Guelph-Eramosa council has awarded DeFaveri Group Contracting the contract for the Alma Street wastewater pretreatment facility project in the amount of $6.03 million.
The motion passed at the Feb. 16 council meeting, with only councillor Corey Woods in opposition.
In a recommendation letter from R.J. Burnside and Associates Limited outlining reference checks, the low bidder DeFaveri Group Contracting is described as an “average contractor.”
“However, one common concern which was expressed by many of those providing feedback involved the low bidder’s significant difficulty in meeting project deadlines,” the letter stated.
Woods said, “I don’t know if I necessarily want that for the township.”
Director of public works Harry Niemi said there are liquidated penalties if the contractor does not meet scheduled deadlines.
“I understand the municipality’s different, because if I were putting an addition on my house I wouldn’t necessarily take the low bidder but we’re somewhat bound to take the low bidder,” Woods said.
Niemi explained that contractors often have different reviews from different projects which could sometimes come down to how personalities meshed on the job.
He said the municipality would pay particular attention to scheduling with the contractor.
The project will involve a new equalization storage tank, upgrades/upsizing of the final sections of gravity sanitary sewers entering the plant to accommodate increased growth-related flows and a water/wastewater operations building at the Alma Street wastewater pretreatment facility.
The township received a total of 12 bids on the tender including:
– Drexler Construction Limited at $6.44 million;
– Xterra Construction Inc., $6.56 million;
– North America Construction (1983) Ltd., $6.9 million;
– Sona Constructor Inc., $6.9 million;
– Baseline Constructors Inc. $7.32 million;
– Clearway Construction Inc., $7.79 million;
– BECC Construction Group Ltd., $7.79 million;
– Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd. 7.83 million;
– W.S. Morgan Construction Ltd., $7.93 million;
– Torbear Contracting Inc., $8.03 million; and
– H.I.R.A. Limited, $8.04 million.
