Alberta selects consortium to deliver six new schools across province

The Government of Alberta announced it has reached financial close to deliver P3 School Bundle #6, that will add six new schools in Calgary, Edmonton, Airdrie and Cochrane. 

Through a public-private partnership (P3) model, Concert-Bird Partners will deliver six new elementary and junior high schools across Alberta, including three in Edmonton and one each in Calgary, Airdrie, and Cochrane. Once complete, the schools will accommodate more than 5,300 students and will include approximately 490,000 sq. ft. of permanent structure space.

“Investments in school infrastructure are investments in Alberta’s future. Through this school bundle, we are building the classrooms that families need in Edmonton, Calgary, Cochrane and Airdrie. These new schools will provide safe, modern and high-quality spaces that support student success for decades to come,” said Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure.

Concert-Bird Partners, a consortium comprised of Concert Infrastructure Ltd., Bird Capital Limited Partnership, Bird Design-Build Construction Inc., Wright Construction Western Inc., Ainsworth Inc., and BR2 Architecture Inc., was selected by Alberta Infrastructure as the preferred proponent for the Design-Build-Finance-Maintain (DBFM) contract. The project has a total combined contract value of approximately $323 million.

“By building more schools in high-growth areas, we’re easing pressure on existing classrooms and creating better learning conditions for both students and teachers. That’s why I remain committed to investing $8.6 billion to build and modernize schools, so every student has the space they need to succeed in a world-class education system,” said Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare.

The schools are targeted to open to students in Fall 2028.

“The Government of Alberta’s continued investment in modern, high quality school infrastructure reflects a clear commitment to students and growing communities across the province. We’re proud to support that vision by partnering with Bird, Wright and Ainsworth to deliver six additional schools that are thoughtfully designed and will be built to last,” said Derron Bain, CEO, Concert Infrastructure.

“Bird’s long-standing partnership with Concert Infrastructure reflects a shared track record of successfully delivering multi-school programs under P3 models in Alberta and Saskatchewan,” said Teri McKibbon, President and CEO of Bird. “While Bird is increasingly shifting our focus to collaborative contracting models, certain projects with characteristics like this one remain well suited to the P3 delivery model. These include greenfield developments, repeatable and standardized designs, and clear scope definition. Supported by our experience delivering more than 50 schools under similar frameworks alongside partners such as Concert, the P3 model is consistent with our disciplined approach to risk. We are proud to apply this combined experience to a project that will deliver lasting benefits for students and communities across Alberta.”

Schools in the bundle include:

• Edmonton Catholic Schools: Three new K-9 schools in Crystallina Nera East, Heritage Valley and Hays Ridge (each 950-student capacity).
• Rocky View Schools: Two new K-8 schools in Cochrane and Airdrie’s Bayview community (each 905-student capacity).
• Calgary Board of Education: One new K-4 school in Evanston (650-student capacity).
• The schools are targeted to open to students in Fall 2028.

Featured image: (Government of Alberta)