Contract awarded for Merrickville road reconstruction project

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Merrickville-Wolford council agreed at the council meeting on April 23, to award the tender for the Drummond, Lewis and St. Patrick Street road reconstruction project to Clarence McDonald Excavation Ltd. The decision was made based on a recommendation from the engineering firm hired to oversee the project, Jp2g Consultants Inc. Clarence McDonald Excavation Ltd. was the lowest bid, coming in over $1,000,000 cheaper than the highest bidder.

Deputy Mayor Michael Cameron was concerned about the significant difference in cost between the various bids. His main concern was that, with the lower bid, there may be extra costs added. “Does the lower amount cover everything?” he asked at the meeting.

CAO Doug Robertson assured Deputy Mayor Cameron that the scope of work was outlined in the RFP, and that all the contractors who bid on the project were aware of what they were committing to when they submitted their estimated costs.

Councillor Timothy Molloy asked whether council received any references for Clarence McDonald Excavation Ltd. Doug said Jp2G goes through a rigorous process when it comes to deciding who to recommend for the project and that referencing would have been part of their review. “I believe they have also done work for us before,” he said.

The winning bid came it at $2,305,336. Since the RFP went out, staff has added the installation of a 200mm watermain on Lewis Street and St. Patrick Street, and therefore the final revised bid from Clarence MacDonald Excavation Ltd. is $2,330,253. “Based on review of the tender submissions, and subsequent discussions with Clarence MacDonald, we see no reason not to award the project to Clarence McDonald Excavation Ltd.”, Project Engineer Barbra Kimmerle of Jp2g wrote in the tender review document.

Council agreed to award the project to Clarence McDonald Excavation Ltd. Resident Dale Bower asked council during the public question period at the end of the meeting whether there is a start-date planned for the project. “[That] will be identified when a contract comes forward,” Doug told him.

The municipality circulated a notice on Friday, stating that they are anticipating that work is to start shortly. In advance of construction, a precondition survey of neighbouring properties is required. Residents owning property in or around the affected area should have started receiving notices related to the precondition survey on Saturday, May 4.

For more information about this project, the municipality is asking residents to contact the project manager from Jp2g, Barbra Kimmerle, at barbrak@jp2g.com, or 613-828-7800 ext. 232.

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