City tenders among priorities of MHCA Executive Committee

MHCA is working intently with the City of Winnipeg Public Works department to speed up the tendering of street renewal tenders this year, with an eye to improving the process for 2025.

The work has involved Coun. Janice Lukes, Chair of the Public Works Committee of Council. Lukes requested and then relayed to MHCA a spread sheet that tracks the tendering of Public Works street-renewal projects, from 2019 to 2023, with projections for 2024. It details tender award dates by month, total value of projects and percentage of the program.

The information regarding budget engagement at City Hall was provided to the MHCA Board Executive Committee March 6.

“Public Works has provided details that show tendering of streets projections is delayed this year, and that’s cause for concern given the market conditions our industry faces,” MHCA President & CEO Chris Lorenc told the Committee.

“Our intent is to do what can be done to accelerate the tendering in 2024 and to press for improvements to the process to ensure the 2025 construction season sees earlier tendering, allowing the industry to set up their business plans, including workforce hiring.”

For the 2025 season, Lorenc said, the association is discussing with Public Works some changes, including the use of a qualification-based selection process which allows pre-qualification of the design engineering consultants, to speed up the design awards. That then allows for faster tendering to the industry.

The MHCA is also requesting additional information regarding changes to the thin bituminous overlay program, which was folded into the street renewal tenders. Public Works has been asked to provide the dollar value of TBOs in 2024, against total value tendered in 2023.

Other matters discussed at the MHCA Executive Committee included:

• a letter has been sent to Prime Minister Trudeau, seeking public commitment of the federal government to fund transportation projects, including trade corridor investments. This comes in the wake of Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault’s comments February 12 that Ottawa would no longer fund roads projects, then clarified to mean no “large infrastructure projects.”
• Manitoba Transportation & Infrastructure’s spring tender ad schedule appears to show limited tenders scheduled for highways construction and structures. MHCA will inquire as to whether a more robust schedule is to come once the provincial budget is presented April 2.
• MHCA Board has asked MTI Minister Lisa Naylor to appoint MHCA President & CEO Chris Lorenc as the industry representative to the provincial Blue Ribbon Panel on Infrastructure
• MHCA, with Winnipeg Construction Association, has made several requests as the City of Winnipeg’s social procurement action plan proceeds, with piloting clauses within Public Works tenders in 2024, including:
  • A full list of construction-related projects of various size, type and scope that are a part of the pilot process which enable broad industry experience, will be shared for consideration review prior to final selection;
  • A commitment that the City will conduct a robust post-project debrief with the successful bidders, with representatives of WCA and MHCA present; and
  • An undertaking to act in a consensus-like manner in emerges from the above