July 21, 2006

B.C., Washington state general contractors sign partnership agreement

JIM VEENBAAS

correspondent

VANCOUVER

The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) is forging closer links with its counterpart south of the border, signing a Memorandum of Agreement July 14 with the Associated General Contractors of Washington (AGC).

The agreement creates an official partnership between the two organizations and establishes a formal relationship that will benefit members on both sides of the border.

“We are entering some exciting times in B.C., but opportunities bring challenges and we believe that having strong relationships with our counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions will help us meet those challenges. That means looking south as well as west,” said Manley McLachlan, president of the BCCA.

“They are facing the same issues in Washington State and their priorities are very similar to ours. We will begin sharing information on key priorities like human resources, skills training needs, safety within the industry and procurement. It will benefit both of us to develop a formal communication process so we can share our experiences, insights and solutions to some priority issues.”

With the agreement now in place, representatives from each association will meet regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest.

Principles of the agreement include the promotion of efficient project delivery systems to facilitate open and competitive procurement and contracting procedures, and recognition of the value of diversity and small business to the health of the construction industry.

“We’re constantly looking for resources and information. We have to recognize that we are operating in a more complex environment and this is part of what we are doing to be relevant,” McLachlan said. “If we are going to be players in the new environment, we have to be at the top of our game. We start with a free flow of information and ultimately that will benefit us as we start discussions in other areas.”

“We will begin sharing information on key priorities.”

Manley McLachlan BCCA

The agreement recognizes the increasing global nature of the construction industry. International companies with operations in both the United States and Canada are playing a bigger role in the industry, both as suppliers and builders, and local firms are increasingly working on projects on both sides of the border.

That trend that could gain momentum with the massive construction slated for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“There is already a strong mix of partnerships, projects and work being done in both jurisdictions. Many of our members, particularly in the Lower Mainland, are working in the Seattle area and many companies in Washington are doing work up here,” McLachlan said.

“There’s always some fear that something like this will open up the floodgates and Canadian companies will lose position and opportunities. But this will be beneficial to our organizations on the operational side, it will be beneficial to our members and good relations are beneficial for the economy.”

Both McLachlan and AGC chief executive officer Roland Dewhurst signed the agreement.

“Working with our friends in Canada is good for the workers and economies of both countries. This agreement puts British Columbia and Washington State in a much better position to compete effectively in today’s global economy,” noted Dewhurst.

McLachlan would like to see the BCCA create even more formal agreements of this nature. With $82 billion in projects planned for the province through to 2013, the construction industry is enjoying unprecedented opportunities. But with growth comes challenges.

“We’re looking at sustained growth for at least the next seven years. There’s so much happening here and it goes far beyond the Olympics. There’s a lot of activity taking place in northern B.C. and we’re looking at ways we can work closer with the folks in the Yukon, and clearly Alaska is the next jurisdiction we need to have some conversations with,” McLachlan said.

“We’ve learned an awful lot through our relationships with organizations across Canada and we see this as the next step forward.”

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