Sourcing International Fenestration for Canadian Projects

Thermal transmittance, condensation resistance, air leakage and water penetration matter more in Canadian conditions than in milder markets, and they interact. A system that satisfies one criterion in isolation may fail the combination the project actually faces.

Establish the performance targets from the project documents first, then ask manufacturers to evidence them for the exact configuration. Reliance uses those targets as the shortlist filter during sourcing.

Requirements are not uniform across the country: what a project must demonstrate can depend on the province as well as on national provisions and the building type. Treat the requirement set as project-specific and confirm it with the design team before a manufacturer is approached.

Reliance does not represent a manufacturer as compliant with a Canadian standard. Where compliance is required, the manufacturer's documentation is examined against the requirement the project names, and any gap is raised before award.

• —Identify the standards named in the specification and by the authority having jurisdiction
• —Check whether the evidence supplied was produced for those standards
• —Check the tested configuration against the ordered configuration
• —Agree who is responsible for any additional testing, and when it can be completed

Distance removes the ability to correct production problems after delivery, and Canadian winter programmes leave little recovery time. Factory inspection before shipment and packing engineered for long-haul transit protect the installation date more effectively than any contractual remedy after the fact.