Investing in Road Construction: Using a Design-Build Approach to Build Canada's Economy in Saskatchewan

Despite the current economic downturn throughout Western Canada, the Province of Saskatchewan has been growing at an unprecedented rate, and the bedroom-community cities of Warman and Martensville, north of Saskatoon have mirrored that growth. As a result, Highway 11 and 12 corridors travelling adjacent to these cities have been the subject of several planning studies over the last 5-10 years. These studies have indicated a need for interchanges at both Warman on Highway 11 at Highway 305 and Martensville at Main Street/Township Road 384. Therefore, the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure (MHI) in Saskatchewan has decided to proceed with plans to construct interchanges at both locations. The interchanges will address safety and economic development requirements for the Highway 11 and Highway 12 corridors north of Saskatoon. This project represents the first phase in addressing the larger transportation infrastructure needs in the Saskatoon region.

Funding from the Federal Government, along with a provincial contribution, enabled the project to become a reality as a design-build project. MHI and ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. (ISL), as the Owner’s Engineer, have joined forces to prepare design-build documents for these interchanges with construction starting in 2017 and completion by 2019.

Although, the steps taken to undertake a design-build project are well documented by several jurisdictions, numerous different examples exist for the preparation of design-build documentation. Saskatchewan has undertaken this task by combining parts of the Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta models, which have resulted in a robust model that has used a Fairness Monitor to ensure transparency throughout the Qualification and Proposal Request processes, and an Independent Certifier, which combines the normal duties of this independent body with a Road Safety Auditor. A “bucket” system has been developed for contract deficiencies, whereby negative points are accumulated by the Design-Builder resulting in financial penalties when the bucket is full. This paper examines the amount of work involved in incorporating these unique requirements into clauses in the design-build agreement.