13 teams vie for development rights as the City’s RFQ process for Pier 8 lands closes

Hamilton, ON, July 21, 2017 - The City of Hamilton is pleased to announce that the much-anticipated Pier 8 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) officially closed on July 10, 2017 and that thirteen formal prequalification submissions have been received on behalf of private-sector consortia and individual companies. 

In total, 31 firms, all of which are based in Ontario, comprise the submitting teams.

“Our team is thrilled with responses to the Pier 8 RFQ. Both the quantity and quality of the submissions reinforce the belief that the City’s West Harbour Re-Development is a transformative ‘City-Building’ project.” - Chris Phillips, Senior Advisor, West Harbour Re-Development Project, City of Hamilton

Formally launched on April 18, 2017, the RFQ is the first of a two-stage solicitation process. The process offers private developers the opportunity to purchase and build on 5.24 hectares of fully-serviced, mixed-use lands. These lands are integrated with a public recreational waterfront. The City has a multi-year, $140 million revitalization plan already underway for the waterfront. 

The development site has the potential to support approximately 1,500 residential units and 13,000 square metres of commercial and institutional space. The site is on nine development blocks that reach the water’s edge. The entire solicitation process is expected to conclude in 2018.

The RFQ invited interested bidders to submit information that substantiates their qualifications with the following criteria:

• Alignment with the City’s vision for Pier 8, as outlined in established planning policies
• Possessing the financial capacity and stability to execute and finance a large-scale, multi-phase development
• Demonstrating a proven track record of executing projects similar in nature to Pier 8
• Assembling a team that has the expertise to optimize the opportunity while delivering on the City’s desired outcomes

The RFQ stage will end with the announcement of a shortlist of interested bidders. The shortlisted bidders will be exclusively invited to participate in a Request for Proposals stage. This stage will focus on conceptual proposals and financial bids.

As part of the Hamilton City Council approved RFQ process, all participants are governed by a strict set of procedures and rules governing the process itself, as well as a communications protocol throughout. As such, there will be no further public comments by the City or the participants regarding the RFQ process until the formal announcement of the shortlist. The shortlist is expected to be announced in mid-September 2017. 

Procedures and rules can be found in Section 8 of the RFQ document.

Additional resources

Interested parties may obtain the RFQ and related background documents at www.hamilton.ca/westharbour.