Host Wendy Hobbs speaks with Jen Hancock, Vice President Collaborative Construction at Chandos Construction, about how IPD’s (Integrated Project Delivery) work and how they differ from other contractual delivery methods. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Producer: Ryan Schriml • Guests: Jen Hancock About Our Guests: Jen Hancock BA, BEd, LEED AP BD+C Vice President Collaborative Construction at Chandos Construction Jen has worked for Chandos for the last 14 years and has helped lead may of the company’s innovative practices in that time. She works primarily as a coach, facilitator and trainer for project teams with a focus on Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), collaborative construction practices, lean and sustainability. She worked on some of the first IPD projects in Canada and has been a key champion in bringing it across the country from BC to Ontario. She oversees Lean integration and training; and, was instrumental in setting up and managing the waste diversion policy in 2010 that has seen the company divert over 75% of its waste in the last 9 years. Jen is also on the board of directors and is committee chair with the Integrated Project Delivery Alliance and is on the board of directors for the Edmonton Construction Association. Jen attended the University of Alberta and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Bachelor of Education Degree. She taught in both Edmonton and Seoul, South Korea; and, she uses this training extensively in her current role. Jen has lived in Edmonton for the last 25 years and loves being part of the design and construction industry. She has a passion to learn, educate and improve the industry. For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast

For this issue of “Knowledge Counts”, we are speaking with three CIQS members who share the path they took to join CIQS and earn their designations. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Producer: Ryan Schriml • Guests: Mykola Pulnyev, Kelly Parker, Michael Gabert About Our Guests: Mykola Pulnyev, PQS, MRICS, PMP, GSC was born in Ukraine, where he lived until he moved to Toronto with his family in 2002 in pursuit of new opportunities. He started off working in construction with a Ukrainian plumber while taking English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at night. In 2004, he was accepted into the Construction Engineering Technology program at George Brown, where he took a construction cost estimation class. His instructor inspired him to join CIQS as a student member and he earned his PQS in 2014. “I have always wanted to be associated with landmarks that will remain on the Canadian landscape for generations.” At the time of this interview, he was the preconstruction manager at EllisDon in Ottawa. Currently, he is the commercial director for EllisDon in Chicoutimi, QC. Kelly Parker, PQS has over 25 years of experience working as a contractor’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) quantity surveyor in the UK before relocating to Canada and joining Tech-Cost in 2015 as an M&E cost consultant. As a “poacher turned gamekeeper”, she understands how services are installed on-site, which is key when preparing estimates and reviewing change. Growing up, she saw herself as working in a bank or possibly being a brick layer. When her father told her that quantity surveying was a good profession, she “decided to count the bricks instead of laying them.” She volunteers as a CIQS Ambassador and sits on the CIQS education committee, and she is excited about promoting the Institute and quantity surveying as a strong career choice. “As quantity surveyors, the world is our oyster and we are limited only by our own beliefs.” Michael Gabert, PQS(F), MRICS, GSC is the director for BTY’s Prairie’s region, specializing in Lender’s Technical Advisory, Independent Certification, Payment Certification and Cost Management services for public authorities, owners, developers, architects and financial institutions. His experience encompasses independent costing, compliance review, preparation, and certification of substantial and total completion on major projects. He has worked in a wide variety of project sectors, including airports, health care centers, waste-water treatment plans, highway and bridge projects. “There is so much to learn in this profession. You go to work every day knowing that you will learn something new.” For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.

During this episode of “Knowledge Counts”, Wendy and her guest, Richard Ivity, discuss electric vehicle charging and how it relates to new buildings. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Producer: Ryan Schriml • Guest: Richard Ivity About Our Guest: Richard Ivity and his wife co-own and operate Exigent Endeavors, a consulting firm that specializes in the education, deployment, and management of Smart Charging projects throughout Western Canada. He has worked on both simple and complex projects for many developers, municipalities, educational institutions, fleets, and other commercial and industrial accounts. Richard comes from the tech world with 15+ years of experience in business management and development. He has focused his last three years working directly with Smart EV charging implementations. With this experience, combined with his strategic partnerships with veterans of the industry, such as Foreseeson Technology and ChargePoint, he brings an in-depth view of the Smart EV Charging Industry and is excited to share with you some of the lessons he has learned in this fascinating field. For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.

