Mayor Gillingham Moves to Hire Chief Construction Officer

Released: October 18, 2023 at 3:03 p.m.

To avoid some of the cost overruns and delays that have plagued previous infrastructure and building projects, Mayor Scott Gillingham is proposing the City of Winnipeg recruit a Chief Construction Officer (CCO).

"Winnipeg’s growth and prosperity depend on efficient and effective infrastructure planning and delivery,” said Gillingham. “The Chief Construction Officer will play a pivotal role in ensuring we get projects completed on schedule and on budget, and that we provide good value for money for Winnipeggers."

The CCO will serve as an in-house expert, with knowledge of construction management, engineering, public/private sector procurement, industry capacity, and skilled trades training partnerships.

Learning from previous challenges, like the construction of the new police headquarters, the position will report directly to Council, maintaining a level of independence from the Public Service. This structure ensures the officer can freely address risks and offer valuable advice to both Council and the Mayor.

Key Goals of the CCO Initiative Include:

  • Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Thinking: Opportunities exist for Winnipeg to learn from other jurisdictions in the use of technology, standardization of processes, and especially the use of strategic partnerships to broaden labour and industry capacity.
  • Cost Management: With an in-house expert, the City can tender bids more strategically, recruit competitive bids more aggressively, navigate construction inflation, and avoid costly overruns and setbacks.
  • Centralized Oversight and Reporting: The CCO can work with managers to improve reporting on major capital projects, proactively flag risks, and recommend action to address those risks in real time.   
  • Industry Liaison: Positioned to identify and address potential challenges, the CCO will balance the interests of the City vs. industry to expand the pool of bidders for capital projects and bolster competition.
  • Strengthening Intergovernmental Relations: This role will bridge communication between different levels of government, ensuring more coordinated execution of significant projects.

“We already have great staff in our Public Service with many years of experience on the government side of capital projects,” explained Gillingham. “The creation of the CCO position will bolster their work by bringing in someone with significant experience from the construction industry.”

 

Gillingham’s motion (seconded by Councillor Janice Lukes) was approved at the October 17th meeting of Executive Policy Committee and will move on to City Council. Hiring a Chief Construction Officer was one of Mayor Gillingham’s 2022 campaign commitments.

Mayor's Office

Was this information helpful?

How can we make this web page better?

Information collected will be used to improve our website. Do not use this form to submit a request for service or information because it will not be forwarded to departments for response. To submit a request for service or information, contact 311.

This form is not intended to collect personal information; however, any personal information you choose to include in your comments is collected by the City of Winnipeg under the authority of section 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of improving our website and will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes, except as authorized by law. Contact the Corporate Access and Privacy Officer by mail (City Clerk’s Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg MB, R3B 1B9) or by telephone (311) if you have any questions about the collection of this information.