Winnipeg’s Public Works and Water & Waste departments will be providing tender ad schedules as early as next week, the MHCA Executive Committee was told at its January 15 meeting.
The commitment from the City comes following inquiries by the MHCA, President & CEO Chris Lorenc said.
The Executive Committee also discussed efforts to improve the tender ad process with Manitoba Transportation & Infrastructure. The annual schedule was released November 22 for the 2025 construction season.
At a meeting in late December with MTI senior officials, a working group (MTI/MHCA/ACEC) was formed to discuss issues, including reducing the amount of unplanned carryover seen regularly, earlier engineering assignments, including more project information on the tender ad schedule and updates (including where delays are expected) and prompt payment challenges. The first meeting of the working group is scheduled for January 24.
The Executive Committee was also informed the MHCA has arranged a meeting with key partners to talk about timely locates and safety watches. This will follow up on a meeting MHCA and partners had with senior provincial offices, seeking resolution to delays in locates and watches.
In other matters, the Committee was told MHCA and Winnipeg Construction Association submitted a joint response, with recommendations, to the City of Winnipeg Sustainable Procurement Advisory Table regarding a report on the outcomes of the 2024 construction season social procurement pilot projects.
The MHCA and WCA have recommended the City not proceed with social procurement requirements on a project level and, instead, look to advancing the policy and action plan with industry at a company level.
WorkSafely Director Jacquelyn Oduro reported that the program, in 2024, added 35 new companies to the list of those attaining COR certification. Oduro said that is double the number certified in any of the past five years.
WorkSafely is celebrating its 25th year of delivering COR certification to the industry.
Registrations for the first in a series of legal seminars, hosted by TDS Law, are going well. The January 21 seminar will deal with the law of liquidated damages.
Additional seminars are scheduled for February and March, dealing with tendering & procurement, and MTI contracts. There is a nominal registration fee for those who want to attend.
