Bids for construction of Metro Transit’s expanded Bridge Terminal are about $2 million over the budget for the project. Earlier this year, Halifax council agreed to a $9.5 million plan for the terminal, which is the lynch pin of expanded transit service.
Only two firms, Dexter Construction and Pomerleau Contracting, bid on the project, Dexter Construction bid at $11,658,000, while Pomerleau Contracting bid $11,640,000. Those bids were bundled with bids for the much smaller Highfield Park terminal, and included HST, which will be rebated to the city, so the true cost runs about 15 percent over budget.
City officials will meet with the companies this week to see if anything is “out of whack,” says Terry Gallagher, the manager in charge of tendering. The project will then be brought to council for approval, and construction will start immediately thereafter.
Still, area concrete plants shut operation October 15, so work this winter will consist merely of clearing the property and excavating. The nearby Dartmouth High School shouldn’t be disturbed during blasting, says Gallagher. “We did this for the Canada Games Centre, and that’s about the same distance to Halifax West High School.”
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 6, 2010.
The HRM tender bid page states:
Construction of the Dartmouth Bridge Transit Terminal and Highfield Transit Terminal Dexter $13,406.700.00
Pomerleau $13,386,650.00
Tim, your numbers DON’T include HST.
Still raises the question of where is the extra 4 Mil going to come from? Why aren’t the tender staff (trained I’d assume) closer to the bid? Are Dexter and Pomerleau milking us? How are two companies so close? Talking with each other or are the city tender folks that far off their scope of knowledge?