A Progressive Public-Private Partnership (P3) Model

The Government of Canada is seeking a private sector partner to take an innovative and collaborative approach for the engineering design and development of HFR.  This is intended to promote innovation, drive better service for passengers, reduce risk and improve risk management and ultimately achieve better value for Canadians.

Infrastructure projects the size, scale and complexity of HFR call for Public-Private-Partnership (P3) methods that are above and beyond the traditional, fixed-price, fixed-schedule design. As a result, the Government of Canada chose to proceed with an innovative P3 model for the HFR project. This type of integrated delivery model, with early private sector involvement in all aspects of this major project, can produce better outcomes by boosting innovation and collaboration between the public and private sectors.  This approach is expected to lead to better project results and provide the best value for Canadians.

The Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) published in March 2022 detailed the Government of Canada's plan to advance the project and seek feedback from experienced private sector companies. It was an opportunity for the government to provide information to industry so interested parties could prepare for the procurement process.

On February 17, 2023, The Government of Canada launched a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The RFQ period closed on April 24, 2023. On July 20, 2023, the Government of Canada qualified three bidding teams to respond to the Request for Proposals. The RFP was issued to the three qualified bidding teams.