How to sell to BC health authorities

BC's health system is one of the biggest buyers in the province. Hospitals, care homes, clinics, labs and offices all need cleaning, maintenance, security, construction and supplies. For a trade or service business, health care work can be large and steady, but it comes with more rules than most public work.

Who are the buyers?

BC has five regional health authorities (Fraser Health, Interior Health, Island Health, Northern Health and Vancouver Coastal Health), plus the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and the First Nations Health Authority. Providence Health Care also runs hospitals in Vancouver.

PHSA Supply Chain buys on behalf of the health authorities. PHSA says its opportunities are posted on BC Bid, so a BC Bid account is the first step. See how to register on BC Bid. PHSA also uses an annual Notice of Intent to invite suppliers onto a pre-qualified list for consulting services. See standing offers and pre-qualified lists.

Facilities and capital work, such as maintenance, small renovations and building services, is often run by each health authority's facilities team for its own region. Large hospital construction projects usually go through a separate capital project team or a partnership model.

What do health authorities buy from trades and service firms?

• Facilities maintenance: HVAC, electrical, plumbing, elevators, fire protection and building controls. See HVAC maintenance contracts.
• Support services: cleaning, security, pest control, grounds and snow removal. See security and patrol contracts.
• Renovations and small projects: clinics, patient rooms, labs and offices.
• Consulting: engineering, architecture, IT and planning.

What makes health care work different?

• Infection prevention and control. Construction and maintenance in hospitals often follow infection control risk assessments, with dust barriers, negative air and cleaning protocols. Ask whether the buyer has a specific standard and price it in.
• Occupied, 24/7 buildings. Work happens around patients. Expect night and weekend work, shutdown planning and tight coordination.
• Safety and screening. WorkSafeBC clearance, a strong safety program, and sometimes criminal record checks and immunization requirements for staff.
• Privacy. Contracts involving patient information carry strict privacy terms. IT work especially. See IT and software contracts.
• Successorship. Non-clinical services such as cleaning, food and security are covered by BC's retendering successorship rules. See successorship when contracts are retendered.
• Contract size. Health contracts can be large. Some firms start as a subcontractor to a bigger provider. See subcontracting on public work.

How are bids evaluated?

Health authorities follow the same broad rules as other BC public buyers. Under the province's procurement processes, invitations to tender are awarded on lowest compliant price, and requests for proposals are scored on criteria set out in the document. Health RFPs tend to weigh experience, methodology, risk and safety heavily. Read the scoring grid first and write to it. See how public bids are scored and how to write an RFP proposal.

How do I get started?

1. Register on BC Bid and set up notifications for your categories.
2. Watch your regional health authority's facilities postings and any supplier registration it offers.
3. Get your paperwork ready: WorkSafeBC clearance, insurance, safety program and references. See the paperwork list.
4. Start with smaller work: quotations for a single site, after-hours call-outs, or subcontracts on larger contracts.
5. Ask for a debrief after every loss. See how to get a bid debrief.

Health care buyers value reliability above almost everything. A supplier who shows up, follows infection control rules and keeps patients safe tends to get asked back.