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In This Issue:
Legal expertise anchors
Contracts Committee
David Kauffman, De Granpré Chait, LLP,
Owen Parsons, Miller Thompson, LLP
The ACEC Contracts Committee is currently among the most active of ACEC committees. Chaired by Board member, John Collings, P.Eng., this committee develops, reviews and updates a suite of service agreements designed specifically for use in the consulting engineering sector. Earlier this year, ACEC Document 31 - an agreement between an owner and its prime consultant, was updated and modernized to reflect the current legal and business climate. A review of ACEC’s other service agreements is currently underway.
The Contracts Committee also supports ACEC’s role in representing the consulting engineering sector on the Canadian Construction Documents Council (CCDC). CCDC produces a number of contracts used extensively in the construction sector.
All of the documents created, reviewed or endorsed by ACEC through the Contracts Committee are intended for use as legally binding commercial documents. Therefore, ACEC is fortunate to be able to avail itself to extremely knowledgeable and experienced legal expertise. The important contribution of David Kauffman of De Grandpré Chait LLP and Owen Pawson, Miller Thompson LLP cannot be overstated. ACEC wishes to acknowledge the active participation and generous contribution of Mr. Kauffman and Mr. Pawson to the ACEC Contracts Committee.
CEC also wishes to recognize and thank their firms, De Grandpré Chait LLP and Miller Thompson LLP, for their corporate partnership and the support they offer Mr. Kauffman and Mr. Pawson in their volunteer contributions to ACEC.
CCE Awards Gala Welcomes Ministers, MPs and the Speaker of the House
On November 3, 2009, ACEC hosted the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards Gala at the Chateau Laurier. As has been the case for the last several years, the event realized record attendance and welcomed over 20 MPs and Senators, including the Honourable Rob Merrifield, Secretary of State (Transport) and the Speaker of the House, Peter Milliken.
“Over the years, this event has grown into a profile building government relations event which allows us to showcase our industry’s top firms and projects,” said ACEC’s newly appointed President, John Gamble. “Is it sometimes said that the more successful engineering is, the more invisible it becomes. We hope that through these awards, engineers will be more suitably recognized for their contribution to our quality of life.”
MPs Patrick Brown and Sukh Dhaliwal were cited tweeting about the event on Twitter: “Great event with Canadian Consulting Engineering Companies with host Julie Van Dusen who kindly noted we put the civilized in civil engineers.”
The awards program, presented in collaboration with Canadian Consulting Engineering Magazine, recognized outstanding projects by engineering firms across Canada. A list of the award winning projects can be found at www.canadianconsultingengineer.com.
Some highlights from the awards event are listed below including Quebec’s groundbreaking legislation, this year’s Beaubien recipient, Jacques Lamarre, and the Tree for Life award.
Quebec Awarded for Adopting QBS
One-year after enacting its progressive procurement legislation, the Government of Quebec was honoured at the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC). For the public sector to be so honoured by ACEC is unprecedented.
ACEC Chair Andy Robinson was joined on stage by AICQ Chair Steeve Fiset for the presentation. In introducing the award, Mr. Robinson praised the Province of Quebec for demonstrating vision and leadership through its groundbreaking procurement legislation. Under this legislation, its Ministries and Agencies are required to select engineering and architectural consultants using Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) – a method proven to encourage quality and innovation and to provide the best value to taxpayers. He also gave credit to AICQ, noting that this legislation did not happen overnight and that it was the result of a long-standing spirit of collaboration by both the Province and by AICQ.
Jacques Lamarre Receives Beaubien Award
The Beaubien Award was presented to Jacques Lamarre for his exceptional service to the association and to the consulting engineering industry. With over 40 years of experience as an engineer and senior executive responsible for managing and implementing large industrial, infrastructure and power projects in Canada and worldwide, Jacques Lamarre is one of the most respected leaders of the consulting engineering community within Quebec, Canada and internationally.
He began his career in 1967 with the engineering firm Lavalin where he held a series of senior executive positions overseeing and managing some of the Company’s most highly visible and prestigious projects in Canada and internationally. Mr. Lamarre served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SNC-Lavalin from 1996 until his retirement earlier this year.
