Officials will be pre-screening contractors before a major expansion starts on the Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake.

The province and Interior Health today have put out a request for qualifications for the hospital expansion, which is worth $217.8 million.

Health Minister Adrian Dix spoke about the plan in July when the business case for project was approved.

“It will also, I think, in the building of this hospital at this time, will be particularly for the region. With the creation of 1,400 direct and indirect jobs, stimulating economic growth while ensuring our healthcare system meets the needs of our future.”

Interior Health chair Doug Cochrane says this project has been in the works for nearly a decade.

“The goal of course is to have a centre of high-quality healthcare that will address a variety of different needs, focused on delivering healthcare in rural environments,” he says. “These are very different than what you plan in downtown Vancouver or even Kelowna and in Kamloops. And I think it reflects a diversity of needs for healthcare across British Columbia.”

The project will include a new three-storey wing, an expansion to the emergency room, new units for mental health and for maternal services, more parking and more room for ambulances.

The request for a contractor will close in March before a request for proposals is released. Construction of the hospital expansion will be done in two phases and will start in 2021, with work finishing in 2025.