As the Department of National Defence continues to consolidate staff from across the National Capital Region into the former Nortel campus, military officials say they’re planning to construct an additional 807,300-square-foot facility in the vicinity.
The federal government published an advanced procurement notice this month to advise interested architectural and engineering firms of the upcoming opportunity to bid on the project and give them time to obtain the necessary security clearances.
In a statement, a DND spokesperson said the new National Defence Operational Headquarters would accommodate some 4,500 personnel and be a hub for planning and controlling Canadian Armed Forces operations both domestically and around the world.
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DND says a location for the new facility has not been decided, except that it would be in close proximity to the Carling Campus, which the federal government purchased from Nortel in 2010 for $208.3 million.
The government says it’s budgeted an additional $506 million for fitting up the former high-tech labs on Moodie Drive as well as $77.9 million in transition costs.
It expects the consolidation effort to reduce DND’s footprint from more than 40 leased and Crown-owned offices across the National Capital Region to approximately 10 major locations, saving more than $900 million over 25 years.
The new operations headquarters is separate from the Carling Avenue campus project and stems from the Liberal government’s 2017 defence policy, DND says.
The estimated total project cost is about $1.1 billion, with an expected occupancy date of 2029, the department added.
