Sell your construction or contracting company

In Ontario, each payer retains 10 percent of the contract price until liens on the work have expired. Since January 1, 2026, owners must also release accrued holdback after each contract anniversary. For contracts signed before that date, the first release falls on the second anniversary after it. Selling a construction company

Yes. Coverage is compulsory in construction, including for executive officers, and anyone who retains a contractor for construction work must obtain a clearance certificate before the work begins. A clearance remains valid for up to 90 days and is renewed throughout the contract.

Under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021, no person may engage an individual in a compulsory trade unless that individual holds a certificate of qualification or is a registered apprentice. Skilled Trades Ontario, which replaced the Ontario College of Trades in 2022, administers certification.

Regional contractors expanding into new trades or markets, private equity funds building specialty contracting platforms, national builders acquiring capacity, and senior managers buying the business they operate. InvestDeal introduces each group in parallel so their offers are compared directly.

Under Ontario’s Construction Act, money a contractor receives on a contract is held in trust for the subcontractors and suppliers it has not yet paid. The amount outstanding is identified and settled as part of closing.

Yes. In Ontario, public contracts of $500,000 or more require a performance bond and a labour and material payment bond, each covering at least 50 percent of the contract price. The bonding a company can obtain is therefore part of what a buyer acquires.

In Ontario, workers the buyer keeps are treated as continuously employed, so their prior service carries over, provided they are rehired within 13 weeks. Retaining estimators, project managers and site supervisors is usually a condition buyers negotiate before closing. What happens to your employees