How Oracle Contract Manager Propelled York Region's vivaNext Program to Success

York Regional Rapid Transit (YRRTC), in collaboration with Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario was leading the delivery of the York Viva Bus Rapid Transit Expansion program. The Project consists of the design and construction of bus rapid ways along two segments of the Highway 7 Viva east-west rapid way corridors in the Cities of Vaughan and Markham and the Town of Richmond Hill. Joint venture of EllisDon and Coco Paving Incorporated, will design, build and finance 10 new viva stations and approximately 12 kilometers of rapid way along two sections of Highway 7 in the City of Vaughan and Town of Richmond Hill. The procurement was managed through Infrastructure Ontario’s Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) delivery model.

The Challenge

Modernizing Contract Management for Provincial Highways

YRRTC was tasked with the delivery of the project under Infrastructure Ontario’s Design Build Finance (DBF) Alternative Delivery model. The Project consists of the design and construction of bus rapid ways along two segments of the Highway 7 Viva east-west rapid way corridors in the Cities of Vaughan and Markham and the Town of Richmond Hill.

Joint venture of EllisDon and Coco Paving Incorporated, will design, build and finance 10 new viva stations and approximately 12 kilometers of rapid way along two sections of Highway 7 in the City of Vaughan and Town of Richmond Hill. The procurement was managed through Infrastructure Ontario’s Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) delivery model.

The YRRTC project delivery team required an integrated project management and cost management solution that would facilitate collaboration amongst public and private project stakeholders. The solution had to be customizable and able to adapt to project specific processes. Implementation of a PMIS solution is intended to address challenges of cross-agency coordination, data sharing and reporting, collaboration with the Join Venture consortium, reduce administrative burden, and increase efficiency of the delivery team. Scope of the implementation included the following:

• Budget Management, including contingency and fund allocation from project stakeholders

• Variation (change) Management

• Submittal (deliverable) Management, management of submittal schedules and submission review processes

• Contingency and fund allocation management

• Quality Management, including Nonconformance Notice (NCRs) and Corrective Actions

• Document Management

The implementation of the PMIS presented an opportunity to streamline processes, enhance user experience, and transform project management and contract oversight across the organization.

The Solution

Implementing a Next-Generation Contract Management System

After a detailed review of the project documents and contracts, Oracle Contract Manager v14 (CM14) was selected. It has been successfully implemented at Metrolinx for management of projects of similar size and complexity. CM14 would replace email and SharePoint as the primary means of collaboration and incorporate automated workflows, standardize processes and facilitate the program level reporting capabilities.

Cost Engineering processes were incorporated into Unifier where previously these were managed in another application or in a spreadsheet.

Contractors continued to use the same submission tool so there was no impact to the Contractor.

Reports and forms were created to replicate what was used in the old application and included changes dictated by the new enhancements to their business processes. Thorough testing and data validation was performed prior to the scheduled go live date. In preparation of the planned rollout it was important to have all users trained and prepared ahead of time. Role based training was conducted and tools, such as training videos, were made available for all users well in advance of actual rollout.

Cost Management framework was developed that aligned closely to the Project Agreement

YRT Operations Maintenance and Storage Facility, Richmond Hill.

The Impact

Solution was implemented under a compressed schedule, with extensive OCM activities focused on ensuring project delivery team and JV adoption of the new system. Discipline focused reporting packages were developed for cost management, quality, design deliverable, and document control functions.

From planning to delivery, the YRRT team had demonstrated unmatched dedication resulting in the project being recognized for several prestigious awards:

• National Award for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships, Silver 2022 - The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP)

• 2022 Public Works Project of the Year (Transportation) - American Public Works Association (APWA) and the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA)

• 2021 Public Works Project of the Year (Transportation) - American Public Works Association (APWA) and the Ontario Public Works Association (OPWA)