Guide offers recommendations for public owners to deliver infrastructure projects

The Construction and Design Alliance of Ontario (CDAO) has released its first Guide to Design and Construction Procurement Best Practices, a resource developed by leaders from Ontario’s construction, design, residential, and municipal engineering sectors. The Guide provides practical recommendations for public owners to strengthen how infrastructure projects are planned, procured, and delivered.

The federal and provincial governments have continued to send a strong signal of commitment to investing in and building infrastructure. Turning those commitments into real projects requires modern, efficient, and coordinated procurement practices.

Ontario faces a significant infrastructure backlog while preparing for more than $250 billion in new capital investments over the next decade. However, fragmented procurement practices are slowing progress, leading to costly delays, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities.

“Governments at every level are saying the same thing: we want to build,” said Nadia Todorova, CDAO Chair. “This guide is about helping them do just that – by giving public owners the tools to deliver projects faster, more efficiently, and more sustainably.”

The Guide to Design and Construction Procurement Best Practices offers a clear roadmap to modernize Ontario’s approach to infrastructure delivery and foster stronger collaboration between industry and government.

Key recommendations include:

• Standardize contracts and specifications: With 444 municipalities using different systems, standardization cuts red tape, reduces disputes, and speeds up project delivery.
• Pre-plan projects and communicate early: Clear objectives and early collaboration between industry and government prevent costly changes and delays.
• Choose the right procurement model: Match the approach – Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, Construction Management at Risk, or Integrated Project Delivery – to the project’s needs.
• Manage risk appropriately: Assign risks to the parties best able to handle them and consider long-term, life-cycle impacts.
• Foster a culture of change: Embrace collaboration, innovation, and flexibility while maintaining transparency and accountability.

“Ontario’s construction and design community stands ready to help governments deliver on their infrastructure promises,” added Todorova. “This guide represents the collective expertise of Ontario’s builders, designers, and public owners working together to build better.”

Featured image: (Government of Ontario)