ASEM opens bidding for new Trauma Hospital at Centro Médico, announces nearly $16.5 million in upgrades

Puerto Rico's Medical Services Administration (ASEM) published Sealed Proposal Request No. 27DJ-00415 on September 2, 2026, to design and build, from the ground up under a "design-build" model, the new Trauma Hospital of Puerto Rico on the grounds of the Centro Médico complex in Río Piedras ¹². That same day, Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced nearly $16.5 million in additional improvements within the complex, including a new Adult General Surgery Unit, an expanded Pediatric Renal Center, and a new Pediatric Surgery Unit ¹.

The announcement comes after years of complaints about the aging infrastructure of Centro Médico, the country's main hospital complex and the receiving point for the island's most complex trauma cases. In December 2025, the administration presented conceptual designs for the new facility, projected with more than 120 transformable private rooms that could double capacity during mass-casualty emergencies, with the stated goal of becoming Puerto Rico's first certified Level 1 trauma center ³. With the publication of RFP 27DJ-00415, the project now enters its formal procurement phase: ASEM is seeking a firm or consortium responsible for planning, design, permitting, procurement, construction, activation, and operational readiness of the hospital under a single integrated contract, as confirmed by ASEM's executive director, Regino Colón Alsina, who signed the proposal notice ¹².

Key numbers

• $16.49 million is the total in infrastructure and technology improvements announced on September 8, 2026, at Centro Médico ¹.
• $5.39 million was invested in the new General Surgery Unit at Hospital Universitario de Adultos, spanning 13,000 square feet with 25 rooms (15 private, 10 semi-private) — the unit's first major renovation in more than 15 years ¹².
• $4.6 million, plus an additional $665,100 from the Hospital Pediátrico Foundation, funded the expanded Pediatric Renal Center, which grew from 4 to 5 hemodialysis stations plus an isolation station and an 18,000-gallon water cistern; the work finished on October 31, 2025, and now serves about 15 active pediatric patients ¹².
• $5,839,505 went to the new Pediatric Surgery Unit at Hospital Pediátrico Universitario Dr. Antonio Ortiz, with capacity for 24 beds across 16 rooms, including negative-pressure rooms ¹².
• RFP 27DJ-00415 for the Trauma Hospital was published on September 2, 2026; the virtual pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for September 24, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.; and the proposal submission deadline is December 1, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., with a public bid opening scheduled for 2:30 p.m. that same day ².
• According to designs presented in December 2025, the new facility would have more than 120 transformable private rooms and aims to become Puerto Rico's first Level 1 trauma center ³.

What this means for you

For anyone in Puerto Rico, a Level 1 trauma hospital means faster access to specialized surgery, blood banks, intensive care, and multidisciplinary teams at the most critical moment after a serious accident or a mass-casualty emergency — the kind of case that today still ends up at Centro Médico regardless, but in facilities that haven't seen a full structural renovation in decades ³. While the proposal process for the new tower moves forward, current trauma and emergency services, and the already-modernized units — General Surgery and the Pediatric Renal Center — continue operating normally ¹. If you have an appointment, a scheduled surgery, or a hospitalized family member at the Río Piedras complex, you should not expect any changes to access or admission procedures as a result of this announcement.

How to do it / Checklist

1. If you're a contractor or part of a construction consortium interested in bidding on RFP 27DJ-00415, register for the virtual pre-proposal meeting on September 24, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. through asem.pr.gov ².
2. Review the full Sealed Proposal Request 27DJ-00415 document under ASEM's public notices (asem.pr.gov) or the Department of Health's (salud.pr.gov/CMS/367) before preparing your bid ².
3. Submit your sealed proposal before December 1, 2026, 2:00 p.m.; the public bid opening will take place at 2:30 p.m. that same day at ASEM's offices ².
4. If you have a family member at Hospital Universitario de Adultos or the Pediátrico, ask admissions directly whether their unit was one of the renovated ones — General Surgery, Pediatric Renal Center, or Pediatric Surgery — to learn about the new protocols now available ¹.
5. Follow ASEM's official accounts and salud.pr.gov for updates on the Trauma Hospital contract award, expected after proposals close in December ¹².

What's next

ASEM has until December 1, 2026, to receive sealed proposals; after that, the evaluation team will review the technical and cost bids before awarding the design-build contract, a process that in projects of this scale typically takes several additional months. The González Colón administration has stated its aim for construction to begin in the coming quarters, though the exact start date will depend on how quickly the award process wraps up ²³. CoquiList will follow the award process and publish the construction start date as soon as ASEM confirms it.

Sources

1. Metro Puerto Rico — "Abren propuestas para nuevo Hospital de Trauma y anuncian casi $16.5 millones en mejoras" — https://www.metro.pr/noticias/2026/09/08/abren-propuestas-para-nuevo-hospital-de-trauma-y-anuncian-casi-165-millones-en-mejoras
2. NotiCel — "Publican solicitud de propuestas para la construcción del nuevo hospital de trauma" — https://noticel.com/uncategorized/20260908/publican-solicitud-de-propuestas-para-la-construccion-del-nuevo-hospital-de-trauma/
3. El Nuevo Día — "Construirán desde cero el nuevo Hospital de Trauma del Centro Médico" — https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/gobierno/notas/construiran-desde-cero-el-nuevo-hospital-de-trauma-del-centro-medico/