Naming ‘Subs’ is a best practice, says CCA

The Canadian Construction Association is set to release a bulletin that will recommend that bid calling authorities require the listing of major trades, critical subcontractors and subcontractors with a significant value to the contract price in bids, according to the National Trade Contractors Coalition of Canada (NTCCC).

“This is a positive and necessary change that increases transparency and accountability in Canada’s construction industry while creating greater stability in the work environment for trade contractors,” notes John Blair, NTCCC Director and Executive Director of the Canada Masonry Centre. “We support the move and is encouraging CCA to continue its productive and balanced review of standard practices.”

The change comes on the heels of work conducted by a task force report to CCA’s Standard Practices Committee. The task force put forward its recommendations to the committee with the goal of achieving consensus on best practices to prevent bid shopping. To do this they engaged a wide range of stakeholders in the construction industry including general contractors, road builders, heavy civil contractors, manufacturers and suppliers, and trade contractors.

“The Standard Practices Committee of CCA conducted a thorough review of options concerning bids and should be commended for the depth of consultation they took on,” adds Blair. “Groups supporting this change are clearly stating that they prefer transparency and fairness and would prefer not to operate in the dark.”

Trade contractors perform more than 80 per cent of construction work in Canada. Over the coming months NTCCC will work toward the implementation of Prompt Payment Legislation at the federal level. Support from stakeholders like CCA is important to the success of initiatives that aim to create a more accountable and effective construction industry in Canada.

The National Trade Contractors Coalition of Canada (NTCCC) was established in 2004 to provide an organized forum for Canada’s national trade organizations to share information, resources, and to collaborate on issues that are of common interest all. The membership is currently comprised of: Canadian Roofing Contractors Association, Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association, Canadian Masonry Contractors Association, Canadian Electrical Contractors Association, Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada, Interior Systems Contractors Association, Thermal Insulation Association of Canada, Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Institute of Canada-Contractors Division, Sheet-Metal Contractors Association, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, and the Tile, Terrazzo, and Marble Guild.