Breaking New Ground—Stories from Defence Construction Breaking_new_ground | Page 141

A rendition of the Long-Term Accommoda- tion (LTA) facility to be built for Commu- nications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) in Ottawa. This project is one of Canada’s largest public-private partner- ships, formed to design, build, finance and maintain a 72,000-square-metre high-security building with LEED Gold accreditation. Project: CSEC LTAP—A study in partnerships In May 2009, DCC took on one of Canada’s largest public-private partnership projects: an $880-million construction value, five-year capital project to build a Long-Term Accommodation project (LTAP) for Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), Canada’s national cryptologic agency. CSEC contributes significantly to national security and, indeed, to global security, as it provides two key services: foreign signals intelligence in support of defence and foreign policy; and the protection of electronic informa- tion and communication. DCC was pleased to undertake this project, given the Corporation’s highly specialized construction procurement and contract management expertise, and its proven track record for delivering complex defence projects quickly. The result? Within 20 months, DCC’s experts took the 30-year, highly specialized project from concept to award, and commencement of construction in February 2011. To achieve this success, DCC created a special LTAP team and opened a dedicated project management office where DCC and CSEC staff could work together. When the LTAP is completed in 2015, the combined office and special-purpose-space building will encompass more than 72,000 square metres. With its existing Ottawa-area premises overcrowded and its infrastructure, such as the electrical power delivery system, strained, CSEC required a new, purpose-built facility so that it could fulfill its mandate more efficiently. The agency struggled for years, however, to develop a construction plan using conventional procurement methods. As a result, it turned to an alternative procurement option: a public-private partnership model that would allow private industry to design, finance, construct and maintain the building more effectively. BREAKING NEW GROUND DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA 131