Member Benefits
What sets VRCA apart?
With a rich history dating back to 1929, VRCA is the largest regional construction association in British Columbia and the fifth largest in Canada. We serve the small, medium and large union and non-union businesses that operate in the industrial, commercial, institutional and high-rise residential construction sectors in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.
Our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan is laser focused on delivering member value to our 750+ members. It’s why we’ve created a suite of essential services that make it easier for you to get ahead. At VRCA, we consider ourselves an extension of your team and are passionate about your success!
Our goals are to Educate, Advocate and Facilitate.
We EDUCATE
We foster a culture of continuous learning across the industry by providing world-class technical and non-technical education and training.
How we educate
- We host 65+ classroom courses and 300+ online courses every year
- We train over 600 individuals through our classroom courses per year
- We offer exclusive member pricing and bundled prices on courses
In 2018, VRCA conducted a construction industry education needs assessment study to help define an optimal suite of educational offerings, structures and delivery formats. The outcome of the study will enable B.C.’s construction industry to take on the new challenges afforded by the new policies, products and practices that are entering the marketplace.
Following the education needs assessment, we introduced:
- Planning for Foremen
- Lean Project Delivery Bootcamp
- Love Them or Lose Them: Employee Retention
- Future-Proof Your Workforce: Succession Planning
- MS Project for Construction
- Think Outside the Site: Making Prefabrication Work for your Project
- Responding Successfully to an RFP
- BIM/BIM-related technology training
- LEED® building
- Business development
- Leadership
- Soft skills
The majority of VRCA’s courses offer professional development credits.
- Customized training: VRCA can work with you to develop a training solution that fits with your work
schedule and is tailored to the learning needs of your employees. - Need a space to train your team? We provide members and non-members with board room and training room spaces
for their own meetings, seminars and other events.
Designed for the construction industry’s middle managers, this two-day conference takes place the first weekend of May in Whistler and addresses current issues, trends and best practices, equipping delegates with tools to become well-rounded industry leaders.
Learn more on the Construction Leadership Forum website
Did you know that by 2025, most new commercial and residential buildings in Vancouver will be required to be near zero emissions, and all new buildings in B.C. will need to be zero emissions by 2032? VRCA is host of Canada’s first and only Zero Emissions Building Exchange (ZEBx), a collaborative platform and a catalyst for market transformation in buildings. The mission of ZEBx is to accelerate the delivery of attractive, cost-effective and exemplary zero emission buildings at scale. Through a solutions-neutral, co-ordinated lens, ZEBx connects industry to solutions, increases capacity and drives economic growth in “clean” buildings by leveraging a variety of partnerships that offer opportunities for knowledge exchange, research and training.
All this and more when you become a member of VRCA.
We ADVOCATE
We foster an environment that encourages collaboration, innovation and adoption of standard practices in order to promote fair, open and transparent business practices across the industry.
How we advocate
VRCA advocates on the industry issues that are keeping you up at night, speaking out on business issues that impact its members while remaining non-partisan. At the grassroots level, VRCA represents the general and trade contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and various professional service providers who operate in the industrial, commercial, institutional construction and high-rise residential sectors in the Lower Mainland.
Through VRCA’s partnership with the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA), the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and other stakeholders as appropriate, VRCA is amplifying its voice and influencing provincial and national conversations on issues affecting the local construction industry.
- Participate on our committees, at our Divisional and U40 meetings and share your perspective
- With your participation well established, join our Board of Directors to help shape the strategic direction of the
association
- Championing the adoption of standard procurement practices and the benefits of using Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC)/Canadian Construction Association (CCA) standard documents.
- Promoting the opportunity for our youth to pursue a career in construction. Via our school outreach program,
we passionately engage students, teachers and counselors about the many opportunities that accompany a
career in construction.
Did you know that by 2025, most new commercial and residential buildings in Vancouver will be required to be near zero emissions, and all new buildings in B.C. will need to be zero emissions by 2032? VRCA is host of Canada’s first and only Zero Emissions Building Exchange (ZEBx), a collaborative platform and a catalyst for market transformation in buildings. The mission of ZEBx is to accelerate the delivery of attractive, cost-effective and exemplary zero emission buildings at scale. Through a solutions-neutral, co-ordinated lens, ZEBx connects industry to solutions, increases capacity and drives economic growth in “clean” buildings by leveraging a variety of partnerships that offer opportunities for knowledge exchange, research and training.
All this and more when you become a member of VRCA.
We FACILITATE
We enable connections and opportunities across the industry by providing a range of business-oriented programs, services and resources that include first-class networking opportunities.
How we facilitate
- We offer exclusive member pricing to events
- We host a number of member-only events
- We offer opportunities to network and make valuable industry connections at over 20 events per year – it’s not who you know, but who knows you!
- Get access to VRCA’s online membership directory (member only access)
- Increase your company’s visibility through a variety of marketing opportunities outlined in our VRCA advertising guide
- Exhibit your products and services at events through various sponsorship opportunities
- Showcase your company’s commitment to quality, innovation and excellence by participating in VRCA’s Awards of Excellence
- Be featured in one of our On-Site with VRCA stories
- Get exclusive member pricing on recruitment advertising and attract the right people via VRCA’s Construction Job Centre
- Recruit through the Skilled Trades Employment Program (STEP) and BCCA Integrating Newcomers program,
located conveniently at the VRCA office
- Get exclusive member pricing on a wide range of products and services offered by VRCA’s Affinity Partners
- VRCA Employee Benefit Plans powered by EBT
- Complimentary half-day workshop (Business Execution Check-In) for leadership teams valued at $3,000
- Access nearly 5,000 project opportunities in B.C. on BidCentral, including approximately 2,200 projects in the Lower Mainland per year
- Leverage BidCentral’s online tools:
- Private Bidding for General Contractors (On Demand)
- BidCentral Online Bidding for Subcontractors (BOBS)
- Etegri
- Get member-exclusive pricing on VRCA’s products and services, including:
- CCA/CCDC standard contract documents, seals, and printing and scanning services including both
large-and small-format colour printing, as well as black-and-white blueprints and documents. - Room rentals – VRCA’s training room holds up to 40 people, and our boardroom fits up to 30
- Complimentary Commissioner of Oath Services (Statutory Declarations), available in Vancouver and
Abbotsford
- CCA/CCDC standard contract documents, seals, and printing and scanning services including both
- Subscribe to The Connector (over 4,400 subscribers) and stay up-to-date on industry news at the local,
provincial and national levels, as well as VRCA events, education programs and the newest job postings from
the Construction Job Centre - Follow VRCA’s social media channels and stay connected through our Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram
and YouTube channels (over 9,000 followers total)
