The second phase of a national housing construction program has launched in Canada, and Ontario stands to benefit greatly thanks to a massive influx of military housing under construction. The Department of National Defence (DND) will see its residential footprint expand as part of the second phase of the program, which seeks to add thousands of new units province-wide to support Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel.
Among the communities that will see investments are Petawawa, which is slated for 1,114 proposed new units, followed by Kingston with 960 units, Ottawa with 280 units, Borden with 210 units, and North Bay with 78 units. The plan is to move away from traditional single-family homes toward high-density, mid-rise apartment complexes.
Taking a modified design-build approach which involves an RFP based on a statement of work rather than a rigid performance specification, teams who make the cut will work collaboratively with the Canadian Forces Housing Agency (CFHA) to finalize the site plans and specifications before opening negotiations to establish a fixed construction price. Eight RFPs are planned for release, which will result in 19 distinct contracts, each structured by geographic region. Firms are not required to bid on every site within an RFP.
Each contract includes a mandatory “indigenous benefit” target percentage based on market data to ensure a minimum percentage of subcontracts are awarded to indigenous partners, and design-build teams are required to perform detailed feasibility assessments using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), such as modular or panelized factory-built options, to ensure housing is delivered at a faster pace.
