Student Chapter Competition

MCAA’s signature project for student chapters each year is the annual Student Chapter Competition. The competition gives students the opportunity to put their classroom learning to the test as they create a bid for a real-life mechanical construction project.

COMPETITION DESCRIPTION
The project’s scope incorporates components such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), green requirements, mechanical service, and new technologies, to name a few. MCAA provides the drawings, background information, specs and other details; the rest is up to the team. The project is contributed by a MCAA member company from a past or current job. The competition information is distributed on Procore.org. All participating students and faculty advisors are given complimentary access to the software, where all the documents and RFIs can be viewed and all the proposals are submitted for review.

COMPETITION ADVISING
Contractors can act as mentors for the students as they navigate the scope of the competition, as well as give guidance and feedback. In no way should contractors contribute any components of the Student Chapter Competition project.

Guidelines for Advising MCAA Student Chapter Teams

COMPETITION RESOURCE LIBRARY
Students are also encouraged to take advantage of MCAA’s online resources.

COMPETITION RESOURCES

WATCH 2023-2024 COMPETITION

COMPETITION PROCESS
The competition starts in September with the launch of the project. Teams work until December to build their proposals and submit to the Career Development Committee through Procore®. The submitted packages include required documents such as:

• Executive summary
• Team resumes
• Corporate qualifications and financials
• Project management plan
• Project estimate
• Project schedule
• Service plan
• Safety plan

Once these proposals have been submitted a group of judges (MCAA contractor members) will evaluate these proposals and narrow it down to the final four. The judging criteria is based on the quality and completeness of the proposal, workplan and project specific planning, estimate for quantity and manhours, overall cost, and the ability to provide a plan or information that clearly separates one from the competition.

The “final four” teams are invited to present their packages to a panel of judges and an audience of contractors at the annual MCAA Convention. The winner and other finalists are recognized during a special awards breakfast at the Convention. Six additional teams receive Merit Awards for their work.

Want to see a potential intern or new hire at work? This is a great way to see how they perform under pressure!