Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta

Professional Electrical Contractor (P.E.C.) Program

Committee Chair
Tom Morin, PEC
MorQuest Electric Ltd.
72 Mill Road C.E.
Morinville, AB T8R 1N8
p: (780) 939-7585
f: (780) 939-7585

Registrar
Sheri McLean, CAE
Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta
11235 - 120 Street
Edmonton, AB T5G 2X9
p: (780) 451-2412
f: (780) 455-9815

Committees Forms NEW PEC REGULATIONS!

What is a P.E.C.?

  A Professional Electrical contractor (P.E.C.) is a master electrician in the Province of Alberta taking out electrical permits on behalf of a person/firm engaged in electrical contracting and who has successfully completed the course work and examinations required by the professional education program.

Why become a P.E.C.?

  The sole purpose of the program is to provide the technically trained master electrician with an opportunity to gain a custom-designed education to make him/her a better informed electrical contractor and, therefore, a more esteemed member of the electrical industry and of the public at large. The Professional Electrical contractor may, because of this program, find a much readier acceptance of his-her services and a much wider share of the market both at home and abroad.

In the future, the title of Professional Electrical Contractor will stand for professionalism not only in the minds of the members of the Association, but more importantly, in the minds of customers and the general public.

Eligibility

  All Alberta Master Electricians who take out permits for person/firms are eligible to apply for this program whether they are members of the ECAA or not. Application to the Registration Committee together with the registration fee is required.

Registration as a P.E.C.

  An applicant is entitled to be registered as a Professional Electrical Contractor if the applicant:

(a) produces documentation satisfactory to the Registration Committee that shows the applicant holds a masters electricians license under the Certification and Permit Regulation and takes out electrical permits on behalf of a person engaged in electrical contracting and
  (i) the applicant has successfully completed the course work and examinations required by the professional education program, or
(ii) the PEC Education Committee is satisfied the applicant's qualifications are substantially equivalent to the professional education program and
(b) is of good character and reputation.

Program

  The program address such topics as legal implication in electrical contracting, accounting principles for managers, estimating and tendering procedures, electrical project management, special electrical safety requirements, public and personnel relations, all aimed at the managerial level. The program is designed to meet the time constraints and means of the average manager. The program is entirely voluntary and is not designed to supplant the master's right to take out permits.


Course Outlines

Accounting Principles

  This course will introduce you to the terms and concepts of accounting and show you have to use them to attain goals and controls for future growth. You will learn practical skills to help you develop, interpret and use financial data, pin-point problem and profit areas, and focus your resources toward a successful electrical contracting business.

Business and Public Relations

  A series of five modules designed to give you essential and proven management concepts in the areas of managing: Credit & Collections, Business Promotion, Sales Management, Business Management and Human Resource Management. Each module will teach you hands-on management strategies to immediately begin improving the performance and profitability of your electrical contracting business.

Assessing & Finalizing the Tender

  This course for the Professional Electrical Contractor courses covers organizing the estimate, finalizing the tender, and computer aid in estimating and finalizing the tender. Since the course is aimed at Professional Electrical Contractors, very little time is spent on basic take-offs. The course addresses calculations of various overheads, mark-up theories, labor factors, evaluating risk factors, and the like, all concerns that the active business manager meets up with every day. These three parts of this course are designed to create an awareness in the Professional Electrical Contractor of the various business principles involved in preparing his or her tenders.

Legal Implications

  This course will increase your awareness and understanding of legal issues and pitfalls common to electrical contractors. The course will also address incorporation, income tax and GST, construction contracts, subcontracts and liability thereunder as well as how to ensure payment for your work - including remedies available under The Builders' Lien Act.

Project Management

  Increased competition is eroding profit margins across the board. To be successful in today's marketplace, electrical contractors need to work smarter - not harder. The Project Management course will teach you practical, hands-on skills to:
  • identify and recover all costs to which you are entitled
  • avoid paying for others' errors or omissions
  • reduce project costs through effective purchasing and administration
  • identify cost overruns - and take corrective action
  • use effective record keeping systems to enhance project profitability

Safety Principles

  A well developed safety program can reduce costs resulting from injury and property damage, and is the hallmark of a quality electrical contracting firm.. The first day of the course shows you each step to develop and implement an effective safety program for your small to medium sized electrical contracting firm.

The next day is designed to help managers ensure construction supervisors fine-tune their safety skills by:
  • clearly understanding what their safety roles and responsibilities are
  • presenting and delivering effective training to workers and maintaining high worksite safety standards
  • conducting effective site inspections - and developing appropriate recommendations
  • investigating - the steps to follow and processes involved

Basic Electrical Estimating (BEE)

  For small contractors who are not ready to make the investment in a computerized estimating system.

Designed to teach new contractors the fundamentals of preparing an electrical estimate using the Elemental Format hands-on. The course will address material take-off, pricing of materials, labouring of materials using the NECA Manual of Labour Units, labour costs, special overheads, general overheads and profit/contingencies.

Design Build Course

  The design build course is an orientation in a relatively new and popular project delivery method that is intended to managers, engineers, executives an downers of electrical contracting firms to address opportunities in design build and expand their market profitability.

Computer Estimating for Small Projects

  This course is designed to provide the new estimator or contractor with a basic understanding of how to prepare an estimate. It covers:
  • Planning for the estimate
  • Preparing counts, take-offs
  • Preparing the Bill of material for supplier pricing and Review of the Bill of material
  • Accubid “Bidwinner”
  • Use of assemblies, where to enter miscellaneous costs, supplier pricing, overhead costs, and the final pricing sheet
  • Use of Excel spreadsheets to assist with take-offs

* All courses are aimed towards the master electrician involved at the management level.

View the FORMS section at the top of the page to see the courses we offer and to register.