The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is soliciting qualifications from firms with experience in health-care automation to support early planning and design for a new academic medical center.
According to the request for qualifications (RFQ), the selected partner will help shape the automation strategy, define system-level design requirements and create an implementation road map. The goal is to avoid costly retrofits and ensure that automation decisions align with long-term operational goals.
The scope of work includes both planning and design support, with a specific focus on the robotic transportation of materials such as supplies, waste, pharmacy items and lab specimens. The selected firm will be expected to develop models and diagrams that inform space planning, vertical transport requirements and throughput analysis. Initial deliverables tied to materials movement are needed on an accelerated timeline to inform the project’s schematic design phase.
The university is not seeking robotic equipment or vendors at this stage, but rather strategic guidance on how automation can be integrated into clinical and non-clinical operations from the outset.
The engagement is structured across three phases: use case development and benchmarking, design integration support and standards development. Deliverables will include a basis of design for automation, functional workflows and procurement-ready documentation. UT Austin also expects the adviser to participate in stakeholder workshops and support coordination with design and vertical transportation teams.
Qualifications will be evaluated based on team experience, relevant past projects, approach to data analysis and long-term strategy development. Finalists may be invited to present their approach during an interview process scheduled for March.
More detailed information about RFQ No. 721-26049, including all minimum requirements and requested services, can be found on the UT Austin procurement portal. The deadline for question submissions is 12 p.m. Feb. 5. The due date for responses is 2 p.m. Feb. 17. Tyler Steen is the point of contact for this RFQ.
UT Seeks Advisory Partner for Automation Strategy
What to Know:
- The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a strategic advisory partner to guide the integration of automation and robotics in its new academic medical center.
- The RFQ focuses on early-stage planning and design readiness with a near-term need to define workflows for robotic material transport.
- The selected firm will help develop an automation road map, functional requirements and procurement-ready documentation to support future design and vendor selection.
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