A lot of Ontario electrical work never shows up under "electrical." It's posted as general contracting for a rink, a pool or a school, and the lighting, power and controls sit inside a spec book a few hundred pages long. Here's how to find your scope fast, and how to tell what you'll actually be on the hook for.
Start with the bid page, not the drawings
Mississauga's PRC005612 is a good example. It's titled "General Contracting Services for Mechanical & Lighting Renewal at Six (6) Outdoor Pools," and the description lists exterior lighting replacements at all six pools and mechanical renewals at three. As of Wednesday, November 4, 2026, bids close Wednesday, November 11, online only.
A GC tender like that is a sub opportunity. You won't bid the City directly, but the GCs pricing it need an electrical number.
Know where electrical lives in the spec
Most Canadian project specs follow MasterFormat, the standard list of divisions and section numbers. The National Research Council's NMS user's guide says Canada's National Master Specification (NMS) is organized by MasterFormat's 50 divisions, and that provincial and municipal governments often mandate NMS for public construction documents.
The NMS table of contents puts the three you care about together:
- Division 26, Electrical: distribution, wiring, grounding, switchgear, lighting and lighting controls.
- Division 27, Communications: structured cabling and other communications work.
- Division 28, Electronic Safety and Security: access control and related systems.
Open the table of contents of the spec book and note every section in those divisions. That's your first list.
Read Division 01 before Division 26
Division 01 is General Requirements. The NMS guide says Division 01 applies equally to every technical section, which is why it's often not cross-referenced. That's where phasing, site access, working hours, allowances and closeout rules tend to live, and they all cost you money even though they never say "electrical."
Read all three parts of each section
NMS sections use a three-part format. The guide also describes a "Related Requirements" article in Part 1 that lists other sections needing co-ordination. Use it as a map: if a Division 26 section points at a mechanical or controls section, go read that one too.
Don't assume the division is the scope
This is the step people skip. The standard CCDC 2 (2020) stipulated price contract, in GC 1.1.9, says neither the organization of the specifications nor the arrangement of the drawings controls how the contractor divides work among subcontractors. In plain terms, the GC decides what's in your sub price, not the division numbers. Ask each GC what they expect you to carry, and put your inclusions and exclusions in writing on your quote.
Know what wins when documents disagree
CCDC 2 GC 1.1.5 ranks the documents from highest to lowest: the Agreement, Definitions, Supplementary Conditions, General Conditions, Division 01, the technical specifications, material and finishing schedules, then the drawings. Drawings come last. Owners can change that order. The Toronto District School Board's Supplementary Conditions for CCDC 2, for example, adds addenda to the list above Division 01. Always check the supplementary conditions in your tender.
A 20-minute scope check
- Read the bid page description and note any lighting, power or controls work.
- List every Division 26, 27 and 28 section in the spec table of contents.
- Read Division 01 for phasing, hours, allowances and closeout.
- Follow the Related Requirements cross-references out of your sections.
- Check the supplementary conditions for the order of precedence and any changes to it.
- Confirm with the GC what they expect in your price, and quote with written inclusions and exclusions.
If the tender documents and this post ever disagree, the documents win.
Sources
- City of Mississauga PRC005612, General Contracting Services for Mechanical and Lighting Renewal at Six Outdoor Pools (bids&tenders), checked November 2, 2026
- National Research Council Canada: NMS user's guide
- National Research Council Canada: NMS table of contents
- CCDC 2 (2020) Stipulated Price Contract, sample copy hosted by the Construction Association of Nova Scotia
- Toronto District School Board: Supplementary Conditions for CCDC 2 (2020)