THREE firms are bidding to build a new £300m hospital at Wynyard, it has been revealed.
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said three bidders will be competing to provide the new hospital to serve the people of Hartlepool, Stockton and parts of Easington and Sedgefield.
They are Brookfield Multiplex Europe, Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras and Laing O’Rourke.
Brookfield Multiplex Europe built the new hospital in Peterborough and is currently building a major hospital in Glasgow.
Meanwhile, Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras is a highly experienced developer of hospitals in Spain.
It has built major infrastructure projects all over Europe and has a worldwide presence ,according to health chiefs.
Laing O’Rourke has built a number of hospital developments and has been involved in a wide range of construction projects.
Kevin Oxley, lead director for the new hospital, said: “We had many people at the bidder open day in October and 10 organisations submitted pre-qualification questionnaires to be shortlisted for the next stage.
“We had a number of strong submissions of which Brookfield, Iridium and Laing O’Rourke offered the best technical and financial standing.
“These bidders have been invited to work with our doctors, nurses, other health professionals and support staff on the design and delivery of the scheme.”
They say the new hospital is a vital element of the momentum: pathways to healthcare programme.
The next stage of the procurement process is a three-month series of meetings with the design aspects being looked at in more detail, at which point the number of bidders is likely to drop to two.
The next stage involves the bidders working with the trust and its healthcare partners in much more detail, after which the trust will select its preferred bidder.
A funding competition will run in parallel to identify the best terms available to fund the scheme.
Alan Foster, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation chief executive, said: “Building any scheme of this size and complexity is not without its challenges.
“However, the trust’s project team is experienced and will manage all of the challenges to get the best outcome for local people.
“It is very exciting to at last be on our way to bringing a state-of-the-art-hospital to our local area.”