A dedicated contractor has been awarded the position of construction manager to the City of Richmond.
Stuart Olson Dominion was given the go-ahead Monday after a special general meeting of city council.
The Calgary-based company, which has an office in Richmond, has been brought on board to primarily oversee the construction of a facility replacement program, including the proposed new Minoru aquatic and seniors centres.
The move by the city was described in a report to city council as a cost containment measure, similar to the one it used to construct the Olympic oval.
Benefits, according to city staff, of using one construction company include: quicker project delivery; reduced management and administration costs; staffing efficiencies.
The selection of Stuart Olson comes after a near two-year process, which kicked off with a total of 15 firms responding to the citys expression of interest (EOI).
A shortlist of five and then three was created by city staff, with a presentation and best and final offers made by each candidate.
Staff then evaluated each bid on experience, resources, project methodology, work schedule and fixed fee costs.
Stuart Olson received the highest score with a fixed management fee of $2.25 million, based on a $150 million capital project value.
Stuart Olson Dominion offers the best value in terms of lowest cost and the highest community benefit in the form of a cash sponsorship for the Richmond Olympic Experience Project, according to the report presented to city council Monday.
The management fee does not include staffing costs, which would be billed on a project-by-project basis.
Should city council approve, as expected, the move next month, the contract with Stuart Olson would be for five years.
