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Industry Watch – India’s New NH Procurement Oversight Rules Are a Wake-Up Call for Everyone in Procurement

On May 16, 2025, India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued a new circular introducing mandatory scrutiny of bid and legal documents for state-executed National Highway (NH) projects. The regulation brings fresh attention to a challenge procurement professionals everywhere are familiar with: when procurement operates in isolation, the entire project is at risk. According to…

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I've long believed the construction industry places too much emphasis on schedule. Finishing early or on time might look good on paper, but if it comes at the expense of safety or quality, is it really a win?

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Commentary – Alberta's Bill 30: A Game-Changer for Payment Practices in Construction

Introduction In Canada, Alberta’s recent Bill 30, the Service Alberta Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, is the latest addition to the global proliferation of prompt payment laws. For construction professionals, this legislation represents both a challenge and an opportunity. It amends the Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act (PPCLA) and the Public Works Act (PWA), introducing new rules that…

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Commentary – Reflecting on 2024 and Charting the Course for 2025

As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the lessons of 2024 and look forward to 2025. This year has been marked by significant shifts in technology and a continuation of trends previously observed. The articles published on this blog are a testament to the evolving challenges and innovations shaping our work. Let’s take a look back and see how these insights will guide…

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Best Practices - How to Achieve Transparency in the Use of Artificial Intelligence

As we move forward in integrating AI into procurement, it's crucial to consider the implications and maintain transparency.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, transparency in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a critical aspect of public procurement. As procurement professionals, it’s imperative to acknowledge AI’s role in both the preparation of responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and the delivery of services requested in these RFPs. This topic has become particularly relevant…

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Commentary: The Importance of Living a Principled Life

Living a principled life isn’t easy. Society and life will challenge you. I know that my story could have gone another way.

The other night, I woke up around 3:30 AM. My mind was racing, and I was unable to sleep. My thoughts were entirely focused on a situation that (I later realized) was challenging my principles. Without getting too personal, the matter involved a very large sum of money—the largest sum I ever stood to gain aside from buying or selling real estate. The issue I was struggling with was whether to…

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Industry Watch - Why Construction Claims Happen and What Procurement can do about it.

The trouble with construction is there are so many types of risk that it is impossible to avoid them all, but what if we could pinpoint the behaviors and practices that bring on the greatest opportunities for risk?

Construction projects are fraught with risk.  Increased cost, delayed schedules, site safety, property damage, and poor quality are just a few.  Procurement is uniquely positioned to mitigate these risks.  The key is knowing when and where these risks could arise and having the expertise to know how risks can be mitigated. The trouble with construction is there are so many types of risk that it…

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Industry Watch - How New Zealand is modifying it's laws to protect subcontractors

Acts such as these (collectively known as "Prompt Payment Acts") are meant to counter abusive practices used by prime construction contractors to hold back amounts due to subcontractors.

In an article published by Mirage.news we learn of an Amendment to New Zealand’s Construction Contracts Acts of 2002.  The Act which was initially enacted to prohibit conditional payment terms in construction contracts, has now been amendment to require retention to be held in trusts. A Global Movement The move by the government of New Zealand follows a global trend that has been observed in…

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Best Practices - Managing Payments for Off-Site Construction

Managing payments in construction can be challenging, especially when dealing with off-site construction techniques like modular construction. Recently, I came across an insightful article on Lexology suggesting that developers or owners might need to pay for prefabricated modules before their delivery to the job site. While I certainly understand why this may be necessary, I believe it’s crucial…

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Review - This Year's AIA Conference was amazing.  Here are highlights from A'23

For me, the trend of the conference was an acknowledgement and recognition that the practice of Architecture is changing.  Antiquated notions of the Master Builder and attempts at single handedly designing a building are no longer viable.

Last month, I attended the Conference on Architecture hosted by the American Institute of Architects.  This year the conference was held in San Francisco.  I was fortunate enough to attend the conference with two of my dear friends and colleagues Olivia L’Heureux and Michael Beauregard. In addition to all the great events we attended at the conference this year, Olivia and I benefited greatly…

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Commentary - What will be the Construction trends in 2023

The following content was originally published February 2023 on IBM’s Category Insights Newsletter.  Our end of year newsletter covered a lot of ground. First we looked at the market conditions for end-of-year for 2022. Then we considered which of those conditions were expected to have the greatest impact on the industry. We closed our newsletter with a look at what trends we expected to see…

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Commentary - What is likely to impact Construction in 2023 and What you can do to mitigate the impact

The following content was originally published February 2023 on IBM’s Category Insights Newsletter.  In my end-of-year Industry Watch article, we discussed the impacts of inflation, housing starts, commodity prices, labor constraints, and supply chain constraints on the construction industry. We closed that article stating that all of these constraints are expected to persist in 2023. While…

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Industry Watch - How the end of 2022 looked - The good, the bad, the ugly.

As we “slam-the-lid” on another year and bid a “not-so-fond” good riddance to 2022, the outlook for construction in 2023 seems bleak, but with some high spots.

The following content was originally published February 2023 on IBM’s Category Insights Newsletter.  As we “slam-the-lid” on another year and bid a “not-so-fond” good riddance to 2022, the outlook for construction in 2023 seems bleak, but with some high spots. Inflation While inflation volatility across the globe has settled (not much change from the previously period), rates remain high,…

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Commentary - How to find "Meaning" in your work and why some never do

I was at the gym a few nights ago and had a chance encounter with a young man contemplating a career change.  The young man shared that he was currently working in construction as a tradesman.  He told me that he was thinking of switching to a career in law enforcement.  I asked what had caused him to come to this decision.  He shared that he felt unfulfilled and that he thought law enforcement…

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Effective supplier relationship management

Owner’s who demand the highest standards of care and want to attract the best Suppliers are best served by more balanced contracts

The following content was originally published April 2022 on IBM’s Category Insights Newsletter.  During stable market conditions, an effective supplier management plan is essential for successfully completing any construction contract.  When markets are as turbulent as they are Today, supplier management is an even greater priority. In construction, the topic of supplier management often…

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Higher price & cost volatility; mitigating the cost effects of the current inflationary environment.

Material volatility coupled with ever increasing labor costs, have made navigating the current market extremely difficult. 

The following content was originally published April 2022 on IBM’s Category Insights Newsletter.  The volatility of the current market has made the construction sector extremely skittish.  In February of 2022, the Association of General Contractors published a Construction Inflation Alert wherein they cite record cost increases and reported many contractors “refusing to commit to pricing until…

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Higher price & cost volatility; mitigating the cost effects of the current inflationary environment.

Material volatility coupled with ever increasing labor costs, have made navigating the current market extremely difficult. 

The following content was originally published April 2022 on IBM’s Category Insights Newsletter.  The volatility of the current market has made the construction sector extremely skittish.  In February of 2022, the Association of General Contractors published a Construction Inflation Alert wherein they cite record cost increases and reported many contractors “refusing to commit to pricing until…