RCMP Building Construction Consultant On Hold

Monday, November 17, 2008 08:41 PM

Prince George, B.C.- The City of Prince George has put off awarding the pre construction contract for the RCMP building. The bids ranged from $27,500 to a high of $99,500.

Councillor Zurowski wanted the matter passed along to a third party for a "fairness audit" as there are many questions about the selection criteria.

The bids for the pre construction ranged from $27,500 though to nearly $100 thousand.

It was also noted that whoever got the nod for this pre construction consulting job would likely get the nod for the construction of the building. Councillor Don Zurowski says this contract is a lead in for a $30 million dollar contract for the actual construction.

IDL submitted a price of $47 thousand, while Dominion Fairmile's price is $90 thousand.

The building will be a two storey building with a cell area and underground parking. That is a scaled back design as the initial plan had called for three storeys and one of those floors would be used by North District, however, the City was not able to reach an agreement with North District on that proposal, so the building is now scaled back to two floors.

The final design stage would take five months, and the construction would take two years. The intention is to break ground in the spring of 2009.

Mayor Colin Kinsley says this selection process has left him at a loss. There was a rating system under which certain criteria were given different values. Mayor Kinsley says he has questions about the criteria "Somehow only having 30 points for quality control and cost control, the local contractor is 16 points ahead of the out of town contractor. In the areas I deem as most important from a cost control basis I see the local firm actually ahead. This firm (Dominion Fairmile) has no winter experience, and I just don't feel comfortable with it."

Council approved the request to have the proposals sent to a third party for review.

Manager of Supply and Fleet Services, Scott Bone had intended to have the tender issued soon for demolition of the existing building at the 4th and Victoria site but says that too is on hold and he will need to work with Council on the review of the existing proposals.

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Posted on Monday, November 17, 2008 08:41 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: lostfaith on November 17 2008 9:57 PM

All major projects such as this should be put on hold for the new mayor and council to deal with.

Posted by: bohemian on November 17 2008 10:29 PM

Mr. Kinsley: You've been on watch for 12 years where tender after tender has been poorly contracted (and where most systems throughout the organization are an inefficient mess). Why the big deal now?

Management making six figures should be expected to do more than make another copy of a confusing, inadequate, boilerplate RFP document.

The city has been poorly served in this area for over a decade. And we wonder why taxes have gone up so much while other revenues (Teresen, Gambling, Trafic Tickets) have also gone up. Spending on achieving "status quo" has gone through the roof.

I hope the new council (5 fresh pairs of eyes) takes a good look at the organization chart, particularly those six-figure types that have been there for too many years with questionable results.

Perhaps it's time to offer 10 to 15 "executives" a handshake, a cheap watch (from a China trade mission) and a swift boot out the door.

And don't replace them. Make the next level make it happen or replace those people.

Right now is the very best shot we have at changing the culture at city hall - New mayor, 4 new coucillors (3 business owners!) and relatively new city manager I hope has been chomping at the bit to right the ship.

We shall see.

Posted by: slick-rick on November 17 2008 10:57 PM

Who said Zurowski was done. These ex councillors still manage to get their names in the headlines one last time.

Posted by: REALIST on November 18 2008 1:03 AM

snap quiz guys, who remembers the question of corruption in the dealings of city council in the past?

Posted by: gus on November 18 2008 5:41 AM

30 points for quality control and cost control

That is one of those fudge factors that allows subjective rather than objective selection to occur. Unless one has closely followed a contractor through 3 or so past projects, one would not know how well a contractor can carry out those functions.

Walk through any project built in this fashion these days and one can see the quality is not there the way it is on a project which has independent quality control by an organization willing to cause a trade to redo poorly contructed components or compensate for them in other ways.

Posted by: cobrasnake on November 18 2008 6:52 AM

why not wait until after 2010 when all these contractors that are working on olympic projects have run out of work

Posted by: Lamb on November 18 2008 9:05 AM

It has been put on hold lostfaith. They are going to defeat 4th and final reading on Dec 1st and then the new Council will take over right after that. Watch on Channel 10 at 7 pm.

Posted by: Eagleone on November 18 2008 10:30 AM

Good. They should replace the guy that drafts these contracts first. Then take another look at the whole reason why we need a new police station and why it should go on that prime piece of real-estate that would be better served as an attractive piece of bait for any potential downtown revitalization with private investor dollars.

If I made the decision those two blocks would be a new downtown focal point park with a safe fake splash creek for the summer time. The police station should be built on Quebec or Queensway IMO.

Posted by: Harbinger on November 18 2008 11:33 AM

"Construction consultant "on hold" re: RCMP building? Maybe one would innocently infer that the consultant was placed in a RCMP "holding cell". Could happen.

Posted by: Lamb on November 18 2008 12:17 PM

Eagleone I would go even further and open up the river to downtown. Get rid of all the industrial traffic, relocate the CN and I bet a dollar that would open up the whole vista and make downtown a place you want to be as the river would be returned to parkland.

Posted by: slick-rick on November 18 2008 10:19 PM

Posted by: Palopu on November 18 2008 10:30 PM

Lamb. Your idea could be realized at a cost of approx $10 Billion . We should get started right away.

Question:::::Where is Owl????::::::

Posted by: NMG on November 18 2008 11:36 PM

"Then take another look at the whole reason why we need a new police station and why it should go on that prime piece of real-estate that would be better served as an attractive piece of bait for any potential downtown revitalization with private investor dollars. If I made the decision those two blocks would be a new downtown focal point park with a safe fake splash creek for the summer time. The police station should be built on Quebec or Queensway IMO"

Amen to that!!!!!!!

Posted by: Lamb on November 19 2008 8:05 AM

Opening up the river to parkland, a dream. You bet it is. That is how change begins, with a dream.
Pal I haven't got a cost estimate like you have but we could line up loonies on the sidewalks downtown to pay for it!

Posted by: gus on November 19 2008 6:25 PM

Wasn't owl running for council? Did he/she get elected?