Prince George Firm Lands Bridge Rehab Contract
Sunday, August 19, 2012 @ 5:11 AM
Smithers, B.C. – A $3.7-million project to rehabilitate the Hagwilget Bridge near New Hazelton will make this crossing safer for residential and commercial users.
The single-lane steel suspension bridge is located on the Hazelton High Level Road about two kilometres north of Highway 16 at New Hazelton. The bridge is a busy crossing for commercial vehicles, residents and tourists travelling over the scenic Bulkley River Canyon, providing access to the Kispiox Valley.
A $3.7-million contract was awarded to Forbes Industrial Contractors Ltd. of Prince George. Work will finish by mid-December.
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Blair Lekstrom says “Hagwilget Bridge is a key transportation route in this region, not only for commercial traffic, but for families as well as tourists visiting this spectacular part of British Columbia. The bridge’s heritage value is also an important part of B.C. history and upgrading the structural components will ensure it remains safe and efficient for many years to come.”
Comments
Based on most government contracts 3.7 million is code for 7.4 million!Hopefully this one is different, and the contractor is held accountable for his bid!
What a negative comment. It suggests that contractors are crooked.
In reality, most, if not all construction projects tendered by any level of government in Canada are subject to intense scrutiny and bound by a set of documents as thick as the Vancouver phone book. For most projects, the contractors’ bid must be firm and cannot be padded after the fact. One possible exception is when there are ‘extras’ for unforseen circumstances. A wise tenderer will always have some contingency budget to cover these things. In my experience, working on government projects means you have to document all costs that you claim as extra, the expenditure must be approved before proceeding, and there are usually set limits covered in the tendering process, detailing the cost of extra labour and the mark up allowed on materials. You turn in your invoice with full documentation including copies of receipts for extra materials.
metalman.
Thats great that a local firm gets the work. Oh, and bye the way, the customer creates the “extras” not the contractor. The contractor does get the wrong end of the stick in that situation. been there myself for almost twenty years !
Comments for this article are closed.