Recognition
DCC has been named a top employer in the National Capital Region for 2026.
This award from the editors of Top 100 Employers in Canada recognizes leading workplaces in Ottawa-Gatineau. Organizations are judged on criteria such as work and social atmosphere, health, financial and family benefits, and community involvement.
DCC was singled out for benefits such as the health and wellness spending accounts, its national culture of collaboration, dedication, support and recognition, and its commitment to innovation and diversity.
This recognition underlines the high quality of the DCC workplace at a time when the organization seeks to attract and retain top talent at an unprecedented rate and ensure it can deliver its mandate and mission in response to growing demand from its Client-Partners, the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces.
More information: DCC profile on the Top 100 Employers website and in the Ottawa Citizen.
DCC first federal organization to be certified as Gold Seal Employer
DCC is now a Gold Seal Employer—the first federal organization to be recognized under the Canadian Construction Association’s construction management certification program.
Gold Seal Employer status reflects DCC’s longstanding reputation for strong contract management practices and its dedication to supporting employee professional development through the program.
It also demonstrates to DCC’s Client-Partners—the Department of National Defence, Canadian Armed Forces and the Communications Security Establishment—industry and other stakeholders that DCC is committed to meeting the highest standards for quality and professionalism in contract management.
DCC is seeking to have its training modules for contract management practitioners Gold Seal-certified.
DCC Recognized for Excellence in Procurement
In 2024, DCC once again won the National Procurement Institute’s Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) Award. The AEP Award recognizes organizational excellence in public procurement, as measured by five criteria: innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement and leadership. This was DCC’s eleventh AEP Award. We were one of 198 recipients and one of only six winning organizations in Canada.
DCC awards video wins second communications award
DCC has received a Silver Leaf Award of Merit for achievement in communications from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Canada. The Silver Leaf Awards celebrate the innovation, creativity and impact of communications work across Canada.
The honour recognizes DCC’s work on the 2023 National Awards ceremony video. The hour-long video features employee greetings from across the country, segments by the emcee (DCC Edmonton’s Mousumi Mukherjee), and remarks and award presentations by managers and executives.
This is DCC’s second IABC recognition for the awards video. In June 2024, it received a Gold Quill Award for communications excellence from the worldwide IABC organization.
DCC wins international communications award for annual recognition ceremony
DCC has been honoured with a Gold Quill Award for communications excellence from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
The DCC Communications Team was recognized with this international award (special events category) for their work on the hour-long 2023 National Awards ceremony video.
The bilingual video features pre-recorded greetings from employees and award presentations by managers and executives. The segments were filmed across Canada and in overseas locations where DCC employees are deployed.
The IABC judges were impressed by how the video, which was broadcast to the entire company, with employees watching in groups or on their own, met or exceeded the meaningful goals the project team had set. These included portraying an inclusive image of the organization, capturing employees’ hearts and minds, and showcasing employee engagement—in the video itself, in viewership and in the chat.
IABC has presented awards to communications professionals around the world for more than 40 years. While DCC has been honoured at the local and at the national levels before, this is the first time DCC has won an international IABC award.
DCC honoured at Employment Equity Achievement Awards
DCC was a winner in all five categories of the 2023 Employment Equity Achievement Awards.
DCC was recognized for Indigenous reconciliation, sector distinction, outstanding commitment to employment equity, and innovation.
In addition, Derrick Cheung, President and CEO, was honoured as an employment equity champion. This award recognizes executives for their proven record of championing employment equity in their organization as well as their overall contribution to diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace.
“DCC is very proud to be recognized in so many ways for its employment equity efforts,” says Derrick. “It is an achievement in which all DCC employees, leaders, managers and executives had a hand.”
At the awards ceremony, Derrick participated in a “fireside chat” with the two other champions (Stacey Miller, RST Sunbury Transport, and Brandy Ryan, Canada Post) on challenges and opportunities when building a foundation for a diverse and inclusive workplace.
The Employment Achievement Awards recognize federally regulated private-sector employers and federal contractors for their outstanding commitment to and achievements in implementing employment equity in their organization.
DCC was 1 of 19 employers honoured by Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan Jr. at a ceremony at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre on November 22, 2023.
DCC recognized for excellence in advancing reconciliation
Defence Construction Canada has been recognized for its work constructing a foundation on which to enhance relations with Indigenous peoples. The company received the 2023 “Excellence in Foundations for Results and Benefits” award from the Real Property Institute of Canada (RPIC) at its national awards ceremony in Ottawa on October 25, 2023.
Grant Sayers, Vice-President, Operations–Business Management, said how thrilled he and everyone at DCC are to win the award.
“This honour reaffirms our work to construct an organization-wide foundation on which we’re building respectful, meaningful relationships with Indigenous businesses, people and communities.”
Notably, DCC, in partnership with the Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment), has taken important steps to ensure more Indigenous businesses can participate in the real property lifecycle contracts DCC manages for the Department of National Defence.
In particular, DCC staff listened closely to hundreds of owners and operators of Indigenous businesses to learn about their operations and help them navigate contracting challenges.
In the wake of this foundational work, Indigenous businesses won almost 10% of all DCC contracts in 2022–23—that’s double the minimum target set by the federal government.
DCC also designed an Indigenous relations logo that complements the organization’s corporate identity and, in 2021, began the process to gain Progressive Aboriginal Relations certification from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. In addition, DCC recently launched a pilot Indigenous outreach program in its Pacific Region
The RPIC award recognizes DCC’s success to date and motivates the organization to continue working to advance reconciliation.
Industry recognizes DCC for government procurement first
DCC is proud to have been awarded the 2022 Excellence in Procurement Team Award by the Canadian Institute of Procurement and Materiel Management.
A DCC team delivered the procurement and construction of the Royal Canadian Dragoons facility at CFB Petawawa using the integrated project delivery model. This was a Government of Canada first involving one of the most inclusive and innovative contracting models in the construction industry today.
The project to construct the $70-million armoury and training facility came in five months ahead of schedule and under budget, with up to $4.8 million savings to the Crown.
The award recognizes Government of Canada teams who apply innovative ideas or improve existing processes, demonstrate excellence and exemplify the strengths and adaptability of the professional procurement community.
Forbes lists DCC as one of Canada's Best Employers for 2022
We are proud to announce that DCC is in the top 10% of Canada's best employers on Forbes' prestigious annual list.
The list was compiled by surveying more than 10,000 Canadians working for companies with at least 500 employees. Participants rated their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family and were asked to nominate organizations other than their own.
Employees are DCC’s most valuable asset. We are proud of our record of offering our people opportunities to learn, excel, and engage in exciting and meaningful work.
Visit our careers page to learn more about career opportunities at DCC.