Symposium Sessions to take note of ...

Some of the sessions that will be presented during this year's symposium are as follows:

Best Practices for estimating, planning and scheduling small and mid-size projects
Often, a lot of issues on smaller to medium sized projects are different from larger projects. Estimating is different. Planning is different. Scheduling is different. This panel will discuss some of the best strategies to mitigate risk in an estimate, meeting schedules, controlling cost, charging and collecting claims, and which type of subcontractors to use. Also, this panel will tie this all into the hidden costs that can add up; that are mostly unseen such as administrative overhead and hurt margins. The take away from this session is to have a few new ideas when dealing with smaller projects, and implementing them in your company for more profitability.

Cyber Security
Technological advancements are changing the way that business is conducted in the construction industry. As companies use technology to enhance efficiency, facilitate communication, and decrease the time it takes to complete a project, the use of these tools is also changing organizations’ risk profiles, adding new or increased cyber risk exposures. While many in the industry may not believe they have a real cyber risk exposure, the fact is that most construction companies: (i) possess confidential information that could make them an attractive target for hackers; (ii) are vulnerable to system interruptions; and (iii) are using technology that is susceptible to being compromised.

In addition, recent trends demonstrate that malicious actors are not selective when trying to use malware to extort money from an organization, they will go after a company of any size, in any industry, if they can get access. Learn how to identify your organization’s key cyber risk exposures and what you can do to prevent and mitigate major losses arising out of a cyber breach, including how cyber insurance may play a role in your cyber incident response plan.

The Impact of Bill 142 on the Surety Marketplace
On July 1, 2018, the first part of Ontario’s New Construction Act came into effect. The Construction Act is the most wide-ranging change of rules in the construction industry in Ontario since 1983. While we cannot focus on all of the changes, there are a few key ones that are important to understand for all contractors and we will be providing an overview of these. 

• Prompt Payment – Improving the Flow of Contract Funds
• Mandatory Surety Bonding & A More Responsive Surety – Faster Processing of Claims
• Changes to Holdback Provisions – Important Dates to Know
• Adjudication – A New Process to Resolve Disputes
• Recent Changes - Bill 57 and Amendments to the Construction Act 

Watch this space for more sessions as we get closer to the symposium, April 11 - 13, 2019. If you haven't already registered, you can do so by clicking here.