Collaborative and Lean Project Delivery

Maximize value for your projects

“What is collaborative contracting and is it right for my project?”

That’s a question an increasing number of capital project owners across Canada are asking, and it’s worth taking the time to learn more.

Collaborative contracting supports project delivery models such as Progressive Design-Build (PDB), Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and Alliance. It brings project owners, consultants and contractors together early in a project to establish joint goals and objectives.

While any delivery model can feel collaborative, PDB, IPD and Alliance use specific commercial contracting structures that enable an integrated pre-planning period with shared responsibilities for developing scope, cost, schedule and risk strategies between key delivery partners. In addition, IPD and Alliance include shared risk and reward mechanisms, no-blame clauses, waived liabilities, and collective project performance and management structures and incentives.

These delivery models help teams align with project owners on how to achieve the best outcomes for the project. When done properly, and depending on the model chosen, collaborative project delivery contracts and methodologies offers significant benefits including:

Owners’ readiness and strategy development for collaborative contracting
Early, shared risk management
Schedule and cost reliability with increased transparency
Significant opportunities for design flexibility, innovation and problem solving
The reduction or elimination of siloed, adversarial workflows and typical change orders
Significantly fewer disputes, claims and litigation
The ability to maximize project value within budget and/or schedule constraints

Lean Project Delivery

Lean principles and Lean Project Delivery (LPD) methods are foundational to successful collaborative project delivery.

While PDB, IPD and Alliance provide a solid commercial framework, Lean serves as the operating system that unlocks their full benefits. Lean supports positive working cultures, builds trust and increases efficiency, making it easier for project teams to focus on their shared goals and activities that truly add value.

Applying decades of combined experience, our Collaborative and Lean Project Delivery advisors can help you establish a strategic project framework and structure that result in optimum value for your project.

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Your Collaborative Delivery Advisors, Facilitators and Coaches

Whether you are new to collaborative contracts or want to embed collaborative practices into your existing project delivery models, our advisors, coaches and facilitators are ready to support you and your project team.

Our experts work with municipalities, provincial and territorial governments, federal departments and agencies, hospitals, transit operators, universities and colleges, and other public and private project owners nationwide. We can help determine the best delivery model for your capital project and work with you to get the best results for your project.

Our Collaborative and Lean Project Delivery services include:

Owner readiness for collaborative contracting
IPD advisory and delivery
PDB advisory and delivery
Alliance advisory and coaching
Lean project delivery system advisory
Partnering systems and delivery
Project recovery services
Process and operations optimization

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Why Colliers Project Leaders?

Our Collaborative and Lean Project Delivery experts are true change agents – dedicated to improving how projects are planned, designed and built through the application of collaborative and Lean best practices.

Recognized for their deep advisory, facilitation and coaching proficiency, our team actively participates in processes that help shape how collaborative contracting models are delivered across Canada. They speak frequently at industry conferences and are passionate about sharing their knowledge and experiences working on transformative projects nationwide.