Integrated Project Delivery to Grow in Canadian Construction

The concept of working together in a collaborative manner to deliver significant construction projects will increasingly gain momentum throughout Canada in the years to come, an industry expert says.

Dave Hagan, director of process development for The Bolt Company, said at the Canadian Construction Association’s 95^th annual conference that the concept referred to as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) was a common-sense way to work and will become more common as time goes on.

“It’s just a better way to deliver projects. It is less stressful, it is less risky to the owner and to the people involved so it just makes a lot of sense,” Hagan was quoted as saying in Daily Commercial News. “I never really did understand why we gave the job to the guy with the lowest price. It’s like, ‘let’s give the job to the guy that made the biggest mistake in his estimate.’”

Hagan said that too often, construction industry members think in silos without worrying about others in the chain, such as the architect.

The concept of IPD has arisen over recent decades as a result of problems in contemporary construction such as cost overruns and project delays as well as misunderstandings and disputes between contractors, architects and owners.

Modelled on ideas developed by Toyota in their Toyota Production System, IPD brings all building participants – owners, architects, general contractors, sub-contractors, building engineers, fabricators and others – together early in the process, with the aim of project stakeholders working collaboratively throughout the life of the entire process.

Hagan said along with a willing owner, key elements to a successful IPD effort include patience, trust, education and courage.

Art Winslow of Graham Construction and Engineering, who has been involved with IPD for the past year, compared it to learning a new language but says working collaboratively is more rewarding than operating any other way.

“It’s a lot of work, but certainly a lot of fun to be collaborating with people at almost an intimate level,” Winslow said.

By Andrew Heaton