A special council meeting is being held tonight for the selection of a contractor for the construction of the Mara Lake water treatment plant.
District staff is recommending council approve Maple Reinders Inc. of Kelowna as the general contractor, with the contract valued at $7,320,000, including fees, taxes and charges.
Council has approved a budget of $7.9 million for the project. Three bids were received, including Maple Reinders at $6,618,002, Cumming Construction Ltd. of Penticton at $7.9 million, and Tritech Group Ltd. of Langley at $8.2 million.
Both the project consultant for the district, Opus DaytonKnight, and the project management team are supportive of the contract being awarded to Maple Reinders.
In a report to council, district operations manager Randy Hand notes while Maple Reinders tender is within the overall budget, the district’s initial contingency of $833,000 will be reduced to $300,000. To increase it, staff is proposing to work with the consultants and contractor to “obtain potential initial cost reductions to the contract amount and by postponing certain works, ie, off-site work on Dabell Street and landscaping components.”
“As the project nears completion and the contingency balance solidifies, the cost reductions and postponed works can be reviewed and added back into the contract for completion,” writes Hand.
The special council meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1 in council chambers.