Government Of Canada Seeking Design Services for The Housing Design Catalogue

The official Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the Housing Design Catalogue has begun, as announced by the Honorable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities, today. As part of the Housing Design Catalogue effort, design services will be sought in response to the RFP for the development of low-rise designs. The deadline for interested parties to submit their proposal is August 7, 2024.

The Canadian government started holding targeted meetings in January 2024 with professionals and technical experts in the industry, homebuilders, non-profit housing providers, and other government orders to discuss how the catalogue’s designs, features, and amenities can be adopted and implemented in different parts of the nation. The results of the interaction are outlined in the Housing Design Catalogue – What We Heard Report, which also considers important issues that have influenced the government’s future actions.

The first phase of the Housing Design Catalogue effort is being advanced with the beginning of the RFP process. The first version of the Catalogue, which is scheduled to go live in late 2024, will include up to 50 low-rise housing designs that municipalities, provinces, and territories can use to expedite and streamline housing approvals and construction. These designs include row housing, fourplexes, sixplexes, and accessory dwelling units. In upcoming catalogue iterations, the government will also investigate how innovative construction techniques like prefabrication and modular construction can be utilized.

“We need to build more homes, faster, and Canada’s Housing Plan provides the blueprint to get us there. As a country, we need to innovate, deploy new tools and cut red tape to fast track construction. The Housing Design Catalogue provides an opportunity to find modern day solutions to the housing challenges of today. I am excited to introduce standardized designs later this year that will help builders construct cost-effective, labour efficient, energy efficient homes that are also built rapidly and affordably.”

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities