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Table 10: Status Report on Major Crown Projects
Parliamentary Precinct Project - West Block
Description:
The West Block, located within the Parliamentary Precinct, is the oldest of the parliamentary buildings located on the "Hill". It is a three-storey building that was built in three phases starting in 1859 and completed in 1906. The West Block provides accommodation for Members of Parliament (MPs) and for parliamentary functions and support services.
Project Phase:
Renovations of the building are required to address health and safety and asset integrity conditions. In order to implement the renovations, the building has to be completely vacated, thus requiring the provision of alternate accommodations for the MPs, parliamentary functions such as committee rooms and support services. Consequently, the program of work will be undertaken in two phases.
Phase 1 involves:
- Emergency stabilization and rehabilitation of towers;
- Repairs and conservation of the exterior masonry;
- Fit-up of alternate accommodations in the La Promenade building and other locations for MPs, committee rooms and support services; and
- The permanent relocation of the food production facility for Parliament Hill to a remote site.
Phase 2 involves*:
- Fit-up of space for the relocation of Confederation Room 200 to the former Bank of Montreal building;
- Asbestos abatement, interior demolition, and general rehabilitation of the West Block building; and
- Associated infrastructure to support legislative functions during the renovation of the Centre Block, including a courtyard infill to accommodate Chamber activities, and provision of a security screening and material handling facility.
* Subject to additional funding
The current schedule calls for MPs and support staff to vacate the West Block in 2010, with construction to start on specific areas of West Block shortly thereafter. Overall completion is scheduled for 2020.
Current Treasury Board Preliminary Project Approval is $769.2 million, excluding GST.
| Lead Department | Public Works and Government Services Canada |
|---|---|
| Contracting Authority | Public Works and Government Services Canada |
| Participating Departments | Senate of Canada, House of Commons, and Library of Parliament |
| Prime Contractor | Design consultant for the West Block renovation and fit-up project is ARCOP/FGM, architects in joint venture, 1244 Ste-Catherine Ouest, 3rd floor, Montreal PQ, H3G 1P1 |
|---|---|
| Prime Contractor | Design consultant for the La Promenade fit-up project is KWC Architects Inc. 110 Argyle Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1B4 |
| Prime Contractor | General contractor for the La Promenade fit-up project is Pomerleau Inc., 220-343 Preston St. Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 1N4 |
| Prime Contractor | General contractor for the North Towers stabilization and rehabilitation project is LM Sauve Masons, 451, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, suite 301 Montréal (Québec) H3B 1B1 |
| Prime Contractor | General contractor for construction of the Food Production Facility for Parliament Hill is PCL Construction Ltd, 49 Auriga Drive, Nepean, Ontario, K2E 8A1 |
| Prime Contractor | Design consultant for the Bank of Montreal rehabilitation project is NORR Architects and Engineers Ltd., 175 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3R8 |
| Major Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Revised Preliminary Project Approval | June 2005 |
| Partial Effective Project Approval (Phase 1) | June 2005 |
| $17.2 million Spending Authority Approved for the development of preliminary design to EPA for West Block, Bank of Montreal, Wellington Committee rooms and project management support services for the program | December 2006 |
| Effective Project Approval (Phase 1) | February 2007 |
| La Promenade swing space completion | 2010 |
| MPs, parliamentary functions and support services vacate West Block | 2010 |
| Effective Project Approval | 2010* |
| Major Construction Start | 2010* |
| Major Construction Completion | 2020* |
*Subject to additional funding
Progress Report and Explanations of Variances
The West Block Program of work consists of sub-projects involving emergency stabilization of towers and masonry, several interim space projects, major renovations of the building and construction of a courtyard infill.
Stabilization:
The work presently underway is required in order to ensure the most at risk areas of the building envelope are stabilized. The work includes:
- South East Tower masonry pilot project - completed.
- North Towers - construction started.
- Tower scaffolding - contract documents for the MacKenzie and Laurier Towers, completed. Work will be done in Phase 2 as part of the overall building envelope program, unless building condition demands an earlier start date*.
