MOH, HDB award S$18,000 bid to rent Bidadari clinic under pilot tender evaluation approach
This works out to S$180 per square metre (sq m), lower than the average bid rent of S$382 per sq m for clinic tenders in new housing projects awarded in recent years
[SINGAPORE] A government tender for a clinic in Bartley was awarded on Friday (Aug 1) to a bid of S$18,000 in monthly rent under a pilot tender evaluation framework that considers quality and price.
In the new price-quality method (PQM) for general practitioner (GP) clinics, a tender proposal’s quality and price account for 70 per cent and 30 per cent of its evaluation, respectively, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Housing and Development Board (HDB).
The HDB earlier noted that GP clinic tenders were previously awarded based on tendered price – such as the Tampines clinic tender awarded to a record bid of S$52,188 in monthly rent, that made news in June.
The tender for the clinic space at Bartley Beacon, a Build-to-Order (BTO) project in the Bidadari housing estate, opened on May 8 and closed on May 29. It received 18 bids and was awarded to BridgePoint Health.
The 100 square metre (sq m) clinic space is about double the size of a typical clinic, MOH and HDB said.
The rent works out to S$180 per sq m, which is lower than the average bid rent of S$382 per sq m for GP clinic tenders in new housing projects awarded from 2022 to 2024, they noted.
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In comparison, the “unusually high” rent for the Tampines clinic tender, which was awarded in March before MOH embarked on the PQM model, worked out to around S$1,000 per sq m, MOH and HDB said.
That prompted Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung to express dismay about the clinic’s tender price in a June Facebook post, where he said that the record-high rent would translate into higher healthcare costs and negate the MOH’s efforts to keep costs of primary healthcare affordable.
MOH and HDB said that they are working together to provide residents with quality and affordable healthcare services.
“Through adopting the PQM method for essential services such as supermarkets and coffee shops, HDB is committed to ensuring residents have access to affordable and quality goods and services in the heartlands,” the authorities said.
Three more GP clinic tenders will be launched under the pilot PQM tender evaluation framework this year. The next one will be launched at Costa Grove, a Pasir Ris BTO project, and two more will be launched at Parc Point and Toh Guan Grove by end-2025.
Commitment to providing quality services
MOH will monitor and review BridgePoint Health’s compliance with the tender commitments, the authorities said.
“MOH will also continue to review how ‘quality’ is assessed under such PQM tenders to ensure that GP clinics in HDB estates can offer better quality healthcare for residents near their homes and support chronic disease management under Healthier SG,” said MOH and HDB.
To ensure the quality of GP services provided, the tender requires BridgePoint Health to be onboarded to Healthier SG as part of the primary care network. It will also have to be accredited with the Community Health Assist Scheme.
Additionally, BridgePoint Health has committed to focusing on providing primary care services and steering away from providing aesthetic services, MOH and HDB said.
The healthcare company has committed to work with community partners, such as Community Health Posts in Active Ageing Centres, to strengthen preventive and chronic care for residents.
This includes providing basic ancillary services on site, such as diabetic retinal photography, diabetic foot screening and nurse counselling for diabetic patients.
As part of the Mental Health General Practitioner Partnership programme, which supports doctors in dealing with individuals who face mental health conditions, BridgePoint Health will manage patients with more complex mental health conditions in the community, MOH and HDB said.
It will also collaborate with the healthcare clusters to provide more integrated and seamless care for residents.
Most of BridgePoint Health’s services will be offered on site to minimise the need for referrals, as the unit is larger than typical clinics, the MOH and HDB said.
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