The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has joined forces with KPMG in Canada to launch a tool that will help Canadian construction firms assess their level of innovation.

The Digital maturity assessment tool aims to capture the various facets of technological innovation in play at respondents’ firms. Users will complete a short profile and the tool will compare that profile against the innovation profile of other, similar companies.

The findings will also be used to inform a Canadian construction innovation benchmarking report. That document, in turn, aims to set the bar for what innovation in the sector looks like, what the landscape looks like today and what players can do to bolster their maturity in this new reality.

“The need for digital transformation to stay competitive in construction has been heightened by the pandemic,” said CCA President Mary Van Buren. “This online tool will especially aid small and medium-sized construction companies by providing a benchmark of their efforts and insight on areas of future focus.”

Construction is rapidly evolving into a tech-forward industry with the use of drones, automated vehicles, virtual and augmented reality, and the CCA has identified advancing innovation as its top priority in its most recent five-year strategic plan.

New digital technologies, innovations and disruptive business models mean many construction organizations need to keep pace with the transformative changes required to drive growth, meet customer demands, increase productivity and attract the right digital talent to truly reap the benefits of the digital age. 

“We believe it’s vital for companies to assess where they are on their digital journey to ensure technology and business strategies are aligned and delivering return on investment,” said Lorne Burns, KPMG Canada’s National Industry Leader, Building, Construction and Real Estate. “COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of embracing digital technologies to inform strategic decision-making, build resilience, enhance competitiveness and protect asset value amid disruption and uncertainty. We’re thrilled to be joining forces with CCA on making our tool available to the construction industry.”

The initial report on the industry survey’s findings will be published at CCA’s 2021 annual conference.