Sir Temi Zammit Hospital tender deadline pushed to October

The €1.4 billion tender deadline for the geriatric hospital Sir Temi Zammit was pushed to October from July after health authorities were overwhelmed with requests for clarifications.

Originally, bids had to be submitted by 15 July and were to be opened on the same day. The new deadline for submission of tenders is now set for 27 October at 9:30am with bids being opened 30 minutes later.

“The extension was made as a procedural adjustment to facilitate the issuance of clarifications while ensuring compliance with the applicable procurement regulations,” a spokesperson for the Finance Ministry told MaltaToday.

The ministry is responsible for the Public Contracts Review Board that will adjudicate the tender.

Sources close to the health ministry said potential bidders sought several clarifications, which required significant time to be dealt with. Additionally, one of the bidders is understood to have requested that the deadlines be extended to allow more time to evaluate the tender conditions.

The ministry spokesperson said the deadlines were extended “to ensure the required clarifications could be uploaded within the prescribed timeframe”.

The revised deadlines were published on the electronic tendering portal and communicated through “Clarification Note 14”, the spokesperson added.

They said this approach was consistent with tender regulations. “Regulation 262(1) permits prospective candidates and tenderers to file a reasoned application before the Public Contracts Review Board within the first two-thirds of the tender submission period,” the spokesperson said.

Sir Temi Zammit will be a 300-bed public hospital built on the grounds of St Vincent de Paul home for the elderly. According to the tender published in April, the winning bidder will build the hospital and operate it for 27 years. The capital expenditure will be recouped by the private company over the concession’s term by billing government for services rendered. The tender is valued at €1.4 billion.

The hospital will offer in-patient medical care for elderly people, who do not require treatment at an acute general hospital but require medical care unavailable in a home. Tender documentation shows that the stated aim of the hospital will be to alleviate pressure from Mater Dei Hospital.

The hospital will consist of an admission area with 12 cubicles that will be managed and administered by the government, and 12 wards with a minimum of 24 beds each operated and managed by the private company.

The winning bidder will be expected to finish construction works and start operating the wards, 30 months from the issue of all permits. The company will manage and operate the hospital wards for 27 years and six months.

Tender documentation shows that bidders will be expected to factor in any capital expenditure incurred during the first phase into the overall financial offer.