North End plant early works to include social procurement clauses
The City of Winnipeg North End Water Pollution Control Centre’s early works construction tenders will be tendered soon, and will require the successful bidder to comply with social procurement requirements.
The successful bidder will be required to set a target for, and report on, the percentage of employment hours they expect will be worked by individuals who identify as among equity-seeking groups.
The City of Winnipeg’s social procurement policy defines “equity seeking” as those who identify as Indigenous, racialized, newcomers (less than 5 years in Canada); persons with disabilities; women; people facing poverty; veterans, or 2SLGBTQQIA+ .
The two tenders out soon encompass the early construction works of the pollution control centre. The first is expected to be advertised by the end of May and the second by the end of June.
Each will hold a pilot social procurement clause requiring reporting of equity individuals’ employment hours; one will of the two will also require the general contractor to prepare a social procurement plan, setting out how they expect to meet the employment-hours target.
To compile the reports, the successful bidders will have to first ask their workers to fill out a confidential and voluntary form, where they can declare whether they identify with one of the equity-seeking groups. That information will then be used by the contractor to tally and report on the employment hours.
Because these are pilots for the social procurement clauses, the City is asking contractors to set their own targets for equity employment hours (percentage of total project employment hours). Failure to meet the targeted percentage carries no penalty.
The City has been including social procurement clauses in a number of water & sewer and public works construction tenders this spring, using the same clauses on employment hours.
The pilots are intended to test the clauses and the industry’s ability to respond to the requirements before the clauses become standard requirements in tenders and construction contract documents.
The NEWPCC early works tenders and their social procurement requirements are:
Tender 1 – Site Preparation, Contaminated Soil Remediation, Piping Installation and Other Related Works
Anticipated tender posting: May-June 2024
Anticipated project start: September 2024
Social Procurement Clause: Report employment hours and have a social procurement plan
Scope
- Ferrier St. watermain installation
• Large diameter concrete pipe and steel pipe casing rail undercrossing installation
• Site civil preparation including gravel approach and pad, complex fencing,
• Water and wastewater lines for trailer complex to City services
• MB Hydro Gas/CSTE/electrical to service site
• Precast sewer barrel and pump station controls
• Contaminated soil remediation
Tender 2 – Supply, Delivery and Installation of Trailer Complex and Other Related Works
Anticipated tender posting: June-July 2024
Anticipated project start: Spring 2025
Social Procurement Clause: Requirement to report employment hours
Scope
- Supply and delivery of trailer complex (approx. 18 – 60’x12’ trailers)
• Construction of trailer wood cribbing, barrier free access ramp, person door landings and stairs, deck area
• General connections to Tender 1 supplied below grade wastewater service, water service and MB Hydro gas/CSTE/electrical
An online information session with project manager Veolia North America and Buy Social Canada on the NEWPCC early works tenders’ social procurement requirements will be held May 6, 2-3PM.
You can register for the information session by clicking here.
