Project teams honoured with Awards of Excellence

As the cost of projects completed by Vancouver construction companies continues to climb, the Vancouver Regional Construction Association has taken note.

At its 26th Annual VRCA Awards of Excellence gala, being held on Oct. 16 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, two major categories have changed.

This year, general contractor Awards of Excellence are divided into three categories: up to $15 million; $15 million to $55 million; and over $55 million.

In 2013, $40 million was the threshold.

With more projects exceeding the $40 million figure, an adjustment was in order said the Fiona Famulak, VRCA president.

"The change speaks to the value of the projects," she said.

Since building costs are unlikely to drop, further changes to category amounts are possible in the future, she said.

What is similar to last year is the number of entrants.

For 2014 there were 149 total entries in 12 categories.

"That was on par with previous years," said Famulak, who noted that in 2013 there were about 142 entries.

Entrants must be VRCA members.

One factor why the number of entries didn’t break the 150 marker had to do with the VRCA’s requirement that projects must have achieved substantial completion by April 21, 2014.

Dolphe Hoffman, chair of VRCA’s Awards of Excellence Committee, said there were a fair number of major projects that were not complete by April 21, so they may show up for consideration in 2015.

Thirty-one different projects were being judged, Famulak said.

Three Silver Award winners were previously announced in 11 different categories, along with a single Gold Award of Excellence winner in the Heritage Restoration Award.

That award went to ITC Construction Canada, Dominion Masonry, Sentrax Mechanical Contracting and Chambers Electrical Corp. for the 564 Beatty project.

The Gold Awards of Excellence in the remaining 11 categories will be revealed at the gala on Oct. 16.

For 2014, the total construction value of the 31 projects came in at $1.5 billion.

That total value of construction activity by Vancouver companies represents a key economic driver for the province, Famulak said.

But, it wasn’t a record.

In 2013, total value of the 38 projects under consideration was close to $2 billion, with a similar value in 2012.

The reason for the high values was that a number of projects that were built for the 2010 Olympic Games were eligible for judging in 2013 and 2012, Famulak said.

Silver and Gold winners are judged on achieving the budget, meeting deadlines, innovative use of materials, exceptional project management, overcoming challenges and their safety record.

"To be a Silver Award winner, companies meet or exceed the criteria," Famulak said.

"It’s always hard to pick the Gold winner."

The first step to selecting the winner started at the end of May, when Hoffman and nine fellow judges either visited the sites or viewed a presentation about the project.

Almost all of the projects were in the Lower Mainland this year, but one was in Mexico and another was in Victoria.

In those cases, full presentations become necessary, but as Hoffman pointed out, when projects are fairly large and complex, presentations become preferable to covering hundreds of metres on foot.

By mid-July, the finalists were chosen.

By the end of the month, Silver Award winners were picked and the Gold winners were also known.

In some categories, it was, "Quite evident. You see a project and there’s a ‘wow’ factor," said Hoffman, a retired chartered accountant, who worked in the construction industry.

For other categories, there was arm-twisting and talk around the table as to who deserves Gold.

While there was nothing on the scale of Olympic facilities, interesting projects crossed the judges’ path this year, Hoffman said.

"What fascinates me, with the new types of construction, are the methods used," he said.

"It’s always interesting to see the ingenuity used to get the answers to solve a problem."

Yet, it doesn’t have to be a gigantic project.

"Sometimes projects, smaller in value, can be very interesting," Hoffman said.

The Silver and Gold Award winners invariably use their awards to their benefit when competing for jobs, Famulak said.

Last year, Famulak had just stepped into her role as VRCA president and much of the planning for the event was done.

This year, Famulak has a different perspective on the annual get-together after seeing how much attention to detail and work goes into the awards.

"It’s great to recognize what our members do and what construction means to B.C." she said