Breaking New Ground—Stories from Defence Construction Breaking_new_ground | Page 134
At the same time, the threats that Canada and the world
now face have prompted the federal government to
focus on security using a variety of means—including
boosting our vital intelligence capabilities. In Ottawa,
for example, addressing the issue of overcrowded
quarters will help our national cryptologic organization,
Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC),
meet its mandate more efficiently. DCC stepped in to
help solve a complicated construction challenge with a
public-private partnership (P3) sourcing alternative that
will bring the new Long-Term Accommodation project
(LTAP) from concept to completion in just five years.
To achieve this, DCC used innovative procurement
practices, including collaborating with industry partners
in the early stages of the procurement process to better
understand what industry could provide, rather than
specifying needs without knowing whether industry
could meet them. This helped ensure that CSEC
obtained best value for the $880-million construction
contract. Awarded in January 2011, this project is the
largest P3 contract in Canadian government history.
And at one of Canada’s busiest Air Force bases,
8 Wing Trenton, more than 20 construction projects
are currently underway—from construction of a hangar
and other facilities for new aircraft to meet Canada’s
changing strategic needs, to the construction of a new
multi-purpose facility for the CF Aerospace Warfare
Centre and a new facility for the Air Mobility Training
Centre. These projects reflect Trenton’s strategic
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location and its function as the hub for much of the
CF’s deployment to operations across the country and
around the world.
All of this construction activity is considered essential to
maintaining the security of Canada and of Canadians
abroad, says DCC President James Paul. Many of the
projects come with significant challenges—not least,
the need for them to be built as quickly as possible
while maintaining very high standards of construction
and oversight. DCC employees have always risen to
these challenges, and it gives us all a great deal of pride
to be involved with the Department of National Defence
in helping to keep our country and our citizens safe.
Developing unmatched capabilities
Throughout the past six decades, Defence Construction
Canada has proven itself nimble in terms of addressing
changing client needs, adjusting the scope of work as
required.
DCC’s involvement with the 2010 Winter Olympic and
Paralympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler reflects
this willingness to match our efforts with our Client-
Partner’s needs, explains James Paul. Since DND was
charged with helping to ensure the security of all those
involved, from athletes and officials to residents and
visitors, we were able to support DND on the infrastruc-
ture side, managing the entire process of building
temporary accommodation areas for CF personnel—
from concept and construction to removal and site
remediation. This unique partnership between DCC and
DND consistently allows our client to focus on its prime
mandate, as it knows that its infrastructure needs will
be well managed in a very timely manner.
BREAKING NEW GROUND
DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA