About Us

The mission of the CACQS is to advance the consulting Quantity Surveyor industry in Canada.

Raise the profile of Consulting Quantity Surveying firms within the construction industry in Canada
Enhance communication and information sharing with member firms and industry partners
Maintain healthy and productive relationships with public and private sector groups on behalf of the member firms.
Monitor and intervene in trends and threats to the industry, particularly regarding regulations and procurement policies
Identify and develop new markets for the Consulting Quantity Surveying industry in Canada

Raising the profile of Consulting Quantity Surveying firms within the construction industry in Canada

2015 – Participated in the trade show at the RAIC’s Festival of Architecture in Halifax
2018 – Launches the first Lender’s Certificate in Construction Loan Monitoring for Commercial Real Estate lenders
2019 – Held three courses of the Lender’s Certificate in Construction Loan Monitoring (two in Toronto and one in Vancouver)
2020/21 – Held a 4^th and 5^th course of the Lender’s Certificate in Construction Loan Monitoring; launched the first virtual courses
2021 – Published an article “Independence – a best practice” in the Ontario Public Buyers newsletter, Caveat Emptor.

Enhancing communication and information sharing with member firms and industry partners

2015 -Met with key provincial ministries to promote the use of consulting QS firms (Infrastructure Ontario, Alberta Infrastructure, Partnerships BC)
2015 – Signed an MOU with the RICS and CIQS
2015 – Published the CACQS Best Practices Guide
2016 – CACQS’ Board elects first president from the Province of Quebec
2016 – Hosted a webinar with Partnerships BC and Infrastructure Ontario
2016 – Hosted a reception at the CIQS Annual General Meeting
2017 – Launched a monthly industry roundtable, with representatives from industry representatives to FIRPAC
2018 – Supported CIQS Prairies and the NWT in presenting consulting QS services to Edmonton International Airport
2019- Supported the CIQS’ application to become a member of FIRPAC
2020/21 – Developing a Guide for Procuring QS Services. Sent out to industry in January 2022, for feedback.
2020 – met with CIQS and RICS to discuss how best to partner on industry initiatives

Maintaining healthy and productive relationships with public and private sector groups on behalf of the member firms.

2014 – Became a member of the Federal Industry Real Property Advisory Council (FIRPAC)
2016 – Became a trustee of the International Construction Measurement Standard (ICMS)
2017 to 2019 – Acted as the construction industry’s co-chair at FIRPAC (PSPC’s Federal Industry Real Property Advisory Council)
2019 – Met with Alberta Infrastructure and Partnerships BC to discuss mutual concerns
2020 – Continued as a core member of FIRPAC
2020 – met with Infrastructure Ontario regarding reporting on independent QS consulting as key to their success in meeting budgetary projections

Monitoring and intervening in trends and threats to the industry, particularly regarding regulations and procurement policies

2017 – Conducted an RFP audit to review public sector policies regarding procurement of construction cost estimating services
2017 – Became a member of PSPC’s Working Group on Quality Based Selection of technical services for real property
2017 – Registered as a lobbyist with the Federal Government, the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta and the City of Toronto
2017 – Launched conversations with PSPC, Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure and Quebec’s Ministry of Integrity re ensuring that RFP’s asking for construction cost estimates require an independent certified PQS who reports directly to the owner
2019 – Conducted second RFP audit of public sector RFP’s
2019 – Participated in the Federal Government’s “Vendor Performance Management Consultation”
2020 – Joined PSPC’s Working Group on the 90/10 evaluation process
2020 – joined PSPC’s Working group on BIM
2020/21 – met with Quebec’s Treasury Board Secretariat to lobby for independent QS consulting on every provincial infrastructure project

Identifying and developing new markets for the Consulting Quantity Surveying industry in Canada

2015 – Met with the Insurance Bureau of Canada to discuss evaluation services for building reconstruction insurance
2017 – Presented “Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Capital Cost Management” at the Ontario Association of School Business Officials
2022 – exploring carbon costs as part of the consulting QS services