UI and state Board of Regents request mid-construction audit for North Liberty Hospital
On Sept. 28, the UI and the state Board of Regents requested an external audit on the North Liberty Hospital construction site to ensure the project is completed in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
A schematic of the planned UIHC facility in North Liberty is seen. The state Board of Regents approved the project on Tuesday.
October 16, 2022
The University of Iowa and the state Board of Regents requested a mid-construction audit on the North Liberty Hospital construction site on Sept. 28 to ensure the project is completed in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Construction for the North Liberty Hospital began in October 2021. In late August 2022, the construction oversight board approved a 33 percent budget increase for the project to account for inflation, raising the budget from $395 million to $525.6 million.
Late last month, the university and the regents requested the project receive an audit while still in the middle of construction. UI Public Relations Manager Steve Schmadeke wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan that this request is neither typical nor atypical.
Previously, the UI requested a mid-construction audit for the Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Schmadeke wrote.
Josh Lehman, regent’s senior communications director, wrote in an email to the DI that there is no construction audit expert on the regent’s internal audit staff, so the board proposed to hire an external firm to conduct the audit.
“The University of Iowa in conjunction with the Board office requested the audit to ensure the project is completed in a timely and cost-efficient manner,” Lehman wrote.
Any external audit proposals are due on Oct. 19, after which the UI and the regents will select a vendor who will immediately begin the audit process.
“The audit will begin as soon as feasible after a firm is selected, and will continue through the completion of construction,” Lehman wrote.
This project is important to the university as it will help University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics meet the demand for their services, wrote Laura Shoemaker, UIHC spokesperson, in an email to the DI.
“With the addition of nearly 50 inpatient beds, plus an Emergency Department and additional operating rooms and clinical exam rooms, as well as space for clinical research and medical education and training, this new facility will support and strengthen how we care for patients,” Shoemaker wrote.