Mr. Lamarre holds many honours in recognition of both his technical accomplishments and his business acumen and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Tree for Life Award
AMEC Earth & Environmental of Winnipeg, Manitoba received the Tree for Life Award presented for outstanding environmental stewardship. AMEC developed new in-situ bioremedial technologies to treat ground contamination on an agricultural and petroleum site owned by Federated Co-operatives Limited in Gladstone, Manitoba.
Inaugural Hill Day Deemed Successful
On November 3rd, ACEC descended upon Parliament Hill to deliver two key messages: more investment in infrastructure, and adoption of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS).
These messages were delivered by the ACEC Board of Directors, Executive Directors of the Member Organizations and Award Winners attending the 2009 CCE Awards Gala in Ottawa.
“This is the first time ACEC has organized a “Hill Day” of this nature and by all accounts, it was a huge success,” expressed ACEC Chairman, Andy Robinson, P.Eng. “We were impressed with the reception we received by Members of Parliament and senior staff.”
Over 30 meetings were scheduled with Ministers and Members of Parliament over the course of one day. To achieve the greatest impact, ACEC took a very targeted approach focusing on MPs who are members of:
- Treasury Board
- Finance Committee
- Infrastructure Committee
Participants attended an early morning briefing before undertaking their packed agendas. Lunch was held in the Parliamentary Dining room in Center Block, and all attended Question Period at 2:00pm.
In the end, MPs were very receptive to our issues, with several even taking the initiative to write to relevant ministers and the auditor general.
Achieving long-term funding post stimulus will remain a challenge for ACEC, but our effort on Parliament Hill certainly assisted in reaching key decision makers.
ACEC will continue working hard to convince PWGSC and Treasury Board that QBS is the most cost-effective means of procuring engineering services, leading to life-cycle savings and sustainable design.
For more information about ACEC’s Hill Day, please contact Susie Grynol, Director of Public Affairs and Business Practices at sgrynol@acec.ca.
Become a More Effective Principal
PSMJ Principal’s Bootcamp
PSMJ Principal’s Bootcamp
February 10-11, 2010
Toronto, ON
Deadline for registration January 13, 2010!
Spend two of the most intense days of your life at this seminar. First, learn what to do to become a more effective principal, then - learn how to do it. Finally, you will get a CD with over 50 valuable tools to help you implement these strategies.
You need answers, advice, insight, and practical guidance in the key business areas of today’s design firm. This program gives you the necessary strategies and tools to provide strong leadership, bring in clients, build loyalty, create committed teams, and understand the language of firm finances so you can negotiate with confidence.
Only at PSMJ’s A/E/C Principals Bootcamp you learn new strategies outside of conventional approaches to boost your firm’s performance. This two-day seminar packs an interactive, hands-on agenda, tackling business fundamentals crucial to leading and growing your practice in the right direction, including:
- Strategic planning
- Business development
- Firm organization
- Project delivery
- Financial management
- Human resource management
- Leadership development and succession planning
- Ownership transition
*This course if being offered jointly between the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC), Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO) and PSMJ Resources.
You’ll spend two of the most intense days of your life at this seminar. First, we’ll tell you what to do to become a more effective principal, then, we’ll show you how to do it. Finally, we’ll give you a CD bursting with over 50 valuable tools to help you implement these strategies.
Here is just a sample of the tools you get:
- An Excel template to help you prepare an annual business plan in about an hour
- A series of spreadsheets to effectively forecast resource needs
- A model to develop a high performance organization in which all your
employees will help bring in work
Key benefits of attending this outstanding program:
- Accelerate the development of your current and future principals
- Identify an appropriate growth strategy for your firm
- Learn to effectively differentiate your service.
The following is a list of upcoming PSMJ Seminars for 2010:
Project Management Bootcamp
April 14-15, 2010
Toronto, Ontario
Principals Bootcamp
May 5-6, 2010
Toronto, Ontario
These seminars have been organized by ACEC and PSMJ in collaboration with Consulting Engineers of Ontario.
For more information, please contact Sylvie Rioux at the ACEC office by calling 1-800-565-0569 or by email at events@acec.ca.
