Note: If the portions of the final 2 tenders they are willing to release publically are that much over budget, imagine how high the rest of the tenders are they are “massaging”
From the Portage Daily Graphic
The City of Portage la Prairie is one step closer to having all four tender packages for the Portage Credit Union Centre awarded.
Although 10 of the sixteen tenders came in over budget, city councillors voted unanimously in favour of awarding portions of tenders three and four, at their regular meeting on Monday night.
The tenders, which include major components of the multiplex including the pool, electrical and mechanical work, were accepted by council at just over $14.1 — $734,573 over the budgeted cost which was nearly $13.4 million.
After the meeting, Mayor Ken Brennan said he is not concerned by the overages because they fit in to a nearly $1.2 million contingency built into the $35.7 million budget for the project.
“After awarding the portions of three and four that we did tonight, we’re still very confident that we’ll be able to bring the whole project in on that budget,” he explained.
The mayor said all of tenders three and four weren’t voted on at the meeting, because the project manager is still “massaging” the costs with contractors to get the best price.
To date the total cost of tenders that have been awarded is just over $27.1 million with almost $7.5 million left to award.
Council’s decision is conditional on whether the Rural Municipality of Portage passes the tenders as well, and the matter is expected to be on the agenda at their next meeting on Tuesday morning.