SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2024
"Schedule and Cost in Progressive Design Build Projects - Prevailing Realities"
Panelists: Brad Smid, Metrolinx | Mel Yungblut, Lakeland Consulting | Taha Syed, Stantec Consulting | Shoaib Munir, Metrolinx* | Elisa Brandts, Stantec Consulting
Presentation Abstract:
Programs and projects require different strategies to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions and innovations emerging from them. These advancements are bringing in new insights and realities regarding how schedules and costs are managed, especially within progressive design-build (PDB) arrangements.

In Canada, the PDB procurement is gaining traction as an alternative to traditional design-build (DB) delivery. PDB fosters collaborative approach involving both the owner and the contracting partner in the early project stages. This rise in popularity coincides at the time when many project owners were seeking ways to mitigate costs and schedule risks associated with increasing market pressures such as global material and labour shortages.

A 2020 US study comparing 75 PDB projects to 92 DB projects found no statistically significant difference in cost performance but noted that PDB projects demonstrated better time efficiency. This raise a crucial question to the extent relevant of whether PDB is capable of delivering both cost and schedule savings?

The panel of distinguished senior industry leaders in Canada will explore this important question and several other critical topics:

1. Motivations for Choosing PDB: Exploring the reasons behind owners opting for the progressive contracting model and the opportunities it offers.

2. Potential Obstacles: Identifying obstacles owners might encounter when adopting PDB and discussing strategies to overcome them.

3. Ongoing Lessons Learned: The panel features experts actively involved in one of Canada's first PDB transit expansion projects, and will provide valuable insights into early lessons learned, covering both successes and challenges.

BRAD SMID
Vice President for Project Delivery, Scarborough Subway Extension, Metrolinx

Brad Smid, P.Eng, is Metrolinx's Vice President for Project Delivery of the Scarborough Subway Extension, which is an 8km extension of the existing Toronto Transit Commission Bloor-Danforth Subway (Line 2). The project is the first Progressive Design Build amongst major Canadian transit projects, and is being constructed using an innovative single bore Advance Tunnel contract to expedite the overall delivery timeline.

Prior to joining Metrolinx, Brad was the City of Edmonton's Project Director for the Valley Line LRT, a 27 km urban-style, low-floor LRT system. Valley Line Stage 1, running from downtown to southeast Edmonton was the city's first Public-Private-Partnership project. Valley Line Stage 2, from downtown to west Edmonton, was procured using a Design-Build-Finance (DBF) method

Brad is a graduate in Civil Engineering from the University of Alberta. Brad began his engineering career in the private sector, and was involved in heavy civil construction and railroad engineering, prior to joining the City of Edmonton. In addition to his work responsibilities, Brad is a minor hockey coach, a past chair of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) Edmonton Branch, and has held several executive board positions with the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE).

In 2015, Brad was honoured to receive a Certificate of Fellowship from Engineers Canada, and the James A. Vance Award from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.

MEL YUNGBLUT
Vice President of Quantity Surveying, Lakeland Consulting

 

Mel Yungblut currently holds the position of vice president of quantity surveying at Lakeland Consulting. As a Professional Quantity Surveyor (Fellow) with over 30 years of experience, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership in guiding multi-disciplinary teams of cost planning experts. Mel is widely recognized for his expertise in construction economics and has previously serves as the president of the CIQS. His extensive career in both public and private development spans sectors from transportation and infrastructure to residential to healthcare to higher education. Mel's educational background includes studies in construction engineering technology and architecture at Niagara College.

TAHA SYED
Planning and Scheduling Specialist

Taha Syed is a seasoned planning and scheduling specialist, with more than a decade of experience managing schedules for multi-billion-dollar construction projects. Currently, he is affiliated with Stantec Consulting, contributing to the Scarborough Subway Extension project. The project is recognized as the first Progressive Design Build initiative among major Canadian transit projects. Previously, Taha contributed to projects such as Yonge North Subway Extension and the Stouffville Rail Corridor expansion.

Taha has a rich professional history that included work in various Middle Eastern countries, as well as parts of Southeast Asia and South Asia. He holds a Bachelors in Civil Engineering, a Master's Degree in Mass Timber Construction from the University of Toronto, and another Master's Degree in Environmental Management from the University of Nottingham. Additionally, Taha is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Taha enjoys spending time in the woods and cherishes moments with his two young daughters.

Elisa Brandts
Regional Business Leader, Canada West, Buildings - Stantec Consulting

Elisa is a Vice President and the Regional Business Leader for Buildings for Canada West at Stantec. Her role combines active senior team leadership and management of significant projects, particularly of large-scale alternate delivery scope. She liaises with Stantec operations, discipline, and sectors leaders in Western Canada and across North America to optimize staff utilization, cross marketing opportunities, financial performance, and client service as well as project pursuit and execution.

Her responsibilities include senior level client liaison and account management, large project pursuit strategies and Canada West operational oversight. She is committed to building strong client relationships and is an advocate for integrated project delivery having lead teams on multiple design-builds and public-private-partnerships, acting on behalf of clients or on the project delivery team. The over two decades of work with integrated engineering teams have provided her with excellent team building and the collaboration and leadership skills necessary for delivering complex high engineering interface projects.

Elisa is passionate about designing livable, sustainable communities. She focuses on community building projects in the transit and transportation, defence and sports and entertainment sectors. With 40 years of experience, her extensive commercial, contract, and technical knowledge combined with in-depth expertise in project management makes her a highly valuable asset to any complex project.

Shoaib Munir*
Metrolinx

BIO TO COME