ACEC asks Finance Committee for strategic approach to infrastructure; procurement
Recently appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) urged the government to recognize public infrastructure as a core business of government and commit to long-term, predictable and stable approach to funding. ACEC also recommended that the Government adopt the procurement best practices developed by the National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure and as has been previously recommended by the Standing Committee on Government Operations in order to achieve long-term savings and sustainability.
ACEC President, John Gamble, in his testimony to the Standing Committee acknowledged the challenge the Government faces in balancing responsible fiscal management with responsible investment in Canadians and Canadian infrastructure. He cautioned that while it is prudent to address the fiscal deficit, the infrastructure deficit is equally as troubling and is arguably a greater barrier to the competitiveness of Canada once funding allocations are fully dispersed.
ACEC believes that it is the long-term, strategic investments that best achieve sustainable job and wealth creation and that best realize significant life-cycle savings for tax payers. By contrast, short-term programs often result in the most expedient projects, rather than the ones with the most strategic or long-term economic value. This limits the potential long-term competitive advantages to the Canadian economy. The opportunity to receive the best return on infrastructure investment is jeopardized.
With respect to procurement, Mr. Gamble recommended adoption of the Best Practice for Selecting a Professional Consultant developed by the National Guide for Sustainable Infrastructure Investment (InfraGuide) recommends the principles of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) rather the price-based selection as the best method for selecting a professional consultant. This best practice concluded that the long-term savings that can be gained from selecting engineering services using the principles of QBS are far more significant than short-term savings provided by the lowest-price design. QBS can also reduce many risks associated with public works projects by allowing more clarity in the project – resulting in improved cost and schedule certainty.
FIDIC Releases Report on State of Infrastructure around the World
The International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) recently released its report entitled State of the World: The FIDIC Infrastructure Report 2009. This ambitious undertaking provides an overview of the main infrastructure issues that the world now faces – not only the challenges which have to be addressed but also examples of constructive solutions. The report has been produced in a form that provides the opportunity for future updates and for progress to be addressed repeatedly within each aspect of infrastructure.
The report can be viewed at http://www1.fidic.org
Nominations open for 2010 Allen D. Williams Scholarship Award
Deadline February 26st, 2010!
2009 Winner: Ms. Kristel Unterschultz
The Scholarship Award is to be presented to a Young Professional employee of an ACEC member firm who demonstrates involvement with, or contribution to, priorities identified by an ACEC Member Organization or ACEC itself.
The Scholarship Award shall consist of funds being provided to the winner to cover registration to the annual FIDIC Conference, plus economy airfare return, accommodation and meals during the conference, up to a limit of $5,000.
To be nominated as a potential candidate, submissions are to be presented to a Member Organization, summarizing the candidate's involvement and/or contribution to industry initiatives.
This prestigious annual award will serve as an incentive for Young Professionals of member firms to get involved with their respective Consulting Engineering Industry Associations at the chapter and/or provincial level (or ACEC) to advance the priorities identified by these organizations. In the process they enhance their knowledge of industry issues and advance their own professional development. The winner will benefit from attending an international conference of key industry stakeholders providing insights of global issues and developments.
The concept of the Allen D. Williams Scholarship was first proposed by 2007-08 Chair Leon Botham as a means of honouring the memory of ACEC Past Chair Allen D. Williams.
At the ACEC's Chairman's Gala in Quebec City, Quebec in September 2008, and at the Gala in Whistler, British Columbia in June 2009, the foundation raised close to $63,000 for the Scholarship Foundation - thank you to all those who pledged!
The deadline for submissions is February 26th, 2010.
To learn more about eligibility criteria for nominees and to download the “2010 Intent to Nominate Form”, please click here.
“Engineering Legacies”
DVD Hits Universities Across Canada
The Engineering Legacies campaign is now ready to release its long-awaited DVD compilation. The DVD, which is the corner stone of this campaign, contains highlights of footage collected over the last year featuring young engineers at work. Stories showcasing life in the real world reveal many aspects of working as a consulting engineer, including different positions, opportunities and world travel. ACEC has many events planned across the country as the campaign continues its roll out in January 2010.
