April 20, 2010

Construction Institute of Canada

George Brown team places first in simulated student bid competition

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

Apex Contracting Inc. came out on top in this year’s 2010 Simulated Student Bid Competition hosted by The Construction Institute of Canada.

The simulated bid competition is a yearly event held to help students experience and understand challenges within the construction bidding and estimating process.

More than 100 students participated this year and the program received interest from as far away as Halifax’s Dalhousie University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

“There has been terrific interest in the program — it is getting traction and we are thrilled,” said John Mollenhauer, President of the Toronto Construction Association (TCA).

“From the industry’s perspective, we love to see so many students participate. We think it is the kind of practical experience that will make a student much better qualified to make contributions from Day One.”

This year’s simulated bid competition concerned approximately $2.2 million in upgrades to Camp Oochigeas in Muskoka.

The upgrades were to the camp’s barn, a dining hall addition, new outdoor sports surface and seating shelter and a maintenance shed.

The students had to submit complete bids based on a set of contract documents containing quantity take-offs for their own workforce, a sub-trade analysis and selection and overhead and pricing summary.

The third-year George Brown construction management program students, in the winning team from Apex, said they spent at least 40 hours on their submission. The detailed work on the bid’s various elements were challenging but they said remaining organized and working as a team were important focal points.

Apex placed first for Most Accurate and Complete Bid followed by DJEC Construction Management in second and Tangent Construction in third.

VINCE VERSACE

Overall team winners: George Brown’s Apex Contracting Inc.

In the Closest to the Bid Price category, with a variance of just $5,725 from the bid price, was Rock Solid Construction, followed by Jaks Consulting and ISCB Construction.

In the Most Professional Bid category, Tangent Construction placed first followed by Jaks Consulting and Apex Contracting Inc.

TCA also recently partnered with Junior Achievement to deliver Junior Achievement’s “Economics of Success” program to thousands of grade eight students across Central Ontario. The program highlighted opportunities to apply entrepreneurial and business skills to a career in construction.

“We were thrilled to be involved with Junior Achievement of Central Ontario in such a worthwhile educational initiative,” said Mollenhauer. “It’s an opportunity for us to make a valuable contribution by teaching business skills to young students, while opening their eyes to the world of career opportunities that await in construction.”

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