Accommodation and Real Estate Services

About ARES

Accommodation and Real Estate Services (ARES) is a division of Shared Services BC within the Ministry of Citizens' Services.

Shared Services BC is the shared services provider for the Government of British Columbia, within which ARES provides accommodation and real estate services to government ministries and the broader public sector and manages, on behalf of the Province, a diverse real estate portfolio of leased and government owned properties that extend throughout the province.

The portfolio includes a wide variety of properties, ranging from the Vancouver Law Courts and Robson Square Complex to heritage buildings dating from the 1860s and includes:

• office buildings
• courthouses
• correctional centres
• residential institutions
• and other types of special purpose facilities (e.g. forestry complexes, ambulance stations, health units)

ARES recovers the costs of its operations through building occupancy charges and service charges totalling approximately $350M per year.

Approximately 74% of ARES recoveries come from space and services provided to mandated customers (ministries and government agencies required to use ARES services).

The remaining 26% of recoveries come from services provided to voluntary customers (including health authorities, schools/universities and colleges and Crown corporations), who choose to do business with ARES, as set out in specific agreements or memoranda of understanding.

ARES has accountability for development and implementation of portfolio and service delivery strategies which optimize their alignment with client needs in accordance with principles of good stewardship.

Specific responsibilities of the organization are distributed among the following program areas:

• Business Services Branch
• Customer Services Branch
• Contract Management Branch
• Development Services Branch
• Portfolio Services Branch
• Real Estate Services Branch
• Workplace Services Branch

Contracts with Private Sector Suppliers and Consultants

With the exception of professional and strategic advisory services that are provided primarily by in-house professionals, most of the services are delivered through contracts with private sector suppliers/consultants.

ARES has a long history of successfully managing the performance of supplier contracts. In 2004/05 ARES strengthened the supply management side of its operations by entering into a long-term performance-based service contract with Brookfield LePage Johnson Controls Workplace Solutions Inc.(BLJC-WSI) which manages all supplier contracts related to property management and related services.

WSI's Facility Managers are responsible for coordinating suppliers and service requests in the field. The Facility Managers also have direct accountability for the condition and budgets of the buildings.