A NEW DAY A NEW DAY - Toronto Construction Association

BID Competition
Future
The
Positive
TCIC Bid Competition is an
instructive, energizing taste of
real-life conditions for soon-to-be
construction professionals
By Andrew Brooks
THE BEST LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IS ONE THAT IS AS CLOSE
as possible to real life. That’s the philosophy
behind the Construction Institute
of Canada (TCIC) Bid Competition, an
event that invites teams of construction
students to assemble and submit a bid
on a construction project in real-life
conditions. The TCIC hosts the event,
and construction companies also play
an active role, contributing prize money
– and contributing experienced industry
veterans to mentor the student teams
16 | Builders' Digest Quarter 3 2010
through the process. After a successful
inaugural run in 2009, the competition
was held again this year, and the future
looks very bright.
“The idea is to have students submit
complete bids based on a set of contract
documents,” says Roxanne Drisdelle,
TCIC Professional Development
Coordinator. The bids have to contain
quantity take-offs for own-forces work, a
sub-trade analysis and selection, as well as
an overhead and pricing summary. The
bids are judged to three criteria: most
outstanding professional conduct; most
accurate and complete bid package; and
coming closest to the targeted price.
The bids are based on actual projects.
This year the assigned project was over
$2 million in upgrades to Camp Oochigeas,
a resort for children with cancer
in Muskoka, Ontario. Project drawings
were donated by Duncan Ross Architect
of Huntsville, Ontario. The assignment
went out at the end of January, and