BC Housing searching for project teams to demonstrate DASH

Key Takeaways:

• BC Housing has issued an RFP for construction manager-manufacturer teams to deliver two DASH demonstration projects totaling about 90 homes in Prince George and Abbotsford, with additional projects expected soon.
• The DASH program uses digital review tools, standardized designs and B.C.-made prefabricated components to compress development timelines from roughly three years to one while reducing costs and labour pressures.
• By requiring early collaboration between contractors and off-site manufacturers, the program aims to reduce risk, improve efficiency and deliver affordable and transitional housing faster as part of the Province’s broader Homes for People Plan.

The Whole Story:

BC Housing has issued a request for proposals from construction manager-manufacturer teams to design and build the first two demonstration projects using the Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing (DASH) program, a digital platform designed to cut development timelines and reduce costs through prefabrication and standardized design.

The two projects will deliver approximately 90 homes: 40 affordable rental units in Prince George and 50 spaces of women’s transitional housing in Abbotsford. The Province expects to issue RFPs for two additional DASH projects in the coming months.

For builders and developers, DASH represents a shift in how residential projects move through approvals and construction. The platform uses digital review tools, standardized designs and prefabricated building components manufactured in B.C. to compress the development process from three years to one, according to the Province.

“BC Housing’s DASH program shows how collaboration with municipal and industry partners can result in cutting-edge innovation,” Vincent Tong, CEO of BC Housing, said in a news release. “DASH streamlines the development process for B.C. from concept to completion and can scale nationwide, helping bring more homes, faster.”

The RFP requires teams of general contractors and manufacturers to work together from the outset—a departure from traditional sequential design-then-build models. Sue Paish, CEO of DIGITAL, said the early alignment supports better planning for off-site manufacturing and reduces on-site delays.

“By bundling projects and integrating teams of construction managers and prefabricated housing manufacturers from the outset, DASH is taking a much-needed practical and efficient approach,” Paish said.

Christine Boyle, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, said the program addresses labour and cost pressures facing the sector. “With this housing, women and children fleeing violence will have faster access to safe places to stay and rebuild their lives, and people will be able to walk through the doors of their new, affordable rental homes even sooner,” she said in the release.

Chris Hill, principal of Chris Hill Consulting, noted that rising construction costs and labour shortages make traditional building methods unsustainable. “This RFP brings construction managers and off-site manufacturers together early, so the people who build homes can work alongside those designing them,” Hill said. “By aligning the full team from the start, DASH aims to reduce risk, improve efficiency and help deliver housing faster and more reliably.”

DASH launched publicly in November 2025 and provides digital tools at no cost to builders, developers and manufacturers across B.C. The platform supports three- to six-storey buildings and builds on the Province’s prior work on digital permitting, including digitization of the BC Building Code and the Building Permit Hub.

The demonstration projects are part of the Homes for People Plan, under which the Province has delivered or has underway more than 95,000 homes since 2017.