- Masonry Wall Investigation and Research Project - conducted with the Intelligent Sensing for Innovative Structures (ISIS) Canada and three Canadian universities. This initiative is nearing completion. The objective is to gain and share leading edge knowledge on seismic reinforcing methodologies for heritage masonry walls. PWGSC constructed masonry wall sections, similar to those used in our Parliament buildings, in the University of Calgary seismic laboratories, in order to simulate seismic events and assess the reaction of various reinforcement methodologies.
*Subject to additional funding
Swing space:
- La Promenade swing space - scope of the project consists of restoring the building and fitting up 62 MP suites and 3 committee rooms for parliamentarians. The demolition and building envelope remediation (Phase I) contract has been completed. The construction contract for the fit up package was awarded and construction has begun. As part of the design process, a mock up suite was constructed, tested successfully and approved by the House of Commons.
- Bank of Montreal Building, located at 144 Wellington Street - has been identified as the permanent alternate location for West Block's Confederation Room 200 functions. A major RFP was posted on MERX and a prime consultant contract for the main design work was awarded to Norr Architects and Engineers, 200 Tremblay Road, suite 152, Ottawa. Completion is scheduled for 2013*.
- Food Production Facility - will be permanently relocated off-site. Solicitation for a design build contractor was awarded to PCL Construction Ltd, 49 Auriga Drive, Nepean, Ontario, K2E 8A1 (Ottawa). Completion is scheduled for late 2009.
*Subject to additional funding
Industrial Benefits
Several multi-million dollar contracts will be awarded over a ten-year period for building construction, information technology systems, multimedia systems, furniture and other equipment. An estimated 3,500 private sector jobs will be generated by this program of work.
Parliamentary Precinct Project - Wellington Building
Description:
The Wellington Building is located at 180 Wellington Street, across from Parliament Hill. It is a six-storey structure first built in 1925 and later enlarged in the 1950's by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The House of Commons has been the major tenant since the Crown expropriated the building in 1973. Renovations of the building are required to address health and safety issues, replace obsolete building systems and meet building code requirements. The building will be completely vacated during the renovations. This project is a key enabler of the West Block Building Program, as the Wellington Building will provide interim accommodations for the West Block Committee Rooms during its renovation. It will also provide interim office accommodations for parliamentarians during the restoration of the East and Centre Blocks.
Project Phase:
The work will be completed in two phases to expedite project delivery. Phase 1 will include interior demolition, asbestos abatement and seismic reinforcement work. Phase 2, dependent on additional funding, will include the restoration of the exterior envelope, renovation of the base building and fit-up the interior space. The planned start of construction is 2010. The entire renovation, including the ten committee rooms required to enable the West Block renovations, and the 69 parliamentary offices to facilitate both East and Centre Block renovations, are targeted to be complete in 2015. The current total cost estimate excluding swing space is $425.2 million (current dollars, excluding GST). Separate project approval has been received for alternate spaces at 181 Queen Street and 131 Queen Street.
| Lead Department | Public Works and Government Services Canada; |
|---|---|
| Contracting Authority | Public Works and Government Services Canada |
| Participating Departments | House of Commons and Senate of Canada |
| Prime Contractor | Design consultant for the Wellington renovation project is NORR Architects and Engineers Ltd., 175 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3R8 |
|---|
| Major Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Functional Program Completed | July 2007 |
| Revised Preliminary Project Approval and Phase 1 Effective Project Approval | March 2008 |
| Consultant Contract Award | August 2008 |
| Final Functional Program | January 2009 |
| Phase 1 Construction Start | 2010 |
| Phase 2 Effective Project Approval | 2010* |
| Phase 1 Construction Completion | 2012 |
| Phase 2 Construction Start | 2012* |
| Phase 2 Construction Completion | 2015 |
*Subject to additional funding
Progress Report and Explanations of Variances
The prime consultant has been engaged and has progressed through the analysis of project requirements and the completion of the final functional program. Many occupants and functions have been relocated to locations including 181 Queen Street and 131 Queen Street. Alternate space locations for remaining occupants have been defined, and several of the key relocation projects have obtained Preliminary Project Approval.
