Delivery of Security Requirements in Ministers' Regional Offices
As part of its common service agency mandate to provide accommodation services, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is responsible to provide regional offices for the shared use of all federal cabinet ministers for those occasions when the ministers are working in regions. Each of these regional office sites requires high level protection of personnel and sensitive (designated/classified) information and assets. In order to identify these security requirements in each of the regions, the Ministers' Regional Office Directorate (MRO), relies on major input from the Corporate Security Directorate who is directly responsible for the management of all such projects. The requirement for such high level security with respect to MRO's, necessitates the introduction of specific quality assurance practices for project managers (PM). It should be noted that these practices may also serve fit-up work for other clients with similar requirements (i.e. Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Human Resources Development Canada, Dept. of Justice, Correctional Services of Canada, etc.). Also, some MRO's are on leased premises for which Client Accommodation Services Advisors (CASA's) are involved in the majority of planning decisions.
To ensure that security requirements in MRO's are incorporated within the overall design and construction tender documents, and that consultants and contractors comply with all such requirements and specifications, a number of specific quality assurance processes and practices have been developed for use by all PM's. Technical guidelines may also be referenced in the RCMP, Technical Security Branch's publication—Physical Security Guides. In addition, MRO Site Location and Final Inspection Checklists have been developed and must be utilized for site and construction inspections.
Quality Assurance Practices for Ministers' Regional Offices
The following quality assurance practices are established to improve the quality of construction of MRO's and their related security requirements, in particular construction of security and sound attenuated walls in all main boardrooms and ministerial offices to ensure speech privacy protection:
- Real Property Teams (RPT) and the Project Management organization will continue to promote awareness and the importance of applying established project management practices during the implementation of fit-up projects for MRO's. This will be done on a regular basis through the respective Directors and especially when a new MRO project is identified.
- As a precautionary practice, Corporate Security Regional Managers will be asked to provide expert advice and assistance to the MRO when new offices are constructed.
- As a member of the project team, a representative from Corporate Security will act as a discipline expert in conjunction with other discipline resources (i.e. architectural, mechanical, electrical, etc.) for all MRO's and carry out all construction inspections and identification of deficiencies and incomplete work related to the security requirements of the MRO project.
- MRO's security requirements and specifications will be reviewed at the following project delivery milestones:
Project Plan: identify security requirements:- Project scope/services: identify all known requirements
- Project decision framework: identify decisional framework
- Risk management plan: ensure security requirements are included with risk identification and responses with allowances to mitigate such risks
- Construction contracting strategy: based on the risk management plan, consider the advantages of an RFP strategy versus a tender call for the construction contract
- Quality assurance: identify standard project delivery milestones where quality assurance reviews will be undertaken, and additional specific milestones for reviews for security requirements
- Roles and responsibilities: include the client and Corporate Security as project team members and highlight, identify and address their specific roles and responsibilities
- Commissioning: identify 'specifics' with respect to the responsibilities for security requirements, including establishment for post project implementation plan
- Post project evaluation: identify specifics as to how, when and by whom the post project evaluations related to security requirements will be managed
Consultant Brief: undertake a thorough review of the brief prior to seeking proposals from architectural and engineering consultants to ensure that the specific requirements and monitoring/control criteria, as directed by the Canadian International Industrial Security Division (CIISD), have been incorporated into the Request for proposal. Advise the proponents of the importance of the MRO security requirements and the (possible) need for resident or additional inspection staff.
Final construction tender documents: undertake a thorough final review of the security requirements identified in the contract specifications prior to calling construction tenders.
Requisition for goods and services (9200) to Real Property Contracting: The Corporate Security representative will assist the PM to complete a Security Requirements Checklist (SRCL) and ensure it is attached to the requisition (with CIISD approval and specific contract clausing).
Pre-construction start-up meeting: at the initial start-up meeting, discuss the nature and importance of the security requirements, the department's expectations, the delivery milestones where quality assurance reviews will be undertaken, any additional specific milestone reviews for security requirements, and the roles and responsibilities of the client and Corporate Security section in these reviews.
Construction inspections: During the fit-up stage of an MRO, the PM and the general contractor will be required to sign off a security requirements checklist to confirm that all elements of construction have met security specifications submitted for the project. Corporate Security representatives will serve as discipline expertise to the PM for this review.
Deficiencies and incomplete work: The PM will take immediate action to have deficiencies and incomplete work rectified, particularly work related to security requirements. In cases where the contractor is not complying despite being provided proper "Notice" under the contract, the PM will consider taking the work out of the contractor's hands and having it completed by either the Surety or by other means as applicable.
- Date modified: