Progress on moving Winnipeg’s tender advertising up
The Public Works department appears to be making headway on the work needed to ensure that street renewal tenders are advertised and awarded early, allowing construction to start in spring.
The news came at a meeting between MHCA, Coun. Janice Lukes (also Chair of the Public Works Committee) and Jim Berezowski, director of Public Works, July 4.
The work includes getting the engineering design assignments tendered in mid-2024, so the construction tenders can be posted on Merx in November and December, allowing awards to flow in the first months of 2025.
The commitment to advance the tendering process was among the plans set out in early 2024, when it was confirmed that the tenders for the local and regional street renewal program were delayed.
The MHCA met with Lukes and Berezowski to talk about the street renewal program and the long-term plan for financing it. The program is largely financed through a 2% annual tax hike on property owners; those revenues are being spread across more priorities now, with active transportation, traffic safety and tree canopy restoration having been added to the funding bucket in 2023.
Other points made included:
- The bulk of the 2024 street renewal program – set at $138 million – has been tendered
- Public Works is using pavement management software to rate the condition of its streets. The software will be used to determine the need for maintenance and preservation work.
- An end-of-season discussion with industry will be scheduled prior to the release of the 2025 tender advertising schedule
