June 29, 2006

Gold Seal a must in B.C. city contracts

ROXANNE HOOPER

correspondent

VANCOUVER

Municipalities, school districts and a handful of other B.C. public agencies are embracing the concept of Gold Seal certification as a condition of contract, with the City of Kamloops taking the lead.

In Kamloops, city council announced adoption of this new mandatory Gold Seal certification back in January.

But they held off implementing it until Aug. 1, to give the construction industry a chance to adapt and certify appropriate team members, said Debra Hicks, president of the Southern Interior Construction Association (SICA).

“Gold Seal recognizes the value of education in our industry and rewards it.”

Debra Hicks - SICA

At that point, Kamloops’ will insist this certification be met for any new city construction project valued at more than $2 million. And as of January 2007, that project cost will reduce to a $1-million minimum.

Likewise, the city of Kelowna and a few B.C. Interior school districts are expected to follow suit soon after, although Hicks said implementation dates and dollar thresholds are still being finalized.

Even the Interior Health Authority is “seriously considering adoption.”

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has been struggling to find a way of rekindling its stagnant national certification program designed for project managers, superintendents and estimators for some time, but to no avail.

About 5,600 certificates have been issued by CCA since the program was launched in 1993. However, CCA reports that participation has been static in the past five years with only some 200 to 300 managers being certified annual.

During a focus meeting in Ottawa last month designed to help rejuvenate the program, Hicks explained SICA’s new initiative and described the progresses.

Response from the Gold Seal committee, she said, was instant and nothing short of astonished.

In short order, in fact, Hicks was invited to help develop a national business plan for possible implementation of the mandatory certification concept nationwide.

And Hicks said she is expecting to spend a lot of time in the coming months travelling the country, showing other construction associations coast to coast how to introduce this concept at the local or regional levels.

Insisting on Gold Seal certification as a condition of contract is a new idea, but one that she believes has evolved out of the high quantity of major construction work in Western Canada in the past two years.

The concept took root for SICA more than a year ago, in response to owner concerns and as a means of recognizing those in construction management who are deserving, Hicks said. Since Gold Seal was the most widespread and recognized method of evaluating construction management, SICA decided to suggest that as the accepted form of measurement.

Initially, at least, SICA recommends large or difficult construction projects must have, as a minimum, a Gold Seal certified superintendent.

“A site superintendent is critical to the success of a project for both the owner and the contractor,” Hicks said. And having that person Gold Seal certified give the owner some assurances the project will be managed correctly.

“The point being that Gold Seal is recognition of education, training, and experience and professionalism,” she said.

SICA hopes all public construction contracts in that region will soon mandate Gold Seal certification, giving the voluntary program more weight and validity among the property owners and contractors alike.

While it would be ideal to see these criteria embraced in both private and public construction, Hicks said the first step is to implement it in the public arena, where taxpayer tend to impose higher expectations of quality, thereby making it easier to impose Gold Seal certification as the standard.

Besides ensuring a higher quality of project management, mandatory Gold Seal certification is good news for up-and-comers to the industry, she said.

In talking with young people just starting out in construction, she found most are interested in careers that have opportunity for advancement and further education.

This certification process, she believes, will help expand management opportunities within the industry.

“Opportunities for learning and growing are key objectives of the generation X and Y workforce,” Hicks said.

“Construction is an educated person’s world, no longer just stereotypical construction workers.

“We want their minds. Gold Seal recognizes the value of education in our industry and rewards it.”

As expected, the new concept is being resisted by some in the industry who fear change, Hicks added.

“Change is tough, we don’t move until forced. But the time is now to go for the gold.”

— with reporting from Patricia Williams, Daily Commercial News.

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