During this episode of “Knowledge Counts”, Wendy and her guest, Michael Gabert will discuss the role of a Professional Quantity Surveyor (PQS) on P3 projects. Although P3 projects have been used globally for decades, it is only in the last 10 years or so that P3 projects have become common-place in Canada. A P3 project is different from a traditional procurement process as it integrates every aspect of the project into one contract for public infrastructure project such as roads, bridges, hospitals, event stadiums, highways, schools and bridges. These projects could require that the architect, builder, lender and operations team all work together throughout the life cycle of the project. Michael Gabert, Director, Cost Management Services at BTY talks about the various roles a PQS can have on these projects throughout its life cycle. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Producer: Ryan Schriml • Guests: Michael Gabert, PQS(F) About Our Guest: Michael is the Director for BTY’s Prairies region specializing in Lender’s Technical Advisory, Independent Certification, Payment Certification and Cost Management services for Public Authorities, Owners, Developers, Architects and Financial Institutions. His experience encompasses independent costing, compliance review, preparation and certification of Substantial and Total Completion on major projects. He has worked in a wide variety of project sectors including airports, health care centers, waste water treatment plants, highway and bridge projects. For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.

During this episode of “Knowledge Counts”, Wendy and her guest, Ben Ellard will discuss various aspects of brownfield development including the challenges and benefits of cleaning, restoring and re-using previously developed land. They discuss the social and economic implications of developing space within an existing urban space or in other potentially contaminated sites. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Guests: Ben Ellard, B.Sc. • Producer: Ryan Schriml About Our Guest: Ben studied at both the University of Victoria and the University of Saskatchewan, majoring in Land Use and Environmental Studies. After receiving his B.Sc. Hons in 1998, Ben moved to Calgary to begin a professional career. In the time since, Ben has worked for UFA Cooperative Ltd. (Environmental Project Manager), for the Energy Resources Conservation Board (Environmental Specialist), and at Secure Energy Services Inc. (Senior Environment and Regulatory Planner). Ben currently teaches Civil Engineering Technology in the School of Construction at SAIT in Calgary. For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.

During this episode of “Knowledge Counts”, Wendy and her guest, Kirk Burney will discuss various aspects of site development, such as site selection, self-performing companies and tenant improvements for franchise v. corporate properties. As the senior director hotel and restaurant renovations at Northland Properties, he works with the clients from the beginning of the project, which includes risk assessment to identify any pit falls, such as flaws in design, construction or even the site selection. Tune into our latest episode to learn more. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Guests: Kirk Burney, Senior Director for Northland Properties • Producer: Ryan Schriml About Our Guest: Kirk Burney is the Senior Director Hotel and Restaurant Renovations for Northland Properties. He's an experienced Project Director with a demonstrated history of collaboration and financial stewardship. He has strong construction, project management and facility maintenance background working in the restaurant and construction industry. Kirk is skilled in negotiation, restaurant design, multi-unit facility management, budgeting, cost controls, food & beverage, and operations management and is a professional with a high regard for honesty, integrity, trust and respect. Kirk is a fun and loving husband and a father to two of the greatest people in the world. He's an experienced medieval fighter who loves camping, downhill mountain biking, kayaking and coaching other people how to achieve their desired goals in life. For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.

During this episode of “Knowledge Counts”, Wendy and her guests, Griffin Simony and Josh Peill, discuss ways to break down the stigma of making residential homes accessible and making it possible for homeowners with disabilities to remain in their homes. They offer options to create an accessible home without making it feel like you are in a hospital when you step into your own home. They discussed how homeowner’s often worry that installing home accessibility products, such as chair lifts, ramps, grab handles, etc, would reduce the property value when instead, they should view it as an investment that will allow them to stay in their home. They mentioned that there are now products on the market for both residential and commercial properties that are designed to fit into a space in an esthetically pleasing way without minimizing the required functionality. Renovating buildings to be accessible can be expensive but there are grants and tax credits available in Canada to help alleviate some of these expenses. Tune into our latest episode to learn more. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Guests: Josh Peill and Griffin Simony from Shift Accessibility Contractors Ltd. • Producer: Ryan Schriml About Our Guests: Griffin Simony — Griffin is a Civil Engineering Graduate with a passion to enable individuals to stay within their homes alongside their memories and family. He understands the value accessibility has to the public and believes in creating spaces which can be enjoyed by all. Josh Peill — As a Red Seal Carpenter and Civil Engineering Technologist, Josh brings to SHIFT his many years of experience and drive toward getting projects completed safely and at a high level of quality. He strongly values providing clients with a finished product that allows their space to be barrier-free, but also with an experience they are proud to share with family, friends and colleagues. SHIFT — Shift Accessibility Contractors Ltd. is a general contracting company specializing in accessible and universal construction for homes and businesses throughout Calgary. We work directly with Occupational Therapists, homeowners, architects, and businesses to modify environments, making them accessible and more inclusive for people of all abilities! www.shiftaccessibility.ca For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.

