Lee County, Florida, August 22, 2025
News Summary
Skanska has been awarded a roughly $435 million public-private partnership to deliver a 560,000-square-foot hospital and medical office complex in Florida. The project includes a five-story hospital and an adjacent medical office building, central energy plant, ambulatory surgery center and expanded emergency capacity. Skanska plans to use Integrated Project Delivery, design-assist, prefabrication and BIM to reduce cost and schedule, citing typical savings of 10–15%. The firm emphasizes local hiring and supplier development, with a majority of subcontracting expected to be local and a significant share awarded to minority firms. Utility work is already underway.
Skanska’s big U.S. healthcare push: $435M Lee Health PPP leads a broader bid for a growing market
Skanska has landed a major public-private partnership (PPP) in Florida worth about $435 million to build a new hospital and medical office complex, underscoring the company’s strategy to use PPPs, innovative delivery methods and local partnerships to capture expanding healthcare construction work in the United States and abroad.
Topline: project size, savings and market opportunity
The Florida contract covers a roughly 416,000-square-foot five-story hospital paired with a 125,000-square-foot medical office building for a total of about 560,000 square feet of healthcare space. The deal is expected to be booked in Skanska’s Q4 2024 orders, with utility work already underway and a planned opening in late 2027. The governing board set a maximum price just under $435 million, subject to final approval.
Skanska highlights its Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), design-assist methods and on-site collaboration models — including collocating design and construction teams in a so-called Big Room — as ways to reduce costs and schedule. The supplied material cites 10–15% cost and time savings using these methods, illustrated by the Florida pediatric hospital project that reportedly achieved about a 10% cost reduction and a 15% faster timeline.
Why this matters now
Demand for healthcare construction is being driven by demographic changes and shifts in care delivery. The U.S. population aged 65 and older is expected to grow significantly by 2030, and outpatient care facilities such as ambulatory surgical centers are expanding fast. One cited figure shows ambulatory surgical centers growing at a 12.3% CAGR.
Sector numbers referenced in the material include U.S. healthcare construction spending reaching about $69.78 billion by 2025, a 2.1% year-over-year gain, and projections that the U.S. market will grow at roughly 5.3% CAGR from 2023 to 2030. On a global scale, the healthcare construction market is shown rising from about $284.6 billion in 2024 to $442.0 billion by 2034, representing an expected 4.5% CAGR.
Project details and community impact
The Florida hospital complex will include a central energy plant, specialty clinics, a rehabilitation gymnasium, an ambulatory surgery center and emergency department capacity. Plans indicate up to 168 patient rooms, 10 operating rooms in each building and 44 emergency department beds. The project is intended to replace an older 414-bed hospital, which will remain in operation through 2027 while the new campus is built.
The project also emphasizes local hiring and supplier engagement, with the construction effort reported to include about 55% local subcontractors and 22% minority subcontractors, and utility work has already started on the site.
Skanska’s playbook and pipeline
Skanska’s U.S. strategy leans on PPPs, IPD, prefabrication, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainability targets to win work and control costs. Examples in the supplied material include projects that finished early or realized measurable savings via prefabrication and BIM, and a pipeline that spans micro-hospitals, specialized care centers and sustainability-focused expansions aiming for green certifications.
The company also runs long-standing supplier development and small-business programs that provide training on contracting, bonding, safety and sustainability. Those programs are credited with educating hundreds of small firms and contributing to substantial contract awards over time.
Sector pressures and risk mitigation
Challenges cited include rising input prices, regulatory hurdles and supply chain pressure. One data point shows steel and rebar prices up about 15% since 2019. In response, the material describes strategies such as tighter local subcontractor engagement, diversified partnerships, cross-training labor and various administrative controls to reduce delays.
Financial and investor context
The new Florida PPP and broader spending forecasts are presented as indicators of growth opportunity. The material also referenced a recommendation in the source content labeling Skanska as a potential buy for investors with a 3–5 year horizon, while advising monitoring of the Florida PPP and new PPP awards in 2026. This article is informational and does not provide investment advice.
What’s next
The immediate milestones include completion of utility and site work, final project cost approvals, and the company’s order bookings in Q4 2024. Longer-term indicators to watch are additional PPP wins, progress on projects using IPD and prefabrication, and capital flows into healthcare construction driven by aging populations and outpatient care expansion.
FAQ
What is the Florida healthcare project and when will it open?
The project is a roughly 560,000-square-foot hospital and medical office complex under a $435 million public-private partnership. Utility work has begun and the facility is scheduled to open in late 2027.
How much can IPD and similar methods save?
The material cites Integrated Project Delivery and design-assist methods as delivering roughly 10–15% savings in cost and time on featured projects, including the Florida pediatric hospital.
What drives demand for healthcare construction?
Key drivers are an aging population, growth in outpatient care models, and post-pandemic modernization needs. The U.S. 65-plus population is projected to grow substantially by 2030, and ambulatory surgical centers are expanding rapidly.
Is this article investment advice?
No. This article summarizes reported project details and market projections. It does not offer investment recommendations. Readers should consult financial professionals before making investment decisions.
Key features at a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project type | Public-private partnership hospital and medical office building |
| Project value | Approximately $435 million |
| Size | About 560,000 square feet (416,000 sqft hospital + 125,000 sqft medical office) |
| Scheduled opening | Late 2027 |
| Reported savings from IPD | 10–15% in cost and schedule on highlighted projects |
| Local subcontractor participation | Reportedly 55% local and 22% minority subcontractors |
| U.S. healthcare construction spending (2025) | Approximately $69.78 billion |
| Global market projection | From $284.6B (2024) to $442.0B by 2034 (4.5% CAGR) |
| U.S. market CAGR (2023–2030) | About 5.3% |
| Design-build spending note | $119 billion projected under design-build model (2024–2028) at ~4.6% CAGR |
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- Construction Dive: Skanska Florida hospital (Lee Health PPP)
- Wikipedia: Skanska
- CoStar: Skanska’s new South Florida vice president to spearhead growth
- Google Search: Skanska South Florida vice president
- Global Construction Review: Skanska completes $38M Florida high school expansion
- Google Scholar: Skanska Florida high school expansion
- Construction Dive: Skanska mentor small-business program
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Skanska small business program
- WEAR-TV: Court sides with Skanska, dismisses claims over Hurricane Sally damages
- Google News: Skanska Hurricane Sally court
Author: Construction FL News
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