OTTAWA — The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has announced it will be participating in a working group on federal procurement modernization and contract security clearances.
The group was established May 5 when senior leaders from the CCA met with federal government representatives for the 55th annual joint meeting to discuss public policy files affecting the industry.
Officials from Public Services and Procurement, Infrastructure, the Treasury Board, National Defence and Defence Construction Canada were in attendance.
The CCA reported that results from a study on federal procurement were presented, revealing that restrictive RFP requirements are creating barriers to participation.
The report suggests the government can increase participation, fairness and transparency by adopting alternative contracting models and moving away from lowest cost bidding.
Contractors also cited security requirements as one of the top reasons why they are choosing private over federal contracts.
“The conditions work against the industry’s ability to hire the workforce needed to complete a project,” stated a CCA release.
Other topics discussed included social procurement and the government’s greening strategy.
