 395,844SF replacement for the Whiteriver Hospital on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.
The project was first reported on the front page of the AZBEX Sept. 2 issue. (AZBEX, Sept. 2)
One Firm Fixed Price A-E Contract will be awarded.
The project location in Whiteriver is near the existing 83,785SF hospital location at 200 W. Hospital Drive. According to the original materials and IHS profile information, the current Whiteriver Indian Hospital is a 45-bed facility that serves approximately 17,000 tribal members and other Native community residents. The hospital is accredited through the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is staffed by 22 physicians, a nursing staff of 79 and more than a dozen additional specialized care staff members. The hospital offers general medical, pediatric, alcohol treatment, obstetrics and ambulatory surgery services. Inpatient surgery and complex care cases are referred to larger hospitals.
The new RFQ’s scope calls on the selected A-E firm to “prepare a Construction Documents Package to be used to select a general contractor to construct the replacement Whiteriver Hospital and perform Construction Contract Administration Services (CCAS) during the construction period. The anticipated period of performance is 540 days after Notice to Proceed for design, 270 days for the construction solicitation period, and an additional 1095 days for CCAS. The overall design, solicitation, and construction period of performance are estimated to be 1905 calendar days.”
The materials go on to describe the envisioned new facility by saying, “The Whiteriver Service Unit (WSU) services will include Primary Care, Dental, Eye Care, Social Services, Health Education, Public Health Nursing, Public Health Nutrition, Wellness Center, Audiology, Emergency Care, Medical and Surgical Specialty Care, Podiatry, Medical/Surgical/Pediatric Acute Care, Low-Risk Labor & Delivery, comprehensive Diagnostic Imaging, full Rehabilitation Services, and Environmental Health. The construction site is geographically limited, which presents the unique challenge of locating the 395,844 gross square foot building, and 1,335 parking spaces on the partially sloping, 14 acres at the south side of the existing hospital campus.”
The solicitation was published Dec. 8, and Offers are due Jan. 24 by 2 p.m. CST. The full solicitation and accompanying materials are here.