Industrial Benefits
Several multi-million dollar contracts will be awarded over a seven-year period for building construction, information technology systems, multimedia systems, furniture and other equipment. An estimated 1,500 private sector jobs will be generated by this project.
Pension Modernization Project
Description:
The Government of Canada Pension Modernization Project (GCPMP) has been initiated to renew PWGSC's pension administration systems and business processes in order to ensure the sustainability of the pension administration and improve services to employees, employers and pensioners. The current pension administration processes and system infrastructure are nearly 40 years old. They depend on outdated technology that is expensive to maintain, limits the Government's ability to provide modern services such as web-based self-service, and relies on inefficient and error prone manual processes. The GCPMP will replace existing systems with commercial off-the-shelf software products, streamline business processes, and introduce broader, more flexible service delivery methods. Although the project is focused on the Public Service Superannuation Act administration, the project will implement a multi-plan solution that will provide for other pension plans within the public service.
Project Phase:
The GCPMP began its Implementation Phase in July 2007, following receipt of Effective Project Approval from the Treasury Board. The GCPMP Implementation Phase will take approximately four and a half years to complete.
| Lead Department | Public Works and Government Services Canada |
|---|---|
| Contracting Authority | Public Works and Government Services Canada |
| Participating Departments | Public Works and Government Services Canada |
| Prime Contractor | EDS Canada Inc.99 Bank St., 6th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6B9 |
|---|---|
| Major Subcontractor(s) | James Evans & Associates (JEA) 4th floor, 844 Courtney St., Victoria, British Columbia V8W 1C4 Vangent Canada Limited 169 Colonnade Road, Nepean, Ontario K2E 7J4 Oracle Canada Inc. 50 O'Connor St., Suite 1301, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L2 |
| Major Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Project Approval for completion of Project Definition | Completed May 2004 |
| Approval of contract award | Completed October 2005 |
| Contract Award | Completed November 2005 |
| Completion of Project Definition | Completed June 2007 |
| Effective Project Approval for Implementation | Completed June 2007 |
| Implementation Phase | |
|
Revised to December 2008 |
|
September 2009 |
|
February 2010 |
|
July 2010 |
|
October 2011 |
|
December 2011 |
| Close-Out Phase | January 2012 |
Progress Report and Explanations of Variances
Project Definition Phase (completed June 2007):
- At Preliminary Project Approval, the Treasury Board approved the completion of the Project Definition Phase and funding in the amount of $18.742 million (excluding GST). The GCPMP completed this phase at a cost of $18.335 million, although there was a delay of approximately six months in obtaining Effective Project Approval.
Implementation Phase (in progress):
- At Effective Project Approval, in June 2007, the Treasury Board approved implementation of the GCPMP and funding in the amount of $184.750 million. The amount budgeted from June 2007 to September 30, 2008, was $94.899 million. Actual expenditures for implementation activities from June 2007 to September 30, 2008, are $42.853 million. The cost variance resulted from lower than estimated costs for Human Resources, operations, maintenance, and the delay in the Release 1.0.
- The GCPMP is currently involved in activities related to Releases 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0. Release 1.0 is six weeks behind schedule for the Siebel components and three months behind schedule for the telephone components. This represents a 8% schedule variance on 85% of the release's scope (Siebel components) and a 10% variance for the telephony components (remaining 15% of Release 1.0 scope).
Industrial Benefits
A multi-million dollar contract has been awarded for the COTS products, as well as for the professional services to implement the new systems, and for support services and ongoing maintenance. The implementation will be conducted in several phases over a four and a half year period (2007-2011). During that time it is expected that there will be some temporary positions required to support the system implementation and business transformation activities. In the long term, the project will provide the infrastructure and processes essential to the sustainability of current pension administration operations, and positions, in Shediac New Brunswick.