Lowest bid wins the contract.
Is that always the best way to go when tendering major contracts?
Our provincial government may be having second thoughts regarding this situation based on recent examinations of several highway construction contracts that have been awarded over the past couple of years.
It seems a large percentage of these contracted jobs have fallen well short of expectations in terms of timely completions.
A truck bypass around Estevan might serve as only one example, and, according to recent accounts, the project is “back on schedule,” but naturally the question remains …who set the schedule? This project has appeared to have absorbed an inordinate amount of time compared with its total scope and requirements.
But since we are not experts on what goes into highway construction, we reserve harsh criticisms and evaluations and simply trust that before the end of 2015, semi-tractor-trailer loads will be diverted from downtown Estevan much to the relief of all concerned and we’ll all soon forget the timeline.
But the question remains.
If less than half the construction projects are being completed on time, shouldn’t Highways and Infrastructure upper and middle managers be sounding alarm bells and rushing to the rescue instead of hiring more consultants?
Maybe more due diligence needs to be applied before awarding road-building contracts.
What history do these contractors have? Do they have the expertise and capacity to carry out the work in a timely fashion? What other projects have they taken on and what is their track record? Are they trying to backlog projects to guarantee work in a new construction season instead of finishing some jobs?
What are the financial penalties if the work is delayed, other than for weather-related holdups? For that matter, is weather being cited too often as being the cause of the delay when, in reality, it might be a lack of trained employees being deployed on necessary equipment in a timely, well managed manner?
With this new era of independent consultants running around the province, overseeing all these projects, designs, plans and drawings, who, in real time, is deemed responsible for bringing these backlogged projects to a conclusion without further losses to taxpayers?
With 12 highway projects coming in on time and within budget last year, it proves we have the right people doing the right thing at least some of the time.
But with 27 other projects, left incomplete and behind schedule in 2014 which was a good construction season, we believe it’s fair to ask the questions and raise the issue of responsibility.
Someone may have to eventually step up and take ownership of this file before it becomes real messy.
