Ontario Construction News staff writer
Net-zero, procurement from an owner’s point of view, economic outlook will be the focus of the Supply Chain Management Association Ontario (SCMAO) procurement conference program being held virtually on Zoom.
The conference is an opportunity to network with industry leaders from across the country and attend ground-breaking sessions to better prepare for what’s ahead. This year’s program will be held Nov. 16 from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. To register, click https://scmao.ca/mpower/event/landing?id=1452.
Sessions will include:
- Net-Zero: How construction firms can ready themselves for green public procurement
- Canada-U.S. relations: How will geopolitical events impact the construction industry
- Economic outlook and implications for construction
- Infrastructure opportunities to electrify Canada
- Owner’s outlook: Procurement pain points and opportunities
- Trade-enabling infrastructure: Why it is essential to Canada’s growth and your business
- Reduce your risk: How to protect yourself from onerous clauses
- Workforce attraction and retention
“The federal government is spending billions on building the Canadian Infrastructure. Based on current projections, infrastructure spending would rise to $32.4 billion by 2026-27,” SCMAO states on the event web page. “With this space gaining more importance and impacting so many industries like the public sector, construction, oil and gas, mining, cement, healthcare, education and more, SCMAO is proud to announce the first conference of its kind in the Canadian marketplace.”
Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) president Giovanni Cautillo will be moderating the panel on Skilled and Unskilled Labour Shortages and Increasing Labour Costs – 360 View and Takeaways.
The event will kick off with the Leadership Panel: Trends and Challenges within the Construction Industry – A Supply Chain Perspective
Large capital projects are often planned years in advance with built in contingencies. To ensure they are on schedule to scope, cost, and time there are workarounds. Recent disruptions in supply chains have created serious shortages of labour and raw materials. In addition, there are challenges from inflation to geopolitical and environmental risks.
A panel of senior leaders will discuss:
- How they see the supply chain landscape in the construction industry.
- Main challenges and risks the industry is facing.
- How to deal with increasing cost of materials.
- What they doing to work with the skilled and unskilled labour shortage.
- Looking forward, what do the supply chains of the future look like.
The Canadian Construction Procurement Conference is the first of its kind in Canada.