Implementing Just-in-Time Material Delivery: A practical guide for contractors.

July 30, 2025

By Nick Fryer

Excess inventory on construction sites creates clutter, increases costs, and risks theft or damage, a challenge Canadian contractors face daily. In Canada, construction, renovation, and demolition activities contribute significantly to waste, with estimates suggesting CRD accounts for about 12 percent of all solid waste, based on Statistics Canada data. For 2022, total waste generated was 36.5 million tonnes, implying CRD waste could be around 4.4 million tonnes.

Just-in-time delivery practices tackle this by syncing material arrivals with project needs, cutting waste and storage costs. Proven in manufacturing, JIT is gaining traction in construction, helping contractors manage tight budgets and rising material costs. This guide outlines practical steps to implement JIT, from choosing reliable delivery partners to integrating it into your workflows.

Just‑in‑time delivery makes renovations run smoother

Just-in-time delivery has been shown to reduce waste and enhance performance on construction sites. Here’s how it’s able to do so:

• Less On-Site Clutter: By holding off on inventory deliveries until they’re needed, construction sites save the excess clutter of having to store and hold onto materials for weeks before they go into use. At best, the clutter simply gets underfoot and adds organizational pressure, but at worst, it can expose projects to serious risk.
• Reduces Risk of Theft and Damage: When materials are sitting around for long periods, that’s when they’re most likely to get damaged or stolen. It’s too easy for things to get lost in the chaos of an active construction site, especially during renovations which are notoriously tight on time and space. Even the best-planned construction projects have their unexpected accidents. Sometimes it’s a burst pipe. Other times, it’s building owners stepping into a construction zone that they shouldn’t have. Either way, the less unnecessary inventory kept on site, the better, as it means that if things go wrong, expensive materials aren’t damaged in the process.

• Prevents Bottlenecks: A breakdown in the supply chain can be a nightmare for a renovation. Delayed deliveries, missing items, or reaching for materials only to find they’ve been damaged in storage can grind construction to a halt and cost teams both the trust of their client and their ability to follow through with other work. By implementing Just-in-time delivery, construction teams can reduce the chance of this happening.
• Makes Projects More Responsive: The nature of any renovation project is that things will change. Sometimes the client changes their mind, or a structural issue appears that requires a fresh approach. This is where JIT provides a notable advantage.bMost suppliers won’t accept returns after delivery, but until then, there’s usually room for modification. By holding off on delivery until needed, construction teams give themselves a valuable window in which they can be more flexible and responsive to a client’s needs.
• Better Cash Flow Management: Spreading out deliveries across a renovation also helps ease cash flow issues. It gives the contractor and the client a chance to space out final payments with each delivery. This prevents spending too much upfront and avoids cash shortages later.

Poor material timing can hold up a renovation project

Poorly managed material timing can hold up critical tasks and doing so, delay projects and land construction teams with labour they’re paying for but can’t use effectively. In the instances where a delivery can be pushed up, it usually comes with a premium that few renovation budgets can take. Materials that arrive too early are also a problem. Most renovation sites don’t have adequate storage space, and last-minute off-site options are expensive. That’s why proper material timing is such an important part of keeping construction projects running smoothly.

Pick a delivery partner that won’t let you down

Here’s how to pick a reliable delivery partner who will provide all the advantages of a just-in-time strategy, without the hassle:

• Check their history. It’s important that delivery partners have strong construction experience and prior clients who can vouch for their consistency and punctuality.
• Ask about their scheduling and tracking approach. The best companies will be using the best technology and systems. Real-time tracking, automated updates and data-driven scheduling software are critical technologies to have on hand. They help keep deliveries on time and ensure greater transparency.

• Test their communication. Just-in-time delivery requires responsive communication to run properly. Take note of how quickly and effectively a delivery partner responds to queries.

• Find out what their contingency plans are. The best delivery partners are the ones who have a plan for every outcome. Make sure to ask about contingency and risk strategies in the case of delays and problems.

Tips to start using JIT without disrupting your workflow

Implementing a new delivery strategy can seem daunting but here’s how to start using JIT without disrupting your workflows:

• Test it with a controlled rollout. Use JIT on certain tasks or areas of a site before expanding it. Many even find that a hybrid approach is what sticks best in the long term.
• Add buffering time to your JIT schedule in the early stages as teams nail down the process.
• Take time to ensure proper communication so that delivery plans are aligned with on-site activity.
• Use logistics partners that offer local warehousing and flexible deliveries as you streamline your JIT approach.

Keep your site lean and projects on track

Just-in-time delivery keeps construction sites clear of unnecessary materials, expenses, and risks. It’s a vital part of building lean projects that deliver better outcomes while costing less. As construction teams face increasing materials costs, this has never been more important. Transitioning to this approach, however, requires excellent scheduling and delivery partners. Investing in these two areas will ensure that your projects get all the advantages that JIT can offer – from fewer site delays and less clutter, to better flexibility and cash flow management.