The Department of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) provides government departments, boards and agencies with support services for their programs.
Seeking to modernize the district energy system servicing Ottawa’s National Capital Region, PSPC entered into a Public-Private Partnership (P3) with Innovate Energy to improve its overall environmental performance by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project will also increase the overall safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of its heating and cooling infrastructure – otherwise referred to as the Energy Service Modernization project (ESM), a large component of the Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP).
ESAP will modernize the system that heats 80 buildings and cools 67 federal and non-federal buildings in the National Capital Region. ESAP’s long-term program includes:
Stage 1 – Implementing Newer Technologies (2017-2025)
- User Building Conversion Plan (UBCP)
This phase of the program involves the replacement of existing heating and cooling components in 61 identified federal buildings. The program will enable a future conversion of connected buildings from district steam and high-temperature hot water to low-temperature hot water for heating, and electric chillers for cooling. The conversions are being implemented through various delivery methodologies including Construction Management, Invitation to Tender and a customized type of Integrated Project Delivery. - Energy Services Modernization (ESM)
Working under a P3 model, this program focuses on modernizing the energy centers and the associated distribution piping that services the connected buildings. This includes the installation of new high-efficiency boilers and electric chillers to enable the generation of district low-temperature-hot-water (LTHW). Within connected buildings, this program will install end-state heating energy transfer stations to finalize the conversion to LTHW.
Stage 2 – Deeper Greening Program (DGP) (2025-2030)
- Deeper Greening
The goal of this stage is to deepen the greening of the district energy system, which includes the incorporation of sustainable or “green” energy systems. From smart building technology to low-carbon energy sources and rate structure initiatives, the project team will evaluate and identify ways to further improve energy efficiency. This initiative also includes considerations for future expansion of the district energy system to serve condominiums, libraries, hospitals and other buildings in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
By replacing and updating the district energy system and internal building systems, the program is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially. In addition, the investment in modern technology will is expected to result in significant energy cost savings over the life of the operations and maintenance contract which runs until 2055.
Under a long-standing joint venture, Colliers Project Leaders partnered with Tiree Facility Solutions Inc. and successfully won a competitive bid process to provide program and project management support services to PSPC in the delivery of ESAP. With complementary multifaceted expertise in project management, engineering, administration and sustainable energy, our teams provide comprehensive program management to ESAP. Involved since the program’s inception, we are currently working to implement PSPC’s efficiency goals through construction, and will continue to support the program as it evolves.
ESAP is a large and complex program that requires a high level of coordination and integration. Our project managers started the initiative by learning PSPC’s approval systems, tools, rules and regulations thoroughly, and are now adapting them to meet the criteria of a program of this size. The team is also coordinating the integration of the program tools to ensure that the entire consortia is able to work together with our client toward the common goal.
Impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19, many of ESAP’s ongoing conversion projects faced temporary delays. Once construction was deemed an essential service, the team acted quickly to address the impacts on the program’s schedule and budget. We worked closely with our clients, industry partners and contractors to seek efficiencies and expedite approvals. This allowed the team to minimize delays and get the projects moving forward during a very uncertain time.
When the first stage of the ESAP program is complete in October 2025, multiple buildings across the National Capital Region will benefit from increased safety, energy efficiency and reliability, and environmental performance. PSPC also expects to see a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 33 percent. The team will then continue to work on ‘deeper greening’ through efforts such as replacing natural gas with carbon neutral fuels for baseload operation. The planned actions to improve greening have the potential to reduce total emissions by 90 percent by 2030.
Innovate Energy will continue to operate and maintain the modernized district energy system until October 2055.
