Construction Superconference

• Best practices for engaging partners who minimize your risk exposure and maximize returns
• How can you take advantage of the latest trend towards partnerships in the market?
• Key strategies for managing expectations and anticipating problems in joint ventures
• Tools for analyzing which projects and partners are an optimal fit
• Systematically evaluating partner involvement:
  • are you properly valuing benefits of integration, lifecycle costing, risk transference, and innovative project delivery?
• Case Study: Lessons learned from current partnerships in the market

• Reviewing the statistics and understanding the financing trends in Canada
• Discerning the differences between the current models of financing available for construction projects:
  • which models are successful in which circumstances, for which projects?
  • which particular sectors or projects are most suited for P3s?
  • which specific situations or conditions make for less or more successful financing?
• Developing assessment tools to determine which model is appropriate for your project
• Understanding project finance and how it is a tool to implement your action plan
• Accurately comparing and contrasting the various P3 delivery models and the traditional financing model

• Reviewing the numerous contract models in the market today: Stipulated Price Contracts, Construction Management, Design-Build, EPC Contracts, Public Private Partnerships
  • key strategies for deciding what is most appropriate for your project
• Best practices for procuring, structuring and managing Design/Build and DBFM projects
  • "do’s" and "don’ts" of such contracts
• Evaluating the pros and cons of various construction models
• Knowing, and preparing to manage, the risks associated with the various models
• Successfully transitioning from contract manager projects to other models

• Examining key risk management issues and challenges:
  • project development
  • design
  • construction administration standards
  • policies, systems, and procedures
• Performing a commercial analysis to ensure well defined scope and reliable cost
• Accomplishing effective construction administration from an owner’s perspective
• Creating a structure that will facilitate proactive contemporaneous progress analysis
• How to pinpoint and assign responsibility when a project is delayed or over budget
• Practical strategies for cost and schedule risk assessment
• Achieving proactive claims containment and mitigation process
• Taking advantage of the latest technologies to reduce risks
  • how is technology helping in the management of construction risk?
  • understanding how the latest tools assess a project’s risk profile
• Reviewing cases of construction delays to glean insight and best practices
• Pulling it all together: developing an effective risk management process

a) Building Information Modelling (BIM)

• Improving efficiency of the project delivery cycle by using BIM
• Understanding advantages of BIM for owners and contractors
• Decreasing risk by increasing project understanding
• Raising project predictability through the use of BIM
• New methods of reducing waste and improving visual and reporting information
• Improving communication and collaboration among the project team
• Avoiding cost overrun and quality concerns
• Overcoming ownership rights: who takes ownership of the model?
• What are the implications of BIM on bonding and insurance?
• Successfully managing the coordination between consultants and contractors when using BIM

b) Intelligent Buildings

• Exploring unique procurement issues
• Highlighting the importance of separating design from build
• Understanding the different commercial norms for tech suppliers and subcontractors
• Applying technology contract norms to buildings: testing, warranties, remedies, support & improvements

• Understanding the changing dynamics in the current market: what does this mean for the construction industry?
• What initiatives are currently being put in place by the government to alleviate the labour shortages?
• Where exactly are the shortages and what trades will be most in demand?
• Analyzing key trends and statistics:
  • what is the forecast for the foreseeable future?
  • how has productivity of construction projects been affected?
• Examining the effect of the more stringent safety regulation procedures:
  • how does this affect productivity of projects?
• Identifying practical solutions for finding the necessary workers:
  • looking for innovative solutions: is hiring foreign workers still a viable option?
  • getting out-of-province contractors interested
  • are there new options for 2012?
• Delving into market capacity to take on construction projects beyond one year

Environmental regulation offers obstacles and opportunities for the companies that are aware and adapting to future initiatives. In this session, learn how to address new environmental regulatory challenges and opportunities in Canada, including Canadian environmental assessment, brownfields re-development, renewable energy and conservation, and consulting Aboriginal people with respect to archaeological issues. There will be a question and answer period at the end of this session to address your most pressing queries.

• Effectively managing the environmental regulators' approval processes
  • dealing with long approval times and the impact on funding
  • successfully communicating elements of the project to minimize delays
  • other practical tools to assist in navigating through the approval process
• Looking at the possibility of harmonizing Federal and Provincial approval processes— which provinces are implementing a streamlined approach, and what are the hurdles being faced?
• Getting up to date on regulatory issues affecting brownfields redevelopments and consultations with Aboriginal people with respect to archaeological issues

• What are the latest technologies on the market to assist in stretching limited resources and minimizing environmental impact through each stage of construction?
• Evaluating leading edge resource conservation designs and usage in HVAC, water and wastewater systems and lighting
• Identifying how new technology can help lower your project costs
• Examining the most current requirements for managing environmental impact

• Latest case law in the area of procurement
• - how do you manage your procurement strategies in the face of these developments?
• - overview of new procurement rules that are governing more and more organizations
• Analyzing the impact of the impact on trust fund provisions addressed in Colautti v. Ashcroft released by the Ontario Court of Appeal
• Reviewing the treatment of “Mary Carter” type agreements by Ontario courts, and specifically in Aecon Buildings, a Division of Aecon Construction Group Inc. v. Brampton (City): what must be disclosed?
• Ensuring you get paid, by understanding the latest amendments to the Construction Lien Act
  • continuing to monitor the fall out from the Kennedy Electric case
  • what future amendments are being proposed for the Act
• Highlighting trends in construction dispute resolution and best practices to avoid expensive litigation through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) tactics