MUHC Hires PPP Expert

in
13 Dec 2007

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) announced that it has hired as PPP Project Director, St. Clair Armitage, a former Executive Director of the Peterborough Hospital in the United Kingdom with extensive public-private-partnership experience. Mr. Armitage will be part of the team responsible for overall project delivery of the Glen Campus facilities, from the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase through to the signing of a contract with a private-sector partner and the completion of construction.

“Having St. Clair Armitage on our team is like investing in a blue-chip company,” stated Dr. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC Director General and CEO. His expertise in leading and delivering complex PPP projects will be an asset to our team. He will help us identify and manage risks and opportunities, which will ensure that our facilities represent the very best of the future of health care.”

St. Clair Armitage has more than ten years of PPP experience in both the public and private sectors. He was recently Project Director of a CAN$670M three-hospital private financing initiative (UK PPP) that achieved financial close in June 2007. The three hospitals—a 612-bed acute care facility, a 102-bed mental health hospital and an integrated primary care hospital—are now under construction. Previously, he was Bid Director for a consortium that was bidding on a 1,370-bed and approximately CAN$1.2B facility for University Hospital Birmingham—a university hospital whose tertiary care, research and teaching mission mirrors that of the MUHC. Mr. Armitage has an Honours degree in Systems and Management from London’s City University, and is a former Commander in the Royal Navy.

In recognizing the importance of the MUHC’s redevelopment for the City of Montreal and Quebecers, Mr. Armitage noted that while iconic buildings are important and can be expected in projects of this scale, form follows function in health care: “I am delighted to be joining the MUHC on this formidable redevelopment journey. This project is not only about building facilities. It is more about how we are going to deliver health care to our community in the decades to come,” added St. Clair Armitage. “It’s about the people who need our care and the people who provide that care.”

Some of Mr. Armitage’s responsibilities will be to:

  • Provide advice and direction on PPP projects to senior management of the MUHC;
  • Lead for the MUHC the negotiation of the procurement contract and the procurement processes with the private-sector consortia that have qualified for the project;
  • Implement an effective interface infrastructure and processes so that contractual obligations are met, particularly those related to output specifications, design development, construction oversight, budget control, start-up and commissioning;
  • Ensure adequate participation in the process of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and support staff;
  • and Develop and implement a management plan, including related controls covering all work following financial close.


“PPPs are relatively uncharted territory in Quebec. As the MUHC is the maître d’oeuvre of its Redevelopment Project, we are thrilled to welcome aboard someone like St. Clair Armitage whose understanding of health care extends well beyond the PPP procurement process,” concluded Dr. Porter.