The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) regulates the architecture profession in our province to serve and protect the public interest. Neither an advocacy body nor a lobby group or trade organization, the OAA takes its mandate from the province’s Architects Act. As its Executive Director, I work with our staff, volunteers, and governing Council to engage with other regulators, all levels of government, and other stakeholders in the built environment on matters of public safety and interest, professional practice, as well as industry-recognized best practices.
On behalf of the OAA, I am pleased to have this opportunity to update OPBA members on our new strategic plan and offer some of our resources related to public procurement (including a free, downloadable contract suite). I also wanted to share information about an upcoming webinar we look forward to presenting this fall as part of the OPBA Talks sessions.
In 2022, the OAA published its new five-year Strategic Plan, which reconfirms our commitment to focus on our primary objective as a professional regulator. In addition to overarching themes like “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” and “Climate Action” that infuse our work, the plan includes four pillars: “Regulatory Leadership,” “Governance and Operations,” “Member Competency,” and “Public Education.”
As we continue our work to support Ontarians and allow them to be confident in the skills of the architecture profession, the OAA’s Practice Advisory Services (PAS) team offer support for our members and the wider public alike. This team, which includes both architects and retired members, brings decades of experience and expertise to respond to thousands of calls and emails through our Hotline service.
For OPBA members and other procurement specialists, the PAS team is available to discuss architects’ roles in construction contracts, clarify client relationships, or offer guidance or review of RFPs and supplementary conditions in the context of the Architects Act. We strive to provide clarity and accuracy of our members’ professional roles and responsibilities so all parties can work confidently and effectively together in service of the public.
To that end, the OAA also offers a newly updated suite of contracts free to use not only by OAA members, but also by anyone in the public—including OPBA members. Written in consultation with groups representing owners and construction law specialists, we have worked diligently to create template documents that are fair and balanced between all parties. They are transparent, customizable, and consistent with industry standards.
These OAA templates are organized similarly to Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) contracts, with definitions, schedules, appendices, General Conditions, and more. We offer both long- and short-form contracts, and each has corresponding usage guides and instructions.
Our website has other new sections that may also be of interest to you and your colleagues, including an exploration of qualifications-based selection (QBS) and guidance on hosting an architectural design competition.
For those interested in learning more about the contracts and these other OAA resources, we plan to host a webinar with the OPBA in the fall. We will also share a follow-up article this summer that will offer tips and best practices for writing RFPs for architectural services.
We value the collaborative relationship we share with the OPBA and its membership, to promote the ethical, efficient, and effective expenditure of public funds while leading the way for quality built projects that perform to the highest standards and meet present and future needs. We appreciate the OPBA’s commitment to working together, and look forward to continued cooperation.
Kristi Doyle, Hons BA PPA, has served with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) for more than three decades, and been its Executive Director since 2011. Among her leadership duties, she supports the OAA’s governing Council in strategic decision-making as well as policy analysis and development. Kristi is actively involved with the other Canadian architectural regulators in dealing with issues of mutual interest and concern at a national level as well having been integral in the development and implementation of a number of national initiatives and programs. Kristi is a member of the Board of Directors of the Construction & Design Alliance Ontario (CDAO). She holds an Honours Degree in Public Policy and Administration from York University. She can be reached at kristid@oaa.on.ca.