Overview

There are two primary participants within the IGNITE Sustainable Communities Program: Community Members and Resource Members. A Community Member is either a government, municipality, First Nation, university or other higher education institution, school, or health care facility wanting access to infrastructure asset improvements. Resource Members are the vendors, administration, systems operators, and financial lenders providing solutions to the infrastructure sector.

 

Resources

When a public organization becomes a member of IGNITE, it then has access to all the resources IGNITE makes available to its Community Members. These resources, which are attractive member privileges, include access to:

 

Privilege 1: A No-Cost Opportunity Report

Once a public organization becomes an IGNITE member, it qualifies to have an Opportunity Report prepared at no-cost. This report, which is developed by IGNITE in collaboration with the new Community Member, outlines infrastructure project opportunities that may benefit the Community Member. It identifies ways to reduce cost and enhance infrastructure and is used to create a strategy of next steps for project implementation. For the new Community Member, this helps develop a starting point of what to do first and how to get started reducing cost.

 

Privilege 2: Service Offerings

Once a public organization becomes an IGNITE member, it has full access to all IGNITE’s Project Service Offerings. When a Community Member requests a Service Offering, an IGNITE Team is delegated to work alongside the Community Member. Although the project is directed by the Community Member, the IGNITE Team operates like a highly-skilled “temp” service agency with a specialty in infrastructure by performing activities on behalf of the Community Member.

 

IGNITE currently provides the following service offerings:

 

1. Procurement Services – members access IGNITE’s Procurement Services through IGNITE’s Procurement Services Team. IGNITE’s Procurement Services Team has significant experience in infrastructure procurement and has long-standing relationships with many of its blue-chip vendors and service providers. Terms, conditions, and shipping arranged by IGNITE for its membership base are often significantly more attractive than what the Community Member can arrange elsewhere.

 

2.Project Coordination Services – members access IGNITE’s Project Coordination Services through IGNITE’s Project Coordination Team. Most public organizations simply do not have the time or specialized skill sets required to launch, manage, and execute a large public infrastructure renewal and expansion project. Project Coordination Services for an IGNITE project are extensive. The execution of these invaluable duties by IGNITE’s Project Coordination Team for its membership base are designed to be very collaborative and member-focused and would be difficult for the Community Member to find elsewhere.

 

3.Measurement, Verification, and Monitoring Services (MVM Services) – members access IGNITE’s MVM Services through IGNITE’s MVM Services Team. IGNITE’s MVM Services are varied and may involve the use of big data analytics (BDA) and predictive analytics (PA).

Big data analytics refers to the strategy of analyzing large volumes of data to uncover hidden patterns, correlations, and other insights. Big data analytics helps organizations harness their data and use it to identify new opportunities. That, in turn, leads to smarter business moves and more efficient operations.  BDA helps to use an infrastructure asset more efficiently.

Predictive analytics is the sorting of data to identify patterns and establish relationships concerned with the prediction of future probabilities and trends.  IGNITE uses PA techniques to determine exactly when an infrastructure asset will fail.  This means servicing an asset only when required, thereby, removing the mystery behind how frequently one must service an asset.  Predictive analytics has the effect of reducing maintenance costs.

 

Privilege 3: Buying Club

Community members gain access to volume discounting for all infrastructure goods and services. Prices arranged by IGNITE for its membership base are often significantly less than what the Community Member can get elsewhere.

 

Privilege 4: Project Funding Options

Community members gain access to funding alternatives suitable to the size and type of infrastructure asset. Most infrastructure projects will be successfully funded regardless of size or type.

 

Privilege 5: “Best-in-Class” Resources

Community members gain access to blue-chip vendors, contractors, and professional service firms from a cross-section of companies who provide goods and services to the infrastructure sector. Professional services made available to the members include financial, legal, technical, and accounting.

 

For more detail, contact IGNITE by phone or email.