Delivering safe and reliable drinking water infrastructure to remote communities often requires innovative approaches that balance schedule, budget, technical complexity, and community priorities. In August 2025, Flowpoint Systems and Associated Engineering partnered with Sunchild First Nation in Alberta to deliver a fully integrated, turnkey modular water treatment system that was successfully commissioned in February 2026. This presentation, co-authored by Shane Beston (Sunchild First Nation), Hashanth Sasitharan (Associated Engineering, Calgary), and Jay Morrison (Flowpoint Systems), examines how a holistic team model between owner, consultant, and manufacturer enabled the successful execution of this fast-tracked project.
The session will explore the advantages and challenges of deploying a modular water treatment solution under an expedited timeline from multiple perspectives — including the owner’s experience navigating funding, risk allocation, governance, long-term operations, and community expectations. A key focus will be on the critical design considerations that enabled swift fabrication and installation, including strategic equipment selection, thoughtful site layout and area selection, and optimized equipment configuration tailored to modular construction constraints. The presentation will demonstrate how early alignment on these technical elements minimized rework, streamlined fabrication, and supported schedule certainty within a six-month delivery window.
In addition, the team will discuss the chosen contract structure and project delivery methodology, including why this approach was selected and how it supported collaboration, clarity of responsibility, and accelerated execution. The session will highlight how procurement strategy, clearly defined interfaces, and shared accountability between owner, consultant, and manufacturer contributed directly to project success.
The presentation will further address the broader benefits and limitations of modular systems, including reduced on-site construction requirements, improved quality control through off-site fabrication, footprint constraints, staging logistics, integration with existing infrastructure, lifecycle planning, and flexibility for future expansion.
By engaging the owner, consultant, and manufacturer from concept through commissioning, the team was able to streamline decision-making, align expectations, and resolve design-build interfaces quickly. The inclusion of the owner’s voice provides valuable insight into stakeholder engagement, operational readiness, and how early collaboration reduced project risk while strengthening long-term confidence in the system.
Attendees will gain practical lessons learned from all three perspectives, strategies for successful owner–consultant–manufacturer collaboration, and guidance on determining when modular construction and alternative delivery methods are the best fit for water treatment applications. This case study provides a replicable model for consulting engineers, manufacturers, and community leaders seeking innovative, efficient approaches to water system delivery across Western and Northern Canada.
