Managing housing for members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families comes with a myriad of tasks: move-ins and move-outs, repairs, emergency calls, and planned maintenance—all while managing high demand for homes. At Garrison Petawawa, a unique contract model is creating efficiencies for everyone, from the contractor to the military member.
“The idea was to have one contractor run everything—one point of contact,” said Peter Darrah, DCC Team Leader, Construction Services.
Introduced in 2015, the Maintenance and Services Contract’s success saw it renewed in 2021 at approximately $8 million per year, covering 1,600 residences across two sites. Peter explained that with one contractor organizing all the subcontractors, the result is increased coordination, faster responses for repairs, and quicker housing turnarounds.
In addition, a Prime Cost Allowance provides a pool of pre-approved funding for repairs to streamline procurement, while a monthly progress claim reduces invoicing volumes.
“To be efficient for all three parties, everybody has to have an equal contribution—DCC as the contract manager, the Canadian Forces Housing Agency as the technical authority, and the contractor. It’s extremely collaborative,” said Peter.