On December 12, Vernon City Council endorsed the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) process to develop the facility. IPD has been approved by Mayor and Council as the collaborative framework that best ensures the Active Living Centre has a strong focus on accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability while creating a fun and family friendly environment.
IPD Project Team
A City of Vernon Active Living Centre IPD project team has been established, including: Doug Ross, former Director, Recreation Services. They will oversee the project and act as the owner’s representatives. Joining Doug is Crystal Vandermeulen of VDM Consulting. The City's team is being assisted by an IPD Advisor, who is coaching and guiding the group through the implementation of the IPD model. The purpose of the IPD team is to facilitate the collaborative design, construction, and commissioning of the Active Living Centre.
The IPD Process
The IPD process has been adopted for an increasing number of public sector projects. The Canadian construction industry has been developing considerable capacity and valuable experience applying IPD for a wide range of major projects. An important aspect of IPD is that the model merges all parties into a single shared multi-party contract. It transforms the traditional Design-Bid-Build, low bid, change order, adversarial relationship, into one that is team focused and value added. IPD motivates the team using shared financial interests instead of ‘us’ and ‘them’. IPD is a highly collaborative process that is designed to encourage behaviours that lead to exceptional project performance and value. IPD selects and merges the architect, general contractor, and trade partners early on to form a team that together conducts a validation phase.
The owner’s representatives are embedded and work closely with the core team using Target Value Design and Building Improvement Modelling to firmly establish facts and figures regarding project design, cost, and schedule. The validation phase is conducted over approximately 4-months and all project partners together perform preliminary design, intensive cost estimating, and agree upon a Target Cost to owner for the project. This process delivers the kind of detailed and committed budget certainty early on that the City of Vernon requires for this high-profile project.
IPD not only establishes full participation and accountability from all contracted parties; it also creates the necessity by imbedding five structural elements. They are: early involvement of key participants, shared risk and reward based on project outcome, joint project control, reduced liability exposure, and jointly developed and validated targets.
Active Living Centre Objectives
In selecting and utilizing IPD, the City can achieve a higher level of confidence in ensuring the prioritization and delivery of the following objectives as established by Vernon City Council:
- Achieve the goal of the Greater Vernon Active Living Centre Feasibility Study, “to find an indoor facility mix that meets the current and future needs of a growing community and has the opportunity to attract new residents and visitors to the Greater Vernon area”.
- The facility is accessible, inclusive, fun, family oriented and designed for participants of all ages and abilities and includes all facility features as proposed in the Greater Vernon Active Living Centre Feasibility Study and provided to the public during the referendum communication campaign.
- The design of the Active Living Centre reflects the Syilx culture.
- The facility be net-zero ready.
- The facility meets or exceeds the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Gold Certification.
- Budget not exceeded.
- Projected facility opening date by September 2026.
