Two of Ontario’s leading industry associations have weighed in on perceived marketplace confusion surrounding the publication of certificates of substantial performance (CSPs).

The Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) and the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) issued a joint statement on May 15 regarding best practices for publishing CSPs and other government notices.

In their note, the associations are careful not to recommend one publisher over another. Instead, they suggest that the responsibility for clarifying where a CSP is published should be resolved at the tender stage of the project.

Specifically, the groups’ advice is as follows:

…we are recommending to OAA members that when preparing bid documents, the general contractors be required to identify which publisher will be used, or when general contractors are issuing their purchase orders or contracts to sub trades that they identify where they will be publishing their CSPs. This should be included in writing in these documents.

That’s the right approach, say local construction association leaders.

“Some in the industry have expressed concern that because the marketplace for CSPs and other government notices is now open to more competition among publishers, there may be some confusion over where these notices are published,” says Ottawa Construction Association president and general manager John DeVries. “We’re supporting the OAA/OGCA joint statement with the expectation that clarifying these actions at an early stage of procurement will simplify the process for all participants.”

Link2Build is among those organizations that publishes CSPs and other government notices. To date, hundreds of firms from across Ontario have published their CSPs on this website with the confidence of meeting all legal requirements described in Ontario’s Construction Act.

Just as importantly, this website offers the functionality of allowing CSP publishers to complete forms that notify all affected contractors, subtrades and suppliers the instant a CSP or other notice is published.

"We understand that fragmenting the market among a number of competitors may cause confusion with those who publish CSPs and those who need to know these dates of publication to preserve their essential lien rights,” says Grand Valley Construction Association president Martha George. “Offering this notification service from the outset was a key consideration of ours. We wanted to make sure certificate publishers could use our service with confidence.”

For more information on how to publish a CSP or other government notice on Link2Build for a fee lower than those charged by other organizations, please visit link2build.ca/certificates.