60-bed ward block at Univeristy Hospital Limerick

Published: Sat 24 Aug 2019, 9:00 AM

Earlier this year, the HSE awarded a contract for the provision of a 60-bed systems build ward block at University Hospital Limerick.

The new ward block is anticipated to be completed by Quarter 3 2020 with the new beds envisaged to be operational in time for winter 2020. The total capital funding cost of this project including works, equipping and professional fees, is estimated to be in the region of €19.5 million.

The tender for the block was published on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and E-tenders procurement platforms on July 26th, 2018. The deadline for receipt of tenders was September 24th, 2018.

The contract was formally awarded to Western Building Systems in May 2019 with a contract commencement date of May 15th , 2019. HSE Estates followed strict EU public procurement guidelines in this process. The successful bidder was entitled to bid for the contract and met all the contract criteria. The detailed criteria set out that the project would be a rapid build and, as such, specialist work of this nature would have precluded some contractors from bidding.

The evaluation criteria for the tender required that the design-and-build contractor, their nominated design team and subcontractors met specifically selected stringent criteria for qualifications and experience; turnover and performance bond requirements; programme and resources and project quality execution plans. In addition, they were required to submit a detailed design, including specification and drawings which met the tender performance specification, exemplar design and approved statutory compliance certification.

The 60-bed Ward Block at University Hospital Limerick will be fully compliant with the building regulations. The HSE have appointed a technical advisor team who are supervising the contractor’s design and construction works and who ensure compliance with the contract requirements. In addition, the local HSE Estates staff, including engineers and clerk of works, will oversee and monitor the construction project.

This is an important project for the people of the MidWest and will go some way towards addressing the acknowledged lack of bed capacity in the region. The 60-bed ward block comprises four stories, with three wards of 20 en-suite single rooms over a basement level. The project will also help UL Hospitals Group in addressing its relative lack of isolation facilities.

A second 96-bed block for UHL is included in Project Ireland 2040; however, this project is some years away from delivery. The 60-bed block is the interim measure to help us add much needed bed capacity in the short-term.