With so many things happening around us, it can be difficult to be heard. To cut through the clutter, sometimes you just need to turn up the volume. In a way, that is what we have done this month.
Our association, along with the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK), had the opportunity to meet with the Saskatchewan Highways Minister, the Honourable Kim Gartner, and the Minister Responsible for SaskBuilds and Procurement, the Honourable Sean Wilson, to discuss matters of urgency that have come to a head with our respective members and industries.
During our meeting with the ministers, we were not simply asking the government to spend more. We were asking the government to plan earlier, provide greater funding certainty, procure work in a manner that reflects project development and construction realities and collaborate with both industries so that public dollars produce the greatest possible value. Our identified issues of priority heading into the meeting were: long-term infrastructure planning, budget adequacy and funding certainty, tender timing and project readiness, procurement practices grounded in delivery realities, workforce and industry capacity and government-industry collaboration and accountability.
Prior to the meeting, SHCA and ACEC-SK submitted a series of commitments to the government that asked for the following:
- A rolling three-to-five-year transportation infrastructure plan, updated annually and shared with industry
- A published tender forecast identifying target release periods, project-readiness status and the anticipated balance of work by category, with early notification when timing, volume or program mix changes
- A joint review of tender accuracy, quality-control requirements, approval timelines, bid periods, addenda practices, project-readiness gates, evaluation and award timing and procurement risk allocation
- A government commitment to a minimum annual baseline of $500 million for transportation infrastructure construction, rehabilitation and preservation, beginning with the next provincial budget, protected through a multi-year framework and indexed annually for construction inflation
- A senior government-industry implementation table with named leads, a written mandate, quarterly meetings and measurable action items
Our industries were strongly represented at the meeting, with a combined membership of 40-plus in attendance. It was an open and frank discussion that reinforced the reality that when our industries succeed, the government does too. Following the meeting, our industries received a commitment from the government to establish a structured government-industry working group with senior officials to address the changes needed to ensure our industries remain viable.
Sometimes, you have to turn up the volume to be heard. Our meeting with the ministers accomplished that. Now, we begin building the framework that will lead us to better outcomes for both industry and the government.