Sponsors will be receiving copies of the Engineering Legacies DVD in January as part of their benefits for supporting the ACEC Video Project. ACEC would like to thank all Gold and Silver sponsors for their continued support.
Copies of the DVD will also be distributed to ACEC Heads of Firms, ACEC Member Organizations and to the Professional Engineering Associations across Canada for use in their own student outreach initiatives.
ACEC is encouraging firms and industry partners to use the DVD to help promote the consulting engineering industry and to refer to the Engineering Legacies website for more information on the project. Additional copies of the DVD can be purchased for $30 by contacting the ACEC office at 1-800-565-0569.
Video Tour Update
ACEC, together with its Member Organizations, continues to roll out the Engineering Legacies campaign and is gaining tremendous visibility on engineering campuses from coast to coast.
Here’s a summary of the events attended by ACEC and MO representatives in the fall of 2009:
- University of New Brunswick – ACEC and ACEC-NB presented the video as part of an information session to first year engineering students in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
- Memorial University of Newfoundland – ACEC and CENL collaborated together on an industry night for engineering students and participated in MUN’s annual career fair in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
- Dalhousie University – ACEC and CENS presented together as part of an industry night to engineering students in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- University of Ottawa – ACEC participated in a Tech Fair put on by the UofO engineering department.
- Estevan Comprehensive High School Career Fair - CES participated in a career fair in Estevan, Saskatchewan to promote consulting engineering to high school students.
- University of British Columbia Okanagan – CEBC Young Professionals participated in the UBCO Engineering Career in Okanagan, British Columbia.
A record number of students continue to visit the Engineering Legacies website (www.engineeringlegacies.com) to watch video modules and to learn more about a career in consulting engineering. Events coming up in the New Year include stops in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. ACEC will also be a major sponsor at two national engineering student events taking place this winter: Canadian Federation of Engineering Students Congress and the Canadian Engineering Competitions.
Complimenting efforts on the ground is ACEC’s on-going presence on social media. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have all become key components in marketing the campaign. ACEC’s participation on these sites has allowed ACEC the ability to connect directly with students and be the first to answer questions about a career in this industry. ACEC will be working hard in the coming months to increase participation in its social media campaign, where comments will be monitored, recorded and used as anecdotal feedback.
For more information about the Engineering Legacies campaign, please contact Susie Grynol, Director of Public Affairs and Business Practices at sgrynol@acec.ca or 1-800-565-0569.
CPPC Forum: Best Value for Clients
Article by Consulting Engineers of British Columbia
At the Canadian Public Procurement Forum held in Victoria, BC, November 1-4, 2009, Glenn Martin, Executive Director of Consulting Engineers of British Columbia made a presentation on competitive Qualification Based Selection (QBS), on behalf of ACEC. The Forum was attended by over 200 delegates, representatives, procurement staff and managers from all levels of government.
The presentation illustrated the differences between commodities and professional service and then demonstrated how QBS achieves the best value in the procurement of engineering services.
A copy of Ms. Martin’s presentation is available here.
Industry News
Consulting Engineers of Ontario announce new President
AICQ responds to allegations involving consulting engineering firms in the province of Quebec
Coming Events
February 10-11, 2010
PSMJ Principals Bootcamp
Toronto, ON
For more information, please contact the ACEC office at 1-800-565-0569.
April 14-15, 2010
PSMJ Management Bootcamp
Toronto, ON
For more information, please contact the ACEC office at 1-800-565-0569.
May 5-6, 2010
PSMJ Principals Bootcamp
Toronto, ON
For more information, please contact the ACEC office at 1-800-565-0569.
June 23-26, 2010
ACEC Summit
St. Andrew’s, NB
For more information, please contact the ACEC office at 1-800-565-0569.
Other Events
Various dates
RedR Canada: Training Courses
For more information, click here.
Various dates and cities across Canada
Building Information Modeling (BIM) Integration Tour
For more information, click here.
Various dates and cities across Canada
Canadian Society for Civil Engineering
The New Design of Steel Structures Standard
For more information, click here.
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