Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Winnipeg Construction Association (WCA) is welcoming a new pilot initiative by the City of Winnipeg to use standardized construction contracts on select projects, calling it a long-awaited step toward greater fairness and consistency in procurement.
In an April 17 statement, the association said the city’s decision to pilot the use of Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) contracts marks significant progress after years of industry advocacy.
“WCA has been advocating with the City of Winnipeg to adopt CCDC documents for at least 20 years,” said Darryl Harrison, the association’s director of stakeholder engagement. “CCDC contracts are the industry standard — this is a great step for the city.”
CCDC contracts are widely used across Canada as standardized legal agreements that aim to balance risk among owners, contractors and consultants. Developed through a national consultative process involving multiple sectors of the construction industry, the documents are designed to improve clarity, reduce disputes and create more equitable project conditions.
Harrison said broader use of the contracts could encourage more contractors to bid on municipal work.
“Using CCDC contracts gives the industry confidence they’re signing a fair deal with the City of Winnipeg,” he said. “This will lead to more bidders on projects, meaning more competitive bids and ultimately better value for Winnipeg taxpayers.”
He added that some contractors have previously avoided bidding on city projects due to concerns that existing contract documents placed too much risk on builders.
The association also credited Scott Gillingham and senior city officials, including chief administrative officer Joe Dunford and chief construction officer Tom Sparrow, for advancing the pilot.
The WCA said it looks forward to continuing discussions with the city on expanding the use of standardized contracts beyond the pilot phase.
