Calgary Construction Association Recognizes Red Tape Reduction Implementation Act As A Significant Step Forward in Addressing Public Procurement Issues

The Calgary Construction Association recognizes significant action by the Government of Alberta to address concerns around public procurement, specifically the application of prompt payment legislation to provincial projects.

Primarily, the recently passed Bill 9, the Red Tape Reduction Implementation Act, amends the Public Works Act to change the level of authority to make or amend regulations from Cabinet to the Minister of Infrastructure.

Moreover, the amendment extends prompt payment rules to the Government of Alberta projects. According to the Government of Alberta, the new legislation “allows for quicker responses to address emerging issues and expedite the implementation of the government’s mandate to extend prompt payment rules, which are already in place for private contracts, to public works projects.”

The new legislation is a significant and symbolic action by the government of Alberta because initial prompt payment rules did not apply to Provincial government projects. We anticipate that the changes will be a welcome nod to our members, sub-contractors and skilled trades, who support and operate their business within the Alberta prompt payment system.

We thank Alberta Infrastructure for hearing our concerns around prompt payment legislation, especially Nathan Neudorf, Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure, for working with us to address this legislative gap.