This interview is part of our GoGeomatics series on Canada’s historic infrastructure investment and the digital foundations needed to deliver it.

“Canada risks falling behind without procurement reform.” Architect and digital transformation leader Claudia Cozzitorto makes the case bluntly: Canada’s procurement processes, slow and bureaucratic, have become a barrier instead of a safeguard. The result is an AECO industry lagging in productivity, struggling with fragmented workflows, and missing the chance to scale automation and efficiency through BIM and open standards.

That challenge comes at a critical moment. Ottawa has pledged 5% of GDP to defence and nation-building, with 1.5% earmarked for critical infrastructure. Delivering on that scale requires procurement systems that not only buy concrete and steel, but also embed digital delivery, interoperability, and lifecycle value into every contract.

Cozzitorto brings a rare vantage point. As Principal of BIM DnA Group, she has spent two decades leading digital adoption across Ontario and British Columbia. She sits on the leadership team of buildingSMART Canada, has chaired the Toronto BIM Community, and contributes to the Canadian Handbook of Practice. Across these roles, she has consistently championed openBIM standards, digital project delivery, and gender equity in the construction sector.

In this conversation, she explains why procurement reform is urgent, how digital delivery can transform Canada’s infrastructure capacity, and what it will take to ensure this generational investment leaves a lasting legacy.

Do you believe Canada’s procurement systems are ready to deliver at the scale and speed we need today?

Canada’s current procurement processes are slow and bureaucratic; my understanding is that efforts are underway to address some of these issues, which is hopeful; however, they have failed to evolve as needed. They are not aligned with the pace and efficiency required to meet the scale and urgency of today’s infrastructure investment. More importantly, these systems do not reflect the digital practices and capabilities that are now standard in the AECOO industry, resulting in a significant loss in managing information about the Canadian built environment.

Procurement must evolve to recognize and enable modern digital services and deliverables, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), openBIM standards, and ISO 19650-compliant workflows, that drive efficiency, collaboration, and value throughout the entire asset lifecycle. The lack of standardization means there is little consistency, so virtually no part of the project’s digital delivery can be automated or scaled. Many firms lack structured methods to evaluate digital readiness, estimate BIM services, or track the delivery of value. This results in inconsistent project outcomes, underutilized staff, and increased risk. BIM DnA’s Blueprint framework was designed to directly address these procurement gaps by providing standardized assessment and scoping tools.

Do current procurement practices give Canadian firms a fair chance to compete?

In their current form, Canadian procurement practices often hinder not just Canadian technology companies but the broader built asset industry. Too frequently, large infrastructure projects mandate deliverables in proprietary file formats. This approach excludes many qualified firms based solely on their choice of software, rather than on capability or performance. Such requirements unknowingly favor certain software vendors, reinforce monopolies, and ultimately stifle innovation within the Canadian market.

Outdated and slow to change procurement specifications appear to be notoriously difficult to update, forcing project delivery teams to work inefficiently to satisfy legacy requirements rather than leveraging modern, more effective methods. Furthermore, these approaches are misaligned with international best practices, such as the procurement principles outlined in ISO 19650, which emphasize open standards, interoperability, and lifecycle value.

Despite growing complexity, the AECO industry continues to lag behind in productivity due to fragmented workflows, unclear deliverables, and inconsistent data usage. BIM DnA’s Blueprint suite of tools helps organizations overcome these challenges with structured digital delivery processes.

Do you see Canadian firms being overlooked in procurement choices?

Yes, I have observed this dynamic across multiple sectors and levels of government. In many cases, foreign companies and subject matter experts are engaged for Canadian projects, even when Canadian providers offer equally strong capabilities. This is not a reflection of any shortfall in domestic talent or innovation, but rather the absence of procurement policies that actively recognize and prioritize Canadian talent.

This presents an important opportunity. Other countries have frameworks in place that encourage investment in local expertise to strengthen both industry capacity and the national economy. By taking a similar approach, Canada could ensure that infrastructure spending not only delivers world-class projects but also builds lasting skills, innovation, and competitiveness at home.

What’s at stake if this pattern continues — for Canadian companies, and also for long-term national capacity?

If this pattern continues, Canada risks losing critical expertise and capacity in the built asset sector. Talented Canadian subject matter experts may seek opportunities abroad, join larger foreign firms, or exit the industry altogether. Over time, this erodes our ability to design, deliver, and manage infrastructure projects with homegrown knowledge and innovation.

This trajectory is concerning because it diminishes Canada’s long-term competitiveness, reduces our influence in setting industry standards, and leaves us more dependent on external providers. It also means that the economic and innovation benefits of our infrastructure investments are increasingly realized outside of Canada.

We see every day how Canadian expertise, particularly in BIM implementation, openBIM adoption, and ISO 19650-based workflows, can deliver measurable improvements in productivity, cost control, and lifecycle asset performance. Protecting and nurturing this talent through forward-looking procurement strategies is essential if Canada is to build a resilient, future-ready infrastructure sector.

Do you think the procurement culture in Canada is too risk-averse? How has that shaped the innovation landscape here?

Yes, Canada’s procurement culture is generally risk-averse. There is an understandable caution to change, but it has slowed the adoption of proven practices. In today’s evolving world, agility, in my opinion, outpaces caution in keeping pace with industry advancements and international best practices.

For example, the United Kingdom mandated the use of BIM on public projects over a certain value a decade ago. That single policy decision catalyzed the development of industry standards, comprehensive training programs, and a digitally enabled supply chain. As a result, the UK is now years ahead in its ability to deliver infrastructure digitally.

