Ontario Construction News staff writer
Canadian architecture and construction firms are on the clock to pitch their visions for the country’s most famous fixer-upper, but the barrier to entry is high.
The federal government has issued its first procurement notice to find a design and build team capable of transforming 24 Sussex Drive from a gutted, uninhabitable shell into a secure, modern residence and workplace for Canada’s future prime ministers.
The Request for Qualification (RFQ), posted in August, opens a rigorous multi-stage selection process. According to procurement documents detailed by CBC News, the government will shortlist seven finalists to advance to a national design competition. The exact timeline for the upcoming Request for Proposal (RFP) phase will launch in the winter of 2027, with the winning proposal and design-build contract expected to be officially announced on Canada Day — July 1, 2027.
For the architecture, engineering, and construction sector, the project presents a unique set of technical, historical, and security challenges. The heritage property, vacant since 2015, suffered from years of deferred maintenance.
The National Capital Commission completed a $4.3-million abatement and decommissioning project in November 2024, removing obsolete mechanical systems and hazardous materials, including asbestos, mould, and dead rodents.
According to the NCC, heritage fabric such as doors, window casings, and mouldings were carefully removed, catalogued, and stored for potential reinstatement, while some highly significant state areas were protected in situ.
According to the nearly 100-page RFQ, prospective teams must demonstrate a proven track record to qualify. Competing consortiums must show past experience executing complex building projects with construction costs of at least $50 million. Industry observers have noted that this high financial threshold, combined with the design-build requirement, will likely exclude smaller boutique architectural firms in favour of large-scale industry players with established supply chains.
The winning design-build team will face a highly specific programming mandate. They must balance designing a private residential quarter for the prime minister’s family with heavily secured spaces for government work, bilateral meetings, and ceremonial events. The scope extends well beyond the building envelope to include potential geotechnical studies, archaeological assessments, and extensive landscaping on the site overlooking the Ottawa River.
Universal accessibility is also a mandatory core component. The federal government has dictated that accessibility must be factored in from the project’s inception to avoid costly future retrofits, ensuring the site can accommodate any future leaders, staff, or guests living with disabilities.
The procurement rules lay out strict domestic and inclusivity requirements for bidders.
“Given its national and historical significance, the rehabilitated residence must be completed by Canadians for Canadians,” the RFQ states. “In that spirit, the use of Canadian materials and innovations must be considered and incorporated throughout the project.”
Additionally, competing firms must ensure that Indigenous people and businesses carry out at least five per cent of the contract’s total value.
The evaluation process will be split between design and technical merits. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has assembled an expert jury, led by Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, to score the design concepts. Safdie has publicly stated that the winning proposal should be deeply inspired by the building’s specific history and its dramatic riverside location.
Meanwhile, a separate technical evaluation board at Procurement Canada will assess the viability of the bidders’ construction plans, budgets, and project schedules.
The search for a design team coincides with a novel approach to funding the massive renovation, aimed at bypassing the political risks that historically stalled the project.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who previously called the state of the building an “embarrassment,” announced a national design competition and fundraising campaign this summer to foot the bill.
The Rideau Hall Foundation, which is spearheading the philanthropic effort, launched the public phase of its campaign on Wednesday (Oct. 28). The organization announced it has already secured more than $5.7 million toward its $50-million goal from over 4,000 contributors.
To mobilize further support, the foundation introduced the “Council for 24 Sussex,” a nationwide group of volunteer philanthropic and business leaders from the development and investment sectors.
“As the official residence of Canada’s prime minister, 24 Sussex is part of the architecture of our democracy,” Robert Prichard, chair of the foundation’s board of directors, said in a news release. “Renewing it is not simply about preserving history; it is about ensuring that our national institutions reflect the confidence and ambition of the country they represent.”
Images:
If you use the wikimedia Commons one, please ensure the attribution is set correctly
Alasdair McLellan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The other two images are from the Rideau Hall Foundation.
