Request for Qualification Issued for the Development of the Glen Campus of the MUHC

MONTREAL, Canada, June 28 /PRNewswire/ --     The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) confirmed today that a Request
for Qualification (RFQ) was issued on SE@O.ca, Quebec's official
electronic request for proposals Web site, to candidates interested in the
design, construction, financing and maintenance of its Glen Campus. The RFQ
is the first step in the procurement process towards the eventual signing of
a public-private partnership (PPP) for the MUHC's healthcare infrastructure
on this campus.

"The MUHC Redevelopment Project will provide state-of-the-art facilities
on two campuses, the Mountain and the Glen," said Dr. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC
Director General and CEO. "Today's RFQ for the development of the Glen Campus
launches the bid process, marking another step forward. I am confident that
we'll qualify an outstanding shortlist of consortia to submit detailed
proposals. After all, a project like ours represents an amazing opportunity
for developers around the globe."

The Request for Qualification will ensure that healthy competition takes
place. The RFQ will also be audited to ensure transparency and equity.

"There are two parts to the procurement and granting process," added Dr.
Porter. "This first part ensures that any interested company has all the
background information on our project. As everyone can bid, not only is
fairness guaranteed, but we can also ensure that standards of excellence will
be the modus operandi from design right through to maintenance."

With a PPP of this scale, however, no individual company has the means to
bid on its own. The MUHC can expect companies of various sizes to form
consortia. This, too, broadens the field of bidders. The objective of the RFQ
is to qualify three potential partners, which will then be asked to submit
detailed proposals.

"In order to qualify bidders, a selection committee will evaluate a
number of criteria, including technical competency and experience in building
university healthcare centres and research facilities," explained Yanaï
Elbaz, Associate Director General, Redevelopment, Planning and Real Estate
Management. The seven-member selection committee will have four appointees by
the MUHC; the government will appoint the three other members. Other
criteria, which will be studied, include energy management, financial
capacity and expertise, architectural accomplishments, and teamwork.

The next major step in the PPP procurement process is an information
session and site visit for potential partners, which will be held on July 11.
Bidders must have their submissions in by September 17, 2007. The Agence des
partenariats public-privé du Québec and the office of the Executive Director
of the modernisation of Montreal's university healthcare centres will assist
the MUHC with the Request for Qualification process.

About the MUHC Redevelopment Project

Guided by its mission and its role as the nerve centre of the McGill
integrated university hospital network, the MUHC is carrying out a
$1.579-billion Redevelopment Project that will help the Government achieve
its vision for academic medicine in Quebec. Excellence in patient care,
research, education and technology assessment will be fostered on two
state-of-art campuses-The Mountain and the Glen-and through strong
relationships with healthcare partners. Each LEED(R)-registered campus will
be designed to provide patients and their families with "The Best Care For
Life" in a healing environment that is anchored in best sustainable
development practices, including BOMA Go Green guidelines.
www.muhc.ca/construction

About the MUHC

The MUHC is a comprehensive academic health institution with an
international reputation for excellence in clinical programmes, research,
teaching and technology evaluation. The MUHC is a merger of five teaching
hospitals affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University: the
Montreal Children's, Montreal General, Royal Victoria, and Montreal
Neurological hospitals and Institute, and the Montreal Chest Institute.
Building on the tradition of medical leadership of the founding hospitals,
the goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced
knowledge in the healthcare field and to contribute to the development of new
knowledge. www.muhc.ca