Qualicum Beach town council approved a motion to award a $3.28 million contract for the construction of a roundabout at Memorial Avenue and the Island Highway.
Copcan Civil Ltd was the lowest bidder for the project — it said the project will be completed in 300 days. Construction is expected to begin in late January or early February, according to Bob Weir, director of engineering for the town.
Bids for the job were higher than expected, Weir said. The budget was originally $2.5 million, but town staff informed council earlier this month that this could change based on construction bids.
“The scope of the project got quite complicated because it was dictated by the province that no road structure be extended past the natural boundary at the waterfront,” Weir said. “It involves quite a complicated cantilever structure to support a minor extension of the roundabout over the seawall.”
Council was hopeful construction will begin as soon as possible. “I think for all of we have been waiting a long time,” Mayor Wiese said. “I think [with] 300 days, I’d like to get this started sooner than later.”
Coun. Scott Harrison said he hopes to see the project completion line up with reopening the town to visitors, once COVID-19 vaccines become widely available.
The bid included a $200,000 contingency and $80,000 cash allowance, according to Weir. A social procurement policy also came into play — bidders for the job had to answer questions on their social values initiatives in the construction industry and the local community, according to a town staff report. Each bidder received a social value score according to their practices.
“Tenderers were advised the social value scoring may affect the ranking of the Tenders and the comparative value of an individual Tender could be reduced by as much as 3%, (for low bid competition purposes) depending on the social value scoring obtained,” read the staff report.
Weir said the project is eligible for funding from ICBC, but it has not confirmed a contribution amount yet.
