Summer 2026 - Flipbook - Page 6
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
THE TRUE POWER OF
ENGAGEMENT
By GIOVANNI CAUTILLO, OGCA President
F
OR A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY operating in
the ICI sector in Ontario, the real
value of belonging to a construction
association, such as the OGCA, is
often misunderstood. Many firms
view membership as simply paying
annual dues in exchange for being granted
access to a few events.
The companies that gain the most value
treat the association as a business development, intelligence, advocacy, and risk-management platform.
The true value from
membership with the OGCA
comes from engagement.
6 the generals • SUMMER 2026
The Power of Access to Information
The OGCA has a number of committees
where members can engage with the
association while gaining and sharing
information from their peer organizations.
These committees, in turn, develop best
practices, procedures and/or general
information that is beneficial to OGCA
members.
When members actively share information, they gain early awareness of issues
facing the industry. By way of example, let
me demonstrate just a few ways in which
information is shared by and with our
members.
This may take the form of regulatory and
legislative developments, such as the newest
Buy Ontario Act (Public Sector Procurement),
2025 that has fundamentally changed how
general contractors can both qualify and
satisfy tenders. This is a new and developing
issue and as we have more tangible results,
the members will be the 昀椀rst to know how to
adequately navigate this new requirement.
This was also the case when the OGCA
initiated much needed amendments to the
Construction Act, eliminating the vague
language and ensuring that the entire
construction industry including: architects,
engineers, suppliers, lawyers, contractors,
subcontractors, and all stakeholders had
their say. The OGCA is the driving force for
positive change for general contractors.
Members who participate actively often
have greater visibility into policy discussions
and can help shape industry positions that
directly affect their business.
It may be in the form of assisting with
procurement practices. The OGCA is
instrumental in assisting our members
with tenders in general, to ensure that our
contractors are not faced with onerous,
dictatorial and one-sided provisions that
would cause bidders undue hardship.
The OGCA provides the industry with a
number of services including the review of
tender documents and the entire tendering
process. This is done in the belief that a
clear, concise and equitable set of bidding
documents, combined with a fair, open and
transparent tendering process, will bene昀椀t
all the parties involved: the design professional, the contractor and most importantly, the owner.
It may be in the form of labour availability and workforce trends, such as the
BuildForce forecast that highlights the
labour categories that will be facing shortages, as well as segmenting that information into clear geographical information.
It may be in the form of highlighting
for our members emerging risks affecting
contractors and/or suppliers. The OGCA
has in the past, and will continue to do so
moving forward, communicated through
member bulletins, issues that pose a potential risk to our members. From how our
members would be affected by US Tariffs,
to announcements concerning health and
safety such as new AED requirements
and Type 2 Hard Hat deadlines, to WSIB
changes that affect contractors’ premiums. Regardless, the OGCA is continually
providing you a 昀氀ow of information.
The Power of Committee Participation
OGCA committees deal with a variety of
topics that are focused into a particular
category to capture the critical mass of
knowledge from our participants and
share that with the rest of the membership.
This sharing includes what worked, but
more importantly, it highlights the failures
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