ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has finalised the process of shortlisting firms for the construction of Jinnah Medical Complex and Research Centre (JMCRC) at Sector H-16.

CDA officials said a total of 11 joint ventures (JVs) of local and international firms had applied, out of which four had been declared qualified.

Currently, the request for proposal (RFP) document is being finalised by the consultant. Once finalised, it will be floated in the press for inviting bids from the four JVS.

The PC-I worth Rs212 billion has already been approved for the medical complex and research centre. The project will be executed in two phases. In the first phase, a hospital will be built and in the second a medical college and other related facilities will be developed. The CDA has already earmarked over 600 kanals in H-16 for the complex.

Officials said the firms were shortlisted for the first phase of the project. The project is an initiative of the federal government and the federal health ministry with CDA being the executing agency.

Sources said the estimated cost of the first phase of the project was around Rs75 billion as it was an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) mode project.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the medical complex was performed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on July 21, 2024. Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister had said the complex was going to be the region’s one of the best medical centres where deserving people would get 100 per cent free medical treatment.

“This is the gift by the government not only for the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, but also for people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan,” Mr Sharif said.

Once completed, he had added, the medical complex would offer the world’s best healthcare facilities with various sections for diseases related to heart, kidneys, lungs, cancer and others. A flagship project of Uraan Pakistan Programme, it is being directly overseen by the prime minister, who has so far chaired several meetings on it.

Last month, he also visited the construction site and directed the CDA to ensure early launch of the project for its timely completion.

The four shortlisted firms included a JV of Shanxi Construction Investment Group, China Road and Bridge Corporation, Central South Architectural Design Institute, Zahir Khan and Brothers, Al-Fajr International and ESS-IAAR. The second JV consists of Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group, Maakson Engineering Corporation and EA-Consulting. In the third are several companies, including Yunnan Construction Engineering General Contracting, Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning and Design Institute and Matracon Private Limited and Designman. In the last JV, there are China MCC22 Group, China IPPR International Engineering, Shahid Iqbal Builders and AHW.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2025