ORN THE ONLY SOURCE FOR PROFESSIONAL ICI ROOFING CONTRACTORS IN ONTARIO   ONTARIO ROOFING NEWS – ISSUE 1 2019  15 www.brscanada.com Serving Southwestern Ontario Since 1972 • Commercial • Industrial • Maintenance Specialists Free Estimates / Inspection 152 Thames Rd. W., Exeter, Ont. N0M 1S3 Tel: (519) 235-2802 • Fax: (519) 235-1532 Email: speat@hay.net 29% LESS LIKELY 52% MORE LIKELY 16% SAME 3% DK Likelihood of Bidding if Prequalification Used Instead of Open Bidding 28% LESS EFFECTIVE 53% MORE EFFECTIVE 13% SAME 5% DK Perceived Effectiveness of Prequalification Compared to Open Bidding 27% LESS FAIR 52% MORE FAIR 16% SAME 5% DK Perceived Fairness of Prequalification Compared to Open Bidding * * 61% YES 33% NO 6% DK Do You Prefer it When Construction Buyers Use Prequalification? Majority of Contractors Prefer Prequalification Construction buyer procurement processes have been the subject of much discussion and debate in On- tario’s ICI construction industry in recent months. In order to get a clear understanding of how Ontario’s ICI contractors view procurement issues in general, participants in this survey were asked a series of questions about preferences and awareness of some of these issues. Ontario’s ICI contractors were also asked for their opinion on the effectiveness and fairness of prequalification, along with the likelihood that they would bid on a project if prequalification was used. Overall, a clear majority of ICI contractors in Ontario prefer it when government and other organizations use prequalification in their procurement processes, with 61 per cent indicating that they “prefer it when con- struction buyers use prequalification”.2 One-third (33 per cent) of Ontario’s ICI contractors indicated that they did not prefer that construction buyers use prequalification. Most contractors indicated that they would be more likely to bid on a project if buyers used a prequalifica- tion process. Fifty-two per cent of contractors said they would be more likely to bid if prequalification were used instead of open bidding, while 29 per cent said that they would be less likely.3 Majorities of contractors also said that prequalification is both more effective and more fair than open bidding. Fifty-three per cent of contractors indicated that prequalification was more effective than open bidding at ensuring buyers select the best bid, and 28 per cent said that it was not.4 With regard to the fairness of prequalification, 52 per cent thought that the process was fairer to bidders than open bidding, while 27 per cent indicated that it was less fair.5 Skilled Labour Challenges This year’s survey included an in-depth assessment of the impact on Ontario’s ICI contractors of per- ceived skilled labour shortages, and likely remedies to skilled labour short- ages that contractors could undertake. When asked to forecast, more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of contrac- tors said they are expecting it to be more difficult to access skilled labour in 2019 compared to last year, while 19 per cent expect that it will be less difficult. With regard to the extent that contractors have been affected by skilled labour shortages, 62 per cent indicated that they had experienced labour shortages in the past three years. Difficulty in Accessing Skilled Labour in 2019 Compared to Last Year6 69% MORE DIFFICULT 19% LESS DIFFICULT 13% SAME 2 Question Wording: “Some governments and organizations use prequalification as part of their procurement process. When it comes to the bidding process, do you prefer it when construction buyers use prequalification?” 3 Question Wording: “If a construction buyer were using prequalification as part of its procurement process, would your firm be more or less likely to bid on it?” 4 Question Wording: “Compared to a traditional open bidding process, is prequalification a more or less effective process for ensuring construction buyers select the best bid?” 5 Question Wording: “Does prequalification make the procurement process more or less fair to bidders, on a 7-point scale where 7 means much more fair, and 1 means much less fair?” * DK = Don’t Know 6 N=480