Integrated Project Delivery: Lean to be Green

Integrated Designs Inc. (IDI) is pioneering a new Lean to be Green approach to project delivery that incorporates lean thinking and relational contracting to achieve significant improvements in value and performance. 

In traditional transactional contracting methods like Design-Tender-Bid, Design-Build and Construction Management, contractors are forced to compete on price.  This low first cost method forces contractors, owners and designers into an ineffective and often confrontational business relationship that is wasteful, stressful and not effective at optimizing value.  

The new lean project delivery system, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), is based upon a relational contracting methodology. The IPD system enables hiring the best team based upon qualifications and the ability to work together in a spirit of trust and collaboration to deliver the best value.   For the same budget this approach will enable our industry to build better buildings and do our part to offset the 40% of greenhouse emissions that come from buildings.  By eliminating 10% waste in the process it will be possible to build “Net-Zero buildings for Net-Zero additional capital cost.”

Through IPD, Integrated Designs Inc. has worked with excellent designers and contractors to deliver six exceptional value projects.  A few of these projects transitioned to the IPD process when traditional methods brought them to the brink on failure.  Relational contracting is the key change required to enable lean thinking teams to create more value.

By adopting the IPD methodology, the University of Winnipeg will achieve what is expected to become “North America’s Most Energy Efficient College Laboratory Facility”, the Richardson College for the Environment.  Amazingly, this LEED Gold facility will be delivered at a much lower cost and to a “True Fixed Price” with less risk.  The construction contingency was less than 2%.

On the next projects, the IPD process will include the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to take project optimization and collaboration to the next level.  BIM will enable our team to have real time quantity take-offs to produce improved life cycle cost analysis and to significantly improve the effectiveness of developing and costing the design.