The MMCD Association is a non-profit society, founded in 1995 and supported by BC municipalities to create improved construction documents for roads, sidewalks, sewers, water, traffic signals and street lighting. The Province of British Columbia endorses the Master Municipal Construction Documents for the construction of municipal services.
The MMCD Association originated with the BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of B.C., and the Municipal Engineers Division of Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C.
The association produced our common document --the MMCD-- to address inconsistent tender documents used in British Columbia. Now, over 90 municipalities use the MMCD on a regular basis.
Continuing development of the MMCD includes new and expanded editions of the document, new publications, training for users and referees, and research into new aspects of construction contracts.
Volunteer sub-committees create, monitor, and improve the documents. Volunteers are drawn from municipal staff, ACECBC members, BCRBHCA members and related industry representatives.
Using the MMCD reduces effort compared to creating and maintaining unique contract documents. The straightforward language used in MMCD front-end documents minimizes confusion and reduces disputes.
Philosophy
The MMCD was founded on a philosophy based on six guiding principles, supported by five objectives and three strategies:
Guiding Principles
- Be fair to all parties
- Minimize risk taking by Contractor
- Provide equitable dispute resolution (GC 17)
- Provide equitable change management (GC 7, 8, 9)
- Use plain English
- Say it once!
Five Objectives
- There are 3 participants in the project team: [Owner, Contractor & Contract Administrator (CA)]
- Owner should not try to get something for nothing.
- Contractor is obliged to have expertise to perform work and to assist Owner to minimize avoidable costs.
- Contracts work best with proper administration.
- Disputes are best resolved promptly by the parties.
Three Strategies – to accomplish the principles and objectives
- “No Surprises” - In our business, surprises are rarely good ones
- C.A.’s Signature is “Good as Gold” - Once the C.A. signs a document, the Contractor can rely upon it. The Owner can only overturn a signed document via Dispute process
- Provide incentives to do it right and penalties when things are done wrong