During this episode of “Knowledge Counts”, Wendy and her guest, Milan Niksic, discuss why possessing strong soft skills is just as, or perhaps more, important than some hard skills. Even though soft skills are not directly relevant to a job such as having a fundamental understanding of budgeting project for a quantity surveyor, without strong communications skills, it can be difficult to make a successful pitch to the company decision makers. Milan discusses various reasons why a company or manager take a person’s soft skills into consideration, such as making sure their personality, attitude and manners are a good fit for the company and/or team’s culture. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Guest: Milan Niksic, PQS • Producer: Ryan Schriml Milan Niksic, Civil Engineering Instructor at SAIT Polytechnic Milan Niksic has worked for local and general contractors for close to 30 years. He holds a Master’s degree from Bath University in the UK, an engineering diploma from the SAIT Civil Engineering program and holds the Professional Quantity Surveyor (PQS) designation from CIQS. As he progressed through his career as an estimator and project coordinator, he settled into a chief estimator position within five years. He has worked for several large general contracting companies on projects across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, and worked in director and vice president positions for a developer and manager of pre-construction services. In 2007, Milan accepted a teaching position in the SAIT Civil Engineering Technology program that he graduated from. He feels fortunate for the opportunities he has enjoyed in the industry, the people he has worked with and the individuals he has taught over the years. For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.

During this episode of “Knowledge Counts”, Wendy and her guest, Alex Marsh, discuss the two main types of Value Engineering, CapEx (capital expenses) and OpEx (operational expenditures). Value engineering may be perceived as solely cost cutting or replacing designer recommended material with comparable material at a lower cost. Mr. Marsh explains that although this is part of the equation, there is much more to value engineering than getting the same results at a lesser price. The discussion offers great examples of value management and why it is important to account for the value of an asset to the customer as that may play differently than the actual financial value of the item or project. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Guest: Alex Marsh, Msc, PQS, GSC, AssocRICS • Producer: Ryan Schriml About Our Guest: Alex Marsh is the Managing Director of Quantity Surveying Services International Ltd. (QSSI). He holds a PQS designation from CIQS, a Gold Seal Certification in Estimation from CCA and has 20 years of construction industry experience in the field of quantity surveying. He was trained as a Quantity Surveyor and Commercial Manager in the UK, moved to Canada in 2012 and incorporated QSSI in 2015. He has worked on a wide range of construction projects, including hospitals, schools, commercial buildings, listed buildings, multi-million single family residences and high-volume government refurbishment projects. Some of his experience includes legal and contractual negotiation, risk analysis, cost planning and reporting and value engineering. For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a way of resolving disputes without going to court. The three most commonly-used methods of ADR are negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Reasons for choosing ADR instead of a court proceeding would be lesser costs, more private proceedings, or the need for a speedier resolution. Over the next 30 minutes, Níamh will discuss the differences between claim and dispute, the difference between the various methods, the limitations of using ADR and much more. • Host: Wendy Hobbs, PQS(F) • Guest: Níamh Ní Chróinín, BEng MSc, CEng MICE, MRICS • Producer: Ryan Schriml About Our Guest: Niamh Ni Chroinin holds a degree in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution. She is also dual chartered; civil engineer and quantity surveying. Niamh’s experience includes project management, contract management, procurement, bid management, dispute resolution, and design management. She has in excess of 10 years site experience on heavy civils and utilities projects, infrastructure and buildings construction and fit out. Niamh is now working in the dispute resolution/ claims industry as an Associate Director with HKA specializing in productivity claims and delay analysis. Niamh is the Co Director for the Prairies Chapter of the Society of Construction Law. For complete show notes, go to https://ciqs.org/podcast.