Six contracts for new hospital

The state government is cranking up its planning for the new Women and Babies Hospital at Murdoch with six early-stage engineering contracts awarded.

The contracts have been awarded three months after the government surprised the medical community by announcing the $1.8 billion facility will be built on a car park at the southern end of Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch.

It had previously undertaken extensive analysis, at a cost of $10 million, to prepare for construction at a long-planned site at the QEII Medical Centre in Nedlands.

The spate of new contracts indicates the government still needs to undertake early-stage planning for the new site.

Engineering firm Stantec has won two contracts - $130,108 for a project definition plan for electrical, security and fire engineering and $66,484 for provision of hydraulic engineering services.

Environmental consulting firm Emerge Associates has won a $65,620 contract for engineering and building services.

Steens Gray & Kelly has been awarded an $87,780 contract for engineering services while RiskWest has a $62,251 contract for risk advisory services.

Business News reported last week that BG&E has been awarded a $133,000 contract to prepare a project definition plan for civil and structural engineering at the Murdoch site.

When asked about the lack of planning ahead of choosing the new location, the government revealed it had spent $16,500 on a feasibility analysis “to make sure the Murdoch site will be fit-for-purpose now and into the future”.

Liberal Party WA leader Libby Mettam said this was an extraordinary revelation.

“It shows how little they have spent on planning for such a significant decision,” she said last week.

Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has defended the government’s new plan, saying the vast majority of the business case and project definition plan for the QEII site would apply to the new Murdoch site.