CASE STUDY
Project: OPP Detachment
Location: Clinton, Ontario
Client: Bird Construction
The Ontario Provincial Police Department is one of North America’s largest deployed police services with more than 5,800 uniformed officers, 2,400 civilian employees and 830 Auxiliary officers. The force is responsible for policing over one million square kilometres of land and waterways, some of them remote and not easily accessible due to extreme weather conditions. The project at Clinton, Huron Province, is just one of 9 new OPP detachments situated in various locations, designed to improve safety and comfort for officers across the provincial police network as well as the communities they serve.
Bird Construction having been awarded this $20m project with the OPP, we were delighted to be asked to input on the budgeting phases and tender process for this logistically complex job.
Define
As a P3 project, the need for a blend of quality, value and execution on this project was paramount. The primary requirement was clear; the provision of wall protection, toilet partitions, washroom accessories and also some wire caging for the secure detention of illicit materials, evidence and suchlike. A further consideration in scoping this project was the logistics – how we would transport the products to site, given the remote location. Having been costed based on conceptual drawings, as this project moved forward it became clear that careful budget management and clever use of materials would be required to bring it to fruition on target.
Direct
We liaised between the OPP, the contractor and the architect using a shop drawing submittal process toensure all the requirements were being met effectively on this high quality, turnkey project. The OPP has clear, high standards for the materials used within its facilities due to the demanding nature of the job carried out by its personnel and the importance of not only their comfort, but their safety when they are at work. As experts in our field, Belroc was able to offer valuable advice on alternative products and configurations that would satisfy these standards and provide long-lasting solutions for the Division 10 scope of work, while also ensuring the project stayed on budget.
Deliver
The deliver phase of the project was complicated both by logistics and security; Belroc’s staff and installation teams had to be extensively background checked before the required security clearances were granted. Furthermore, due to its relative inaccessibility, the vetted team was required to be resident in the locality throughout the installation process.
Location made the Huron detachment an ideal candidate for Belroc’s Project Pods. To maximise convenience on site, Belroc paid special attention to the packing at our end – each container is packed ‘in reverse’ so the products needed first were the last to go in. This also ensures that a minimum of packaging is used, and allows for the goods to be securely and safely stored on site without taking up valuable indoor space – vital since they were needed just at the end of Canada’s harsh winter. The new detachment was completed in Spring 2020.
