Construction partner search starts for Robert Banks Terminal 2

Key Takeaways:

• The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is a nation-building marine container terminal project at the Port of Vancouver, expected to support over $100 billion in annual trade, create 18,000 construction jobs, and generate $3 billion in annual GDP with 17,000+ permanent jobs once operational.
• The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority will use a progressive design-build procurement model, aiming for greater flexibility, collaboration, and cost/schedule certainty. The request for qualifications (RFQ) will be issued in July 2025, with construction expected to begin in 2028.
• The project has received consent from 27 Indigenous groups and passed federal/provincial environmental assessments. A Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act application is under review, with a decision expected by October 2026—a key milestone before major construction begins.

The Whole Story:

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced it is issuing a request for qualifications in July 2025 for a construction partner to deliver the landmass and wharf component of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project.

Port officials said the new marine container terminal at the Port of Vancouver is a transformational, nation building project that will support Canada’s economic security and trade resilience, enabling the trade of more than $100 billion in goods annually once fully operational.

More than 18,000 jobs will be created during construction, and once operational the new terminal is anticipated to generate more than 17,000 well-paying, long-term jobs and add more than $3 billion in GDP annually.

Based on ongoing discussions with industry, the port authority will pursue a progressive design-build procurement model. Officials say this approach will allow for greater flexibility in the design process, strengthen collaboration, and enhance cost and schedule certainty.

The contract will include the delivery of a marine terminal landmass; wharf structure and berth pocket; widened causeway; expanded tug basin; and environmental mitigation and offsetting projects. Procurement opportunities for other components of the project will be available in the coming years. Twenty-seven Indigenous groups have provided consent for the project to proceed.

In 2023, the federal and provincial governments approved the project following a rigorous environmental assessment process. In 2024, the port authority submitted a Species at Risk Act-compliant Fisheries Act Authorization application to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with a joint commitment with government and regulators for a decision no later than October 2026.  

Construction mobilization and early works are expected to occur in 2027, with major land reclamation works expected to begin in 2028. Terminal operations are set to begin in the mid-2030s.  

To select a construction partner, the procurement process will include:  

• A request for qualifications for construction partners who have a strong record in the collaborative delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects in marine environments with similar technical, logistical, environmental, and regulatory requirements, and demonstrated experience developing and delivering on commitments to First Nations
• At the conclusion of the request for qualifications process, three qualified construction partners will be invited to participate in a request for proposals for a design and early works agreement (DEWA) that outlines the activities and requirements for the development phase to inform the final investment decision  

The selected construction partner will collaborate with the port authority, First Nations, and regulators throughout the DEWA to develop the construction logistics, work planning, costs, schedule, and early works opportunities.  

Once works under the DEWA have sufficiently advanced—and following a successful final investment decision by the port authority—a target price design-build agreement will be executed with the selected construction partner and the construction phase will begin.

Here is a project timeline:

• Request for qualifications issued: July 2025
• Request for qualifications submission deadline: Fall 2025
• Request for proposal issued to three shortlisted construction partners: Late 2025
• Request for proposal submission deadline: Spring 2026
• Final investment decision and early works: 2027
• Construction start—land reclamation: 2028