Suppliers and Job Seekers

Suppliers

What is a supplier?

A supplier is a business that wishes to provide materials, labour, equipment, technology or services to a project’s contractor.

What does this website offer suppliers?

As in the past, it continues to offer information and resources to suppliers throughout the planning and execution of major projects.

Prior to the awarding of a contract, businesses can view a project’s description and outline, including potential projected trade requirements and timelines. Notices of meetings and related news items are centralized into an easy-to-find format. By making this information available, in advance of the actual awarding of the contract, local businesses are able to prepare and position themselves as an attractive resource to the prime contractor.

Most importantly, proponents, and later, the prime contractor will be able to browse the profiles of registered suppliers to gauge what local trades, resources and materials are available. Registering on this website allows local suppliers to create a tailored profile for a major project’s prime contractor to browse. We took in about 150 profiles from 2012 to 2016. This list was removed in 2019 upon completion of the John Hart project. As of March 2021, we have set up a new supplier list for the upcoming dam safety projects. You can now register and create a supplier profile. BC Hydro began the procurement process for the first phase of the John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade Project by posting a civil works Request For Proposals, on BC Bid, in December 2021. In December 2022, BC Hydro awarded the civil works contract to Aecon-EBC General Partnership.

To be eligible to register and complete a company profile as a supplier you must conform to the following requirements:

  • Be a member in good standing of the Campbell River and District Chamber of Commerce or;
  • Have a current business license to operate within the City of Campbell River and surrounding area or;
  • Be a member of a Vancouver Island Chamber of Commerce, VIEA or VICA.
  • You must have a reasonable expectation that you can provide a service, or materials to one of the three listed dam safety projects; and
  • You will have to pay a one-time registration fee of $100.00 plus GST.

Businesses that hold a membership with the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce will have the supplier registration fee of $100 waived. You may join the Chamber at this link.

Click here to Register as a Supplier.

For subcontractors, supplier or service companies that may want to contact the Aecon-EBC General Partnership, that can be done via email to Jennie Gagnon at gagnonj@aecon.com. Please note this email is not for job seekers; please refer to the job seeker section below.

BC Hydro is working to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Nations which includes finding mutually beneficial procurement opportunities with designated businesses. Please consider reaching out directly to contacts at Wei Wai Kum, We Wai Kai and K’omoks First Nations to discuss potential future procurement opportunities.

Wei Wai Kum (Campbell River) First Nation

  • Chief Chris Roberts
  • 1650 Old Spit Road, Campbell River, BC, V9W 3E8
  • Tel: 250-286-6949
  • Toll Free: 1-877-286-6949 – chrisroberts@weiwaikum.ca

We Wai Kai (Cape Mudge) First Nation

  • Jodee Dick, Economic Development Director
  • 690 Headstart Crescent, Campbell River, BC, V9H 1V9
  • Tel: 250-204-3510 – ecdev@wewaikai.com

K’ómoks First Nation

  • Jen Knox, Economic Development Officer, K’ómoks Economic Development Corporation
  • 3330 Comox Road Courtenay, BC, V9N 3P8
  • Tel: 250-339-4545 ext. 113 – jen.knox@kfnedc.ca

Job seekers

We recommend that you follow this page and check-in for informational updates on the three projects. We continue to work closely with First Nations, the North Island Employment Foundations Society (NIEFS) and North Vancouver Island Aboriginal Training Society (NVIATS). Some of you may be wondering if there will be a job fair, like what was done for the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project. That project peaked at about 500 jobs while these projects, individually, may not exceed about 100 people working at the site. With the limited number of jobs there was collective decision to not to have a job fair. Starting in spring 2023, as any earlier is too preliminary, an email contact will be provided here so you can contact Columbia Hydro Constructors Ltd (CHC).

Hiring for the project jobs will be handled by our future contractor who will work in coordination with CHC as a “union hall” model. This model will apply to the John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade Project as well as the Ladore Spillway Seismic Upgrade Project and the Strathcona Dam Water Discharge Upgrade Project. CHC is a wholly owned subsidiary of BC Hydro responsible for securing site labour to complete certain major construction projects. CHC was established in 1962 and has supplied labour and a consistent labour relations structure to numerous hydro-electrical projects such as the recent Mica 5/6 and Waneta Expansion Projects. CHC is party to a collective agreement with the Allied Hydro Council of B.C. (AHC). AHC is a council of nineteen affiliated trade unions plus MOVE UP. AHC was involved in the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project.

Construction work for these projects will be completed by independent contractors through, in the case of John Hart, a civil contract and a hydromechanical contract in accordance with BC Hydro’s procurement policies. The contractor would request workers from CHC who will in turn coordinate with the AHC to provide the workers.

Under an agreement with AHC, workers for the project would be hired through CHC and this includes provisions to support local hires within 100 km, and Indigenous and equity hires such as women and people with disabilities. The contractor can also “name call” their foreman and a certain number of workers as per the hiring process.  All workers would be employed by CHC and assigned to work with the contractor, with the contractor responsible for the workers safety and managing their day-to-day duties. Any non-union employees must join the applicable union within 30 days. The project jobs may be a combination of the contractor’s workforce, subcontractor workforce, and individual hiring in coordination with CHC.

The actual needs and timing of jobs will be developed by the selected contractor as they consider the construction staging. Generally, there may be jobs related to the following groups of work:

  • Construction using heavy equipment;
  • Materials/suppliers (concrete supplier, concrete accessories/rebar, concrete precast, rock/aggregate supplier, misc. metals, anchors, structural steel, instrumentation, etc); and
  • Services (mechanical services (temporary and permanent), electrical services (temporary and permanent), geotechnical specialty, marine services, diving services, environmental services, civil services, crane services, equipment rentals, etc).

To apply for potential work on the project, through CHC, please email your resume to chcgeneral@bchydro.com. If you are not part of a union and want to work on the project, please contact the union rep for your trade (see the union list link provided below) and discuss membership options.

Union Membership

If you are not part of a union and are interested in working on the project, a first step would be to contact the union rep for your trade (Download a list here) and discuss membership options.

John Hart Dam Seismic Upgrade Project

Staffing requirements will grow from contractor site mobilization in summer 2023 to a peak in 2024 to 2026, with the total construction period being over six years. Over this period, the project may generate just over 600 person-years of work or about 100 workers at the site. Some jobs may be short term, such as a few months, while other jobs may last multiple years. The actual needs and timing of jobs will be developed by the selected contractor as they consider the construction staging.

Ladore Spillway Seismic Upgrade Project

Staffing requirements will grow from contractor site mobilization in early 2025, with the total construction period being to 2029. Over this period, the project may peak at about 45 contractor workers per year working at the site in 2025 to 2027. The actual needs and timing of jobs will be developed by the selected contractor as they consider the construction staging.

Strathcona Dam Water Discharge Upgrade Project

Staffing requirements will grow from contractor site mobilization in early 2025, with the total construction period being to 2029. Over this period, the project may peak at about 90 contractor workers per year working at the site in 2025 to 2027. The actual needs and timing of jobs will be developed by the selected contractor as they consider the construction staging.

Feedback

BC Hydro and the Chamber would like to hear from you on project procurement or project support. We welcome comments, suggestions or possible concerns, and they can be provided by contacting Stephen and/or Mary Ruth directly.