REQUEST FOR DECISION
DATE: September 29, 2021 Report No. CSS-21-014
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Blair McDonald, Director of Community Safety Services
SUBJECT:
Title
Public Safety Building - Temporary Facilities - Authority to Expend Funds
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council delegate to staff authority to expend funds in accordance with the budget relating to construction of temporary police and fire facilities as attached to Staff Report CSS-21-014.
Body
RELEVANT POLICY:
Financial Plan Bylaw, 2021, No. 3016
Public Safety Building Improvements Loan Authorization Bylaw, 2021, No. 3021
STRATEGIC RELEVANCE:
Healthy, Livable and Diverse Community: fully utilize the McLoughlin amenity funds to maximum potential.
BACKGROUND:
In March of 2019, Council directed staff to move forward with the construction of a new Public Safety Building (PSB). Staff initiated several steps including establishing an advisory committee, contracting a Project Manager, completing a feasibility study, contracting an architecture firm to produce construction drawings, public consultation processes including Advisory Planning Commission, Design Review Committee and numerous Council meetings, developing a project budget, initiating a rezoning amendment process for the land upon which the new PSB will be situated as well as an OCP amendment process.
Additionally, at Council direction, staff initiated an Alternate Approval Process which obtained elector approval for the necessary borrowing to fund the building. In May of 2021, Council directed staff to move forward with the process of obtaining the required funds through borrowing and passed the Public Safety Building Improvements Loan Authorization Bylaw, 2021, No. 3021. The Township received $35 million in funds on September 27, 2021.
In order to proceed with demolition and eventual construction of the PSB, temporary facilities need to be completed first. In February of 2021, Council approved the RFP for Construction Manager/General Contractor service recommending Kinetic Construction be awarded the contract as the preferred proponent. Kinetic Construction has been conducting work on the temporary Fire Department site at Archie Browning Sports Centre parking lot and is also the contractor for the temporary police space which will be located on the lower floor of the Municipal Hall, in the old library space, once vacated. Building permits have been obtained and plans are well underway to construct the temporary facilities.
As the General Contractor for this project, Kinetic has put each of the tendering packages out via a competitive process as per Township requirements. The attached list is the result of the process and staff’s recommendation to Council is to approve the spending as laid out.
ISSUES:
1. Rationale for Selected Option
Council has approved the overall project budget, of which temporary facilities was a part. CORE Project Management has followed Township purchasing practices and obtained competitive bids for all required subcontracts.
CORE advises that they have nominated these preferred trade contractors following an open tendering process. Trade contractors were invited to bid on the various scopes of work in an open and competitive process, and the notification was posted on BC Bid as well as the online tendering platform hosted by the Construction Manager, Kinetic Construction, allowing anyone to submit a bid. In many cases multiple bids were received, and the lowest complete package was selected, but in some cases only a single compliant bid was received. CORE believe this to be a symptom of busy market conditions and feel these trades are capable of performing this work at the submitted price. In the instance where the construction manager has elected to self-perform scopes of work, these scopes of work were tendered and received no submissions from a trade contractor. CORE is comfortable with the Construction Manger self-performing these scopes of work using their own forces to allow a complete scope of work as outlined by the Architect and Consultant team.
2. Organizational Implications
This project is being managed within existing department work plans and staffing levels.
3. Financial Implications
This amount is within budget estimates for construction of the temporary facilities.
4. Sustainability & Environmental Implications
There are no sustainability or environmental implications.
5. Communication & Engagement
Future Council meetings will give the opportunity for public engagement in design and wayfinding of the new PSB. Additionally, there is a page on the Township website dedicated to the PSB project and robust public communication continues via social media channels.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That Council delegate to staff authority to expend funds in accordance with the budget relating to construction of temporary police and fire facilities.
2. That Council provide alternate direction to staff.