Wishard awarded the initial construction bid package on the project to build a new Wishard – a hospital for all of Indianapolis – to FA Wilhelm Construction Company, Inc. on Tuesday, Feb. 16. The package also includes construction of site utilities.

"We are ecstatic to be able to find the lowest responsive bidder right here in Indianapolis, where this project can serve the community right now in the form of jobs and economic development," said Matthew Gutwein, President and CEO of Health and Hospital Corporation, which operates Wishard.

Wilhelm and its subcontractors will begin construction in April and plan to complete the package in January, 2012. The local firm, headquartered just east of downtown Indianapolis on Prospect Street, will work with City of Indianapolis-certified minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses to achieve a participation level that meets Wishard’s goals for the project.

"We know that Indianapolis is home to many great companies, so it’s no surprise that a strong local firm like FA Wilhelm is able to provide the best overall package, including one that creates jobs right here in Indianapolis, and one built to achieve minority-, women- and veteran-owned business participation levels at or above the City’s own goals," said Mayor Gregory Ballard.

Wilhelm plans to subcontract with several businesses which are certified with the City, at levels of 15.6 percent for minority-owned businesses, 8 percent for women-owned and 3.2 percent for veteran-owned firms. The package, at $27.5 million, is well within Wishard’s budget for the package and in keeping with the project mandate to be on-budget and on-time.

"This contract is another key component to meeting our goal to build a hospital for the people of Indianapolis, by the people of Indianapolis," said Dr. Lisa Harris, CEO and Medical Director of Wishard Health Services. "Wishard is its people, and the new hospital will be founded as much on the hard work of the men and women who build it as those who will staff it and those it will serve."

The six-level, cast-in-place, post-tensioned concrete garage is at the center of the package, which also includes an element of site utilities construction. The garage will be used for the parking of patient, staff and visitor vehicles at the new Wishard, and it will stand immediately adjacent to the new hospital to maximize convenience and accessibility for patients, visitors and staff. The total parking space in this garage is equivalent to about 18 football fields.

"Parking is a challenge now and its level of availability will continue to fluctuate during construction, so we are addressing that right away with the construction of this parking garage," Harris said. "Our goals of efficiency also encompass design, as the garage will utilize an open-core light well to provide natural light and ventilation."

The project to construct a new Wishard will create 4,400 jobs and will  transform the landscape of health care in Indianapolis.

Marion County voters approved construction of a new Wishard in the Nov. 3 election, with 85 percent support for the measure, and Wishard began work immediately. Wishard plans to complete the new facility at the end 2013.

To learn more about the construction project, visit www.TheNewWishard.org.

Contact: Michelle O'Keefe
Phone: 317-630-6863
Pager: 317-310-5973