I was asked by a client recently to create my own version of the perfect healthcare/hospital RFQ.  Feel free to steal, borrow, improve.

[INSTITUTION COVER PAGE]

[DESCRIBE SCOPE OF WORK HERE & CONTRACT TERMS]

[SCHEDULE FOR A/E/ FIRM SELECTION]

Please submit your response in the following order:

1. Firm Name:
2. Contact Person:
3. Contact Information:
4. Firm History:
5. What percentage of your work is healthcare:
6. How many people are employed by your firm:
7. How many personnel are dedicated exclusively to healthcare:
8. List team members you intend to assign to this project, their role, 5 recent (and similar) projects they were responsible for and reference info (name, phone and email):
9. Please give a statement of commitment that the team you submit will be the same team performing design services from project inception through Owner Occupancy.  Please have an owner/officer within your firm sign this page.
10. List 5-10 similar projects your firm has completed in the past 5 years, give size, cost and client reference info (name, phone and email):
11. Describe your process for design and project management:
12. Describe the value you give for the fee you charge:
13. List consultants you plan to use for this contract, what is their role and give a contact person and contact information for each consultant.

Limit response to 20 pages.  5 copies delivered to the person listed below by [DATE/TIME OF DEADLINE HERE]:

Person, Title
Delivery Address
Phone
Email

Hope this helps! Good luck and we look forward to working with you!

And no good deed goes unpunished. For all the heroes helping with the Gulf Oil Spill cleanup, be careful, be safe. “Although it’s not at all clear what the long-term or even mid-term effects of the Deepwater disaster are likely to be, people involved in the clean-up at least need to be aware of potential risks, experts noted.”

Although this is an article for those of you dealing with ill parents, the lesson is one that we all can and should learn today. “When dealing with a difficult transition, give yourself breathing room.”  In other words, It is OKAY to say no. It is OKAY to limit your time to your priorities and things/people that make you feel good. It is OKAY to take charge of your life and NOT be exhausted. I have no idea why we applaud people who are “busy”… that label is not a badge of honor, nor is it something to be admired.  It’s boring.

Not enough exercise at work… Treadmills at your desk! Problem solved.

By Isaiah Montoya

PhiloWilke Partnership, a healthcare design architecture firm, has started programming and design to renovate the four-story Annex building for University Medical Center (UMC) on their main campus.

Because the building is currently occupied, PhiloWilke is also challenged with phasing the project so people can move and/or relocate. “Approximately 80% of our work involves renovation in occupied facilities, so we take great care to minimize disruption to the patients and staff,” said Dana Wilke, Managing Partner of PhiloWilke. “The age of the building also dictates that we redesign the mechanical and electrical systems, deal with potential asbestos abatement requirements and increase handicap accessibility.”

When asked how Mr. Wilke got interested in medical architecture, he explained it was a matter of influence and luck. “My dad was an engineer, so that pushed me to the technical aspects of drawing and designing.  But, my first job out of school in 1971 was as a planner for a hospital management company.  This was where my interest for healthcare really got started,” he said. “I have dedicated my career and started this firm specifically to serve healthcare, medical, science and technology clients.  It is extremely complicated work, but the most rewarding.”

Mr. Wilke began his firm with Roger Philo in 1985 in Houston. Their office in El Paso opened in January.  “This is only our second office,” said Wilke. “We came here because El Paso and the surrounding areas are really unique.  There is so much going on here and a lot of opportunity.”

PhiloWilke’s experience spans both large and small projects for major institutions and systems throughout Texas, including M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Children’s Medical Center – Dallas, the VA, Methodist Healthcare System, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and medical branches for the University of Texas. “There are really important, big hospitals here in El Paso,” he added, hence the desire to have an office in El Paso. “We have the right expertise to offer to this community.”

PhiloWilke is a full-service architectural firm.  Mr. Wilke said that, “we can work with a hospital no matter where they are in the planning process. Our firm can help them formulate ideas, budget and schedule from the very beginning and then see the project through to completion and occupancy.”

He continued, “Most of our architects are LEED certified, which means we are always attempting to find new ways to conserve energy and resources in building design, maintenance and operations.”

As for the current project’s status, Mr. Wilke said, “The UMC project is going great and it is a lot of fun. We are in El Paso to stay and look forward to contributing not only our passion for medical architecture, but our knowledge and experience as well.”

Keep tuned to CityBeatMagazine.net to be updated on project completion, which was not mentioned during the interview.

Want to do your homework on other medical maladies? Here you go! I just read a few dozen articles on migraines.

https://twitter.com/invitations/suggestions/health

Has suggestions for other topics too. I frequently change up who I follow and unfollow. Keeps life (and my feed) interesting and relevant. We can be found @philowilke.

Currently, Memorial Hermann Memorial City provides a variety of cancer services at several different areas on the campus, notes Keith Alexander, CEO of Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center. “We are building a new cancer center that will enable us to provide new and expanded services under one roof,” he says. “We’ve been providing cancer services in the area for over 40 years, but this allows us to put together a comprehensive cancer center. The partnership is making many of these new services possible.”

One advantage to the new partnership, Alexander says, is that the multidisciplinary cancer physicians at the Cancer Center at Memorial Hermann Memorial City will work together to discuss each patient’s case and come to an agreement on the best practice of treatment.

Memorial Hermann is investing about $12 million to build out and equip the new cancer center on the ground floor of Medical Plaza 4. Alexander expects the project to be built out by March 20, 2011.

Read the original article in the Houston Buisness Journal here.