Once again the CAA has been very busy working on behalf of architects in Alberta.

The new year started with a meeting with the new Alberta Infrastructure (AI) Minister, Sandra Jansen. As some of you may know, Minister Jansen has a connection with infrastructure through her father, who was a draftsman and working with the Alberta Government.

Shortly after that meeting, the CAA attended AI’s January Industry Liaison Committee ILC), for the start of their 2018 quarterly meetings. Together with representatives from the CEA and the ACA, discussion continued on several issues that significantly impact architects in Alberta. This includes references and endorsements, trade definitions, low fee assessment, etc.

January’s Procurements and Contracts Committee organized a multi-firm discussion about IPD. Represented firms included Stantec, Dialog, IBI, RPK, Next and S2. As well, Stantec’s Elisa Brandts, who is also involved with IPD at the federal government level, joined the discussion via conference call along with Craig Webber of Group2, also involved in several IPD projects.

Recently, AI developed a BIM Committee, comprised of CAA, CEA, ACA and other associations to develop an Alberta Government draft BIM document by March 31, 2018. The CAA has already reached out to AI, advising that the deadline for review is too tight. Although AI plans to prepare a draft for the end of March, AI has advised that additions and changes will still be considered from CAA, CEA, etc.

The CAA also participates in AI’s procurement committee that primarily focuses on business advocacy such as consultant procurement and agreements. This includes a number of outstanding issues, such as professional liability limits, uninsurable and onerous conditions, management of intellectual property and licensing. In addition to CAA’s attendance, the committee also includes CEA members and AAA’s Randy Krebes whose primary focus is issues that relate to the public interest.

Beyond our communications with AI, the CAA also takes action regarding poorly written RFPs, etc. Over the past few weeks, we have contacted and spoken to St. Albert, Airdrie, and Carseland about their RFPs. The majority of our efforts result in revisions made to the contract wording.

We encourage our members and others to contact the CAA if you come across issues, such as improper RFPs so that we can continue to take action on behalf of architects in Alberta.

The CAA also continues to build solid and effective relationships with a broad spectrum of associations and across various levels of government. The relationship with CEA continues to be strong, and both organizations are working to continue the cohesive communication.

We also have strong connections with the Alberta Association of Architects, the Alberta Construction Association, the Edmonton Construction Association, the Calgary Construction Association, the City of Calgary, the City of Edmonton, etc.

If you are interested in getting involved with CAA and its committees, please feel free to contact me for information.

Also, if you come across difficult or poor contracts, please contact the CAA so that we can contact the source of the contract to discuss the issues.