Canada has the talent and capability to accelerate quickly and close this gap under the right circumstances. The BIM Competency Check is a mechanism for the industry to demonstrate that the delivery team is equipped to meet BIM expectations. These types of tools de-risk procurement and ensure delivery team alignment, a critical step in evaluating bidders and reducing risk.

In its current state, procurement in Canada can inadvertently act as a barrier to innovation. Shifting procurement culture is a critical linchpin for progress.

What would a more innovation-friendly procurement system look like in practice?

A more innovation-friendly procurement system would be structured to recognize and reward digital competency. For digital services and deliverables, this means aligning procurement with internationally recognized frameworks such as ISO 19650. By clearly defining information requirements and ensuring that evaluation criteria compare bidders on an “apples-to-apples” basis, project delivery teams could compete based on capability, quality, and value, rather than on legacy compliance checkboxes.

Procurement departments themselves also need to be upskilled to understand and effectively evaluate modern digital practices. Without this knowledge, it is difficult to assess the true lifecycle value of proposed solutions or to identify opportunities for innovation within bids.

We developed the BIM Tender Response, a comprehensive instructional guide and template set that empowers business development teams to interpret, scope, and respond to BIM-related requirements in RFPs. Embedding tools like this within procurement processes would not only streamline evaluation but also ensure that Canada selects partners capable of delivering world-class, future-ready infrastructure digitally.

Do current procurement systems provide a clear path for pilot projects or early-stage validation of Canadian tech?

Innovations and advanced digital deliverables are already being implemented in public projects across Canada, often in isolated instances of success. Instead of becoming case studies or standard practices for the broader portfolio, they remain one-off efforts. The public sector has a significant opportunity to capture these lessons learned, apply them across projects, and build on the progress already underway.

Currently, information flow is fragmented, and procurement processes are not designed to facilitate knowledge transfer, resulting in frequent missed opportunities to collect high-quality data about the built environment.

Are procurement frameworks reflecting the shift from physical builds to digital and data-driven delivery?

Currently, procurement frameworks in Canada remain largely anchored in a 2D documentation handover model. While project delivery teams often use advanced tools such as BIM, GNSS, and integrated data systems, these capabilities are typically applied for short-term project delivery gains rather than leveraged for long-term asset management and strategic value.

This means that public sector owners are missing significant opportunities to capture, structure, and utilize the rich digital information already being created during the design and construction phases. If procurement frameworks recognized data, software, and modeling as core deliverables, Canada could unlock lifecycle benefits such as predictive maintenance, optimized operations, and readiness for future digital twin integration.

Fragmentation across federal, provincial, and municipal procurement is often cited as a barrier. Would a more unified approach help Canadian firms?

Absolutely. Fragmentation across jurisdictions is a barrier to participation. The lack of alignment leads to rework, confusion, and disconnection between jurisdictions, resulting in unnecessary costs and complexity for project teams. It also makes it more difficult to advance industry-wide practices, as lessons learned and efficiencies gained in one jurisdiction are not easily transferred to another.

A coordinated approach, with clearly defined jurisdictional responsibilities, supported by common standards and shared procurement language, would reduce duplication and create a more predictable environment for both suppliers and owners. It would also help accelerate the adoption of digital delivery, openBIM standards, and ISO 19650-aligned processes nationwide.

buildingSMART Canada has taken steps toward this through a “middle-out” approach, working to coordinate across government sectors and align stakeholders around open standards and best practices. A unified approach means Canadian companies compete on skills and value, not on who can navigate the most complex and fragmented rules.

Practical tools and training are essential to help project teams compete on capability, not just compliance. For example, structured guides can help organizations interpret and respond to digital requirements in RFPs; competency checks can identify skills gaps and strengths; and role-based ISO 19650 training ensures teams are equally equipped to deliver digital projects to the highest standards.

If you had a chance to advise the federal government on procurement reform, what’s one priority you’d recommend?

Canada risks falling behind without reforming its procurement system. My priority recommendation would be to embed open standards and digital delivery requirements directly into federal procurement policies. By mandating the use of frameworks such as ISO 19650 and openBIM principles, the government can create consistency across projects, reduce risk, and ensure that Canadian firms compete on capability and value rather than navigating outdated or fragmented requirements. This would also signal to the industry that Canada is serious about building a future-ready infrastructure sector that leverages innovation and homegrown expertise.

How do we build procurement policies that support long-term digital and industrial resilience — not just short-term contract delivery?

Procurement policies must shift from focusing solely on immediate contract deliverables to recognizing the lifecycle value of digital information. Every project generates data that, if structured properly, can support long-term asset management, predictive maintenance, and future integration with digital twins. By requiring open data standards, structured deliverables, and clear digital workflows, procurement can ensure that today’s investments continue to create value for decades.

Supporting Canadian capability is also key. When procurement rewards innovation, competency, and lifecycle outcomes instead of lowest-cost compliance, it strengthens local expertise and helps Canada build sovereign capacity in digital delivery. This approach not only improves infrastructure performance but also positions Canada to lead globally in sustainable, efficient, and digitally enabled project delivery.

Do you believe that public-sector procurement teams possess the necessary technical and digital literacy to fairly evaluate innovative Canadian solutions?

Procurement teams often lack digital literacy and the capacity to evaluate bids on lifecycle value rather than just compliance. Practical tools and training are essential to change this. Structured guides can help organizations interpret and respond to digital requirements in RFPs; competency checks can identify skills gaps and strengths; and role-based ISO 19650 training ensures teams are equally equipped to deliver digital projects to the highest standards.

When combined, these approaches make project delivery more efficient, effective, and fair, regardless of company size or existing market influence.