Province calling for prospective builders on new Sask. Polytech campus in Saskatoon

New Sask. Polytech campus breaks ground WATCH: Officials broke ground on the future Saskatoon campus of Saskatchewan Polytechnic on Monday.

The province is putting out the call to prospective builders for a major project on the new Saskatchewan Polytechnic campus planned in Saskatoon.

On Monday, SaskBuilds announced it has issued a request for qualifications for the construction of a new Skilled Trades and Technology building for the school, a post-secondary institution that focuses on vocational training, applied sciences and career pathways.

"This is an important next step in building the new Saskatoon campus," SaskBuilds and Procurement Minister David Marit said in a news release Monday.

The project would serve as a cornerstone of the school’s new Joseph A. Remai campus, located in Innovation Place on the University of Saskatchewan campus grounds — a move announced in late 2023.

At the time, Sask. Polytech CEO Larry Rosia described the campus as the final piece of an “Innovation Corridor,” expected to bring together businesses, entrepreneurs, students and other learning institutions to be a centre for applied learning and research.

The trades building is the first development planned as part of the new consolidated campus, which the province committed up to $200 million toward when it was announced.

Site preparation work began in September, including the upgrading of underground infrastructure and grading. The province expects most of the site preparation to be completed in the spring.

Sask. Polytechnic's original campus on Idylwyld Drive was built in 1941, and has grown to become a school that sees roughly 5,000 students graduate every year.

“The new campus will transform an existing network of several decentralized, outdated buildings into a revitalized, modern, technology-rich learning environment for students and greater opportunities for applied research and investment,” the province said in a news release.

The request for qualifications is part of a two-step process, according to the province.

Those who pass this step will be allowed to compete for the design and construction contract for the new trades building.

-With files from Keenan Sorokan