March 31, 2008

Trades Contracting

Trade contractors’ coalition adopts VRCA’s best-practices guide

BRADLEY FEHR

editor

The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) best practices guide for trade contractors has gone national.

The document was recently adopted by the National Trade Contractors Coalition of Canada (NTCCC) at a recent meeting

“We agree with pretty much everything in the document,” said Richard McKeagan, with the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada and the NTCC.

He said that the coalition first became aware of the document when it was brought forward as an information item with the Canadian Construction Association’s (CCA) trades council.

The NTCCC liked what they saw.

“We took a look at the document and said, well done. This should go out to all contractors,” McKeagan

He added that his group received permission from the VRCA to circulate the document to its membership.

McKeagan said that he’s already received feedback from an electrical contractor in Alberta who called the best practices guide ‘the greatest thing since sliced bread’.

The document covers a number of areas of interest to contractors.

It includes statements on responsibility for extra charges, project schedules and even having a suitable space on a jobsite for storage of materials included in the construction document.

The best practices guide also covers general site safety requirements and warranty periods.

McKeagan said that the NTCCC realizes that some parts of the VRCA best practices guide are regional in nature, but that the document is still an important tool.

“It’s to advise the industry at large about the rights and privileges of trade contractors,” he said. “We are together and we do agree on the document.”

Keith Sashaw, VRCA president, said that he’s glad the best practices guide was adopted by the NTCCC.

“We’re pleased that others see value in the best practices guide,” he said. “It’s designed to provide some guidance.”

Sashaw said that developing the document took effort.

“It took our members a long time to come to an agreement,” he said. “It’s what we feel is a well balanced document.”

The NTCCC was formed in 2004 and is a forum for Canada’s national trade organizations.

The NTCC’s decision to adopt the document comes weeks after similar consideration was turned down by the CCA during their annual convention in Victoria. The general contractors’ council had several issues with the wording of the document.

Print | Email | Comment