To choose a commercial contractor in Metro Vancouver, check five things before you compare prices: a current WorkSafeBC clearance letter, who will act as prime contractor, a certificate of insurance that matches your lease, the business and trade licences the work needs, and commercial references from projects like yours. Then make every bidder price the same written scope under a standard contract. This guide is for commercial owners, tenants and property managers.

For a general hiring walkthrough, see our step-by-step guide to hiring a contractor and the questions to ask contractors before you hire. This post focuses on the documents a commercial owner can actually verify.

TL;DR

  • Get a WorkSafeBC clearance letter addressed to you, before work starts and again after it ends. It protects you from a contractor's unpaid premiums.
  • Name the prime contractor in a written agreement. If there is none on a site with more than one employer, the owner is the prime contractor.
  • Ask for a certificate of insurance and check the commercial general liability limit against what your lease and landlord require.
  • Confirm the contractor holds a business licence where the work is, and that electrical and gas trades hold Technical Safety BC licences.
  • Ask for commercial references from similar spaces, and compare bids only against one written scope and one contract form, such as CCDC 2 or CCDC 5A/5B.

How do you check a contractor's WorkSafeBC status?

WorkSafeBC says that if you hire a registered contractor who is not making its required payments, you could be liable for premiums tied to the work it did for you. To be protected, you need a clearance letter addressed to you confirming the firm was "active and in good standing" for the whole period of your contract.

You can get a clearance letter online by searching the firm's WorkSafeBC account number or its exact legal or trade name. WorkSafeBC recommends getting one before and after the work. A letter is honoured up to the date shown in its body, so on a longer project, pull a fresh one before progress payments.

Who will be the prime contractor on your site?

Most commercial projects have more than one employer on site. Under BC's Workers Compensation Act, the prime contractor of a multiple-employer workplace is the party that signs a written agreement with the owner to take on that role. If there is no written agreement, the owner is the prime contractor. Section 24 requires the prime contractor to coordinate health and safety activities on site and to keep a system in place to make sure the rules are followed.

The Act's definition of owner includes a tenant or lessee, and WorkSafeBC's roles and responsibilities page explains both roles. If you lease the space and hire the contractor, the duty can land on you. Ask each bidder whether it will accept the prime contractor role in writing, and how it runs the site. Our guide to WorkSafeBC prime contractor duties goes deeper.

What insurance should you ask a commercial contractor for?

Ask for a certificate of insurance from the contractor's broker, not a screenshot. Check:

  • Commercial general liability. The named insured should match the company on your contract, and the policy period should cover your project.
  • The limit. Compare it with what your lease, your landlord's construction rules and your own insurer require.
  • Additional insureds. If the lease requires it, ask whether you and your landlord can be added.
  • Other coverage the contract calls for, such as course of construction or builder's risk, and who is responsible for buying it.

The CCDC 2 stipulated price contract includes insurance requirements, one reason to use a standard form instead of a one-page quote.

Does the contractor need a business licence to work in your city?

Yes. The City of Vancouver says all businesses in Vancouver require a licence, including out-of-town businesses with an office outside the city. For contractors who work across the region, the Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence covers Burnaby, Delta, New Westminster, Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver, and the City says the Township of Langley joins starting in 2027. Other municipalities need their own licence.

Regulated trades need more than a business licence. Technical Safety BC licenses the contractors who do regulated electrical and gas work. You can search its Find a Licensed Contractor registry by company name or licence number to see the scope of work each licence allows and any enforcement action taken since 2022. Ask which electrical and gas trades your contractor plans to use, and check them too.

Which commercial references actually tell you something?

Two or three references that look like your project matter more than a long list. Ask for references from:

  • The same type of space: an office floor, a retail unit, a café or restaurant, or a warehouse.
  • Work inside occupied or managed buildings, where the landlord's rules, loading and after-hours work all apply.
  • The same delivery model you plan to use, whether a general contract or construction management.

When you call, ask practical questions. Did the contractor follow the building's rules? Were change orders priced and approved before the work was done? Were deficiencies closed and the close-out documents, such as as-built drawings and warranties, handed over?

How do you make bids comparable?

Bids only compare fairly when every contractor prices the same thing. Issue one written scope with the drawings, the landlord's requirements, the building's working-hour rules and a list of what the owner or landlord will supply. Ask each bidder to price that scope line by line and to list its exclusions and assumptions in writing.

Then compare scope, exclusions and allowances before price. Our guide on how to review contractor bids explains bid leveling step by step. A bid far below the rest is often missing scope.

Which contract form and delivery model fit your project?

Decide the delivery model before you choose the contractor, because it changes what you are buying:

  • CCDC 2 stipulated price. The owner and a prime contractor agree one fixed price for a defined scope. It suits projects with complete drawings.
  • CCDC 5A construction management for services. The construction manager acts as a limited agent of the owner, advising and administering the owner's contracts with trade contractors.
  • CCDC 5B construction management for services and construction. The construction manager advises during pre-construction and then performs the work, starting on an actual-cost-plus-fee basis, with other pricing options set out in the contract.

Whichever you pick, BC's Builders Lien Act requires a 10% holdback on each contract and subcontract under which a lien may arise. Build it into your payment schedule from the start. For the difference between the two delivery models, see general contractor vs construction manager.

Our perspective

Multigroup Contracting is a commercial general contractor and fee-based construction manager working in Vancouver and across Metro Vancouver since 2016, from our office at 700-838 West Hastings Street. We are registered with WorkSafeBC and carry $5 million in liability insurance. We build commercial construction projects and tenant improvements for office, retail, restaurant and industrial clients, landlords and property managers, including retail build-outs and coffee shop and restaurant buildouts.

Ask us for the same things this guide lists: a clearance letter addressed to you, a certificate of insurance, commercial references and a priced written scope.

Start with a written scope

Have a commercial space and a scope in mind? Call 778-819-5933, email info@multigroup.ca, or send your drawings or lease package through our contact page. Get a free quote

FAQ

What is a WorkSafeBC clearance letter?

It confirms a business is registered with WorkSafeBC and paying its premiums. If it is addressed to you and shows the contractor was active and in good standing for your whole contract period, it protects you from liability for that contractor's unpaid premiums.

Who is the prime contractor if the contract does not say?

The owner. Under the Workers Compensation Act, on a site with workers from more than one employer, the owner is the prime contractor unless a written agreement names someone else. Tenants and lessees can count as owners, so name the prime contractor in writing.

Does a contractor from another city need a Vancouver business licence?

Yes. The City of Vancouver requires a licence for out-of-town businesses working in the city. Construction and trades businesses can use the Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence, which covers Vancouver, Burnaby, Delta, New Westminster, Richmond and Surrey.

How do I check an electrical or gas contractor in BC?

Search Technical Safety BC's Find a Licensed Contractor registry by company name or licence number. It shows active licences, the scope of work each one allows and any enforcement action since 2022. If a contractor is not listed, it may not be authorized to do regulated work.

Should I always choose the lowest commercial bid?

No. Compare bids only after every contractor has priced the same written scope, and check exclusions and allowances first. A much lower bid is often missing scope that comes back later as change orders.

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