The OAA is continuing its work to address issues faced by the profession around procurement practices as well as unreasonable RFP and contract language. A new facet of these efforts is a collaborative project among 17 industry organizations through the Construction and Design Alliance Ontario (CDAO).

Over the summer, CDAO issued an RFP to engage a consultant to develop content for a guide to construction and design procurement best practices. Its goal is a living document that can be promoted to encourage more organizations from the buyer sector to explore best practices in their current and future projects.

Once published, this procurement guide would also serve as a foundational platform for CDAO and its individual member organizations to relay a consistent and unified message around the impacts and importance of fair and transparent procurement models.

The OAA is a founding member of CDAO, with official representation by the Association’s Vice President Strategic. The group addresses the need for an enhanced consultative partnership between the development, design, and construction industry and the provincial government, helping facilitate consensus. Its mandate is to research, develop, communicate, and advocate for fair and effective long-term infrastructure planning, design, procurement, and construction policies by the Province, Ontario municipalities, and quasi-governmental corporations and agencies.