Enhanced Inclusion and Development Agreement (EIDA)

Enhanced Inclusion and Development Agreement (EIDA)

EIDA stands for Enhanced Inclusion and Development Agreement which can be implemented on BC provincial capital infrastructure projects. The objective of the EIDA approach is to provide financial support and incentives to contractors and their sub-contractors for certain activities that assist them in achieving social community benefits objectives. These objectives, which may vary by project, can include:

• Increasing the numbers of Indigenous Peoples and underrepresented groups employed in construction;
• Increasing the skilled workforce in construction through apprenticeships (including Indigenous apprentices) and certified tradespeople; and
• Promotion of Indigenous culture and Indigenous business opportunities within provincial capital infrastructure projects.

The EIDA, which will be signed by the contractor (this may be the contractor or Design-Builder, depending on the project) and the public sector owner of a project, includes requirements that will flow down to the contractor’s subcontractors and lay out the threshold targets for the construction workforce and, in consultation with local Indigenous groups, culture and business opportunities objectives as well as the payment approach.

There are two payment components within the EIDA, base payments, and performance payments. The base payment will be available to the contractor and is intended to cover costs associated with foundational support (for example, community benefits advisor, reporting requirements, workplace surveys, and social supports). In addition to the base payments, performance payments will be made to the contractor and its subcontractors if they exceed the predetermined threshold targets for the construction workforce objectives and are successful in facilitating Indigenous culture and business opportunities. There will be financial consequences for failure to meet the threshold targets.

Both the contractor and its subcontractors are critical to the success of the EIDA, as these organizations will implement the agreement on a day-to-day basis on a given project. To encourage innovation and flexibility in the activities to be carried out by the contractor and subcontractors, it will be the contractor’s responsibility to determine the activities that will be carried out. Owners may provide guidance as required to the contractor.

EIDA is currently piloted on the New Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre project.
To view the EIDA template, click here. To view the EIDA Schedule 2 Services, Click here.