Toronto transit project awarded to Bird and AtkinsRéalis
By Adam Freill
Construction InfrastructureRail Connect Partners joint venture between Bird and AtkinsRéalis will use alliance model in delivery of East Harbour Transit Hub.
Bird Construction Inc. and AtkinsRéalis have entered into an Alliance Development Agreement to work collaboratively with Metrolinx to deliver the East Harbour Transit Hub in Toronto. Bird is partnered in a 50/50 joint venture with AtkinsRéalis under the Rail Connect (RC) Partners joint venture.
The company says the East Harbour Transit Hub, part of Toronto’s SmartTrack Stations Program, is one of the first major projects in Canada to be procured using an alliance model. The alliance model, says Bird, has been used internationally to plan and deliver large, complex infrastructure programs, driving innovation and collaboration between parties, managing risk with greater transparency and cooperative decision-making.
The Alliance Development Agreement is a collaborative phase where the focus is on optimizing the design solution, developing detailed resource, cost, and schedule estimates, preparing a project proposal, finalizing the Project Alliance Agreement, and performing early works.
“This significant award advances our strategic priority to grow our infrastructure portfolio while maintaining our disciplined pursuit of projects with appropriate risk profiles,” said Teri McKibbon, president and CEO of Bird. “We are proud to play a key role in this project where we can leverage Bird’s extensive collaborative contracting experience along with our comprehensive self-perform capabilities including the specialized services of Dagmar, acquired in 2021. We look forward to working collaboratively with Metrolinx and the other alliance team members and stakeholders to promote innovation, continuous improvement, and productivity while delivering this critical infrastructure project required to meet the needs of future generations.”
