QBS And Insurance: Top Two Current Industry Issues

Qualifications-based selection and professional liability insurance are the two key consulting engineering industry issues in Canada today. This is the conclusion of a meeting of the Chairs of ACEC and the member organizations from across the country, held on December 15, 2003. On QBS, participants agreed that some progress has been achieved with provincial governments, but the bigger difficulties are at the municipal level. As for insurance, the major problems are availability, exclusions and onerous requirements for coverage by public sector clients.

The goal of the Chairs’ meeting, which was the first of what will be regular meetings throughout the year, is to enhance communications among the member organizations on issues of common interest and concern. In addition to QBS and insurance, participants discussed problems with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the new ACEC Business and Benchmarking Survey, which will be a valuable tool for member firms, and the federal issues for which ACEC is lobbying the government. Also on the agenda was the Members’ Charter, which Ontario and British Columbia are considering establishing. This Charter is modelled on the Members’ Charter of the Consulting Engineers of Alberta.

The Chairs were very pleased with their first meeting and agreed to hold regular teleconference meetings as well as an in-person meeting each year at the ACEC Summit.