CCIL News

Governments, as well as the private sector, have long relied on independent quality assurance testing to provide a rigorous check on the constructed quality of infrastructure projects. In spite of all the benefits of independent quality assurance testing on behalf of the Owner, it is no longer being required under some of
the new infrastructure contracts entered into by governments in some jurisdictions in Canada. Generally referred to as Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) projects, these include some P3s and various performance-based and warranty-based arrangements.

The above described situation, in which Owner-managed quality assurance inspection and testing is being minimized on some P3 projects, is a concern to CCIL. The erosion of Owner oversight can lead to a reduction in the safety and quality of our infrastructure and eventually lead to higher costs for taxpayers.

CCIL believes that one way to address this matter is to expand the role of the Owner’s Engineer on such contracts to include independent quality assurance inspection. CCIL was recently successful in getting the board of directors of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC) to approve modifications proposed by CCIL to the ACEC Document No. 39, Agreement between Owner and Advising (Owner’s) Engineer for Design-Build Projects, to allow the Owner to select the option to include independent quality assurance testing for a project. Specifically, the modifications include a definition of Independent Quality Assurance Testing, a phrase in GC 6.4 and a clause in Schedule A-5. The document is expected to be updated shortly.