2012 January » Alberta Construction Association

The Benefits of Using RFID Tags

Technology, Uncategorized Comments Off

Jan 242012

Despite a 30 year record in other industries, RFID tags have not been widely adopted by the construction sector. It is estimated that in 2011, less than 10% of the construction industry utilized some sort of RFID asset management system. This may be because contractors are not aware of the potential benefits of RFID technology.

RFID tags have been used to track tools, equipment, and materials on-site, as well as to manage data such as inspections of safety equipment. Field studies have shown that foremen can spend as much as 20% of their time searching for tools and materials. RFID tags allow these to be located quickly, increasing productivity and decreasing the amount of time a crew is unsupervised.

Barriers to RFID adoption include the upfront costs, as well as the current lack of standardized RFID packages currently available.

Best Practices Guide for Recruiting International Skilled Tradespeople

Publications Comments Off

Jan 242012

The Alberta Government has published a Best Practices Guide for Recruiting International Skilled Workers in the Trades.

The guide is designed to help Alberta employers navigate the Temporary Foreign Worker program. It outlines the LMO process, obtaining a work permit, and the AIT certification program. It also includes sections on dealing with an employment agency, and selecting, training, retaining and integrating foreign workers.

The guide is available here

Red Tape Reduction Task Force – member survey

Government Advocacy Comments Off

Jan 162012

On December 2, 2011, the Government of Alberta announced the launch of a Red Tape Reduction Task Force to understand how red tape affects small business operations and identify ways to improve the regulatory environment in which they operate.

As one way to provide input to the Task Force, the Government has developed a short survey to get feedback on the challenges experienced by small businesses when dealing with government regulations. Along with other reports and discussions that will occur over the next two months, the results will be used to inform the Red Tape Reduction Task Force as it develops its recommendations. The Task Force is expected to report in March 2012.

We appreciate your participation and would kindly request that you forward the link to this survey to your members and other Alberta small business leaders. The survey will remain open for responses until February 3, 2012.

You can access the survey at the following link:

https://extranet.gov.ab.ca:443/opinio6/s?s=12084

Industry survey – Please Respond by February 1st

Uncategorized Comments Off

Jan 162012

The Alberta Industrial Alliance is a joint effort of 14 associations with the singular goal of improving the competitive landscape in Alberta to drive business growth.

This survey is being sent to all members of each participating association in order to identify and better understand the issues currently facing Alberta industry.

Your responses will assist the AIA in effectively representing your priorities and interests with all levels of government and to prioritize the issues that we will seek to collectively address.

All information collected will only be used in aggregate with no individual responses being disclosed to anyone.

The survey can be found at – http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5ZGCHNV.

Revisions to ACA Documents Underway

Standard Practices Comments Off

Jan 112012

Standard Practices Committee met January 10 to continue working through proposed changes to both ACA Form A Subcontract and to the CCDC 2 Alberta Supplementary General Conditions. These changes will bring the documents more in line with CCDC2.

Following this work, Alberta Supplementary General Conditions will be prepared for other CCDC contract forms to ensure alignment with the Alberta Builders’ Lien Act. Once the changes to Form A are approved, work will commence on a new ACA sub-subcontract to conform with Form A.

Collaboration Technology Vital to BIM

Technology Comments Off

Jan 112012

As more companies embrace BIM, and as more data is added into BIM models, the amount of data and files that need to be shared among project stakeholders has grown. Challenges include distribution of files, approval of models, connecting the models to other information such as photos or contracts, combining information from different modeling tools in one central location for access from different team members, publishing of models and distribution of 2D files to subs, and archiving models for handover.

Leigh Jasper, CEO of software firm Aconex, argues that collaboration technology is necessary so that all stakeholders can manage project data within one centralized platform. Aconex and several other companies provide a collaboration platform based on the web, that allows everyone working on the project constant access.

Green Retrofits to Rise in 2012

Green Building Comments Off

Jan 042012

A recent report released by green building consultant Jerry Yudelson, CEO of Yudelson Associates of Arizona, has made a number of predictions on green building trends in 2012.

Highlights of the report:

Green building will rebound in North America in 2012, lead by retrofits to existing buildings, especially at universities and NGOs.
Growth in LEED projects will be seen in China, Singapore, Brazil, Eastern Europe, South Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula
Water scarcity will play an increasingly important role in green building projects
Net-zero buildings will become more commonplace as LEED projects are widespread enough to no longer confer a competitive advantage

All of the predictions made in the report are available here

ACA Education Submission

Government Advocacy Comments Off

Jan 042012

ACA continues to lobby for changes to Alberta’s education system to promote trades and technology. To view ACA’s submission, click here.

Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha

Alberta Construction Association