Clinic do all my work, had several engines in several cars from them, wouldnt go anywhere else π
They do have a fairly long time frame, 3 months ish, but worth the wait.
As far as replacement, the 2.5 is known for doing HG in stock form, so a replacement could well suffer the same issues, which then leads you down the rebuild route. As far as spec goes, as said, really depends on what you want and budget. Past 3 builds i've had, my old type r, current sti hawk and the wifes are all basiclyh the same spec, closed deck converted forged 2.5's. iot's my personal prefered choice but as i mentioend, not cheap. Best bet would be give them a ring for a chat and discuss options, outline prices etc
Some more info and pics of mine.