(b) approve a requisition and make an award of and RFT of any dollar value provided the funds have been included in the council-approved operating or capital budget, and the RFT Response does not exceed that approved budget;
(c) delegate his or her authority in this section to any employee. (Deleted and Replaced B/L 145-2014 August 25, 2014)”
In accordance with normal practice, the above noted delegation of authority, and the pre-approval of the budget amount as noted herein, the tenders will be awarded to the low bidder and reported within the semi-annualDelegation of Authority report by the CAO.
Risk Analysis:
Pre approval allows for strategic timely issuance of tenders to take advantage of better pricing and allows construction to proceed in a timely manner. If pre-approval is not granted, 2021 Capital Works will not be tendered until after the Capital Budget is approved.
Resource Risk
Tendering projects early allows Administration to maximize the number of competitive bids received. Tenders prices tend to be lower earlier in the season as contractors are looking to secure the early contracts. Construction can proceed in a timely manner and dealers can obtain 2021 model year build dates, vehicles and equipment.
If pre-approval is not granted, 2021 fleet replacements will not be tendered until after the Capital Budget is approved which will affect the ability to obtain 2021 model year vehicles and equipment.
Timing Risks
Timing is key to securing the best bids from the most contractors possible. The later projects are tendered, the fewer the contractors that bid, and generally the higher the tender prices are.
Waiting until the entire Capital Budget is approved may affect these projects scheduled to be tendered in November, December, January and February. This schedule is prime time to solicit bids for work to start early as weather allows.
Waiting for 2021 budget approval jeopardizes the availability of equipment to be in service prior to the appropriate season for Parks to meet their grass cutting service delivery needs.
Community Impact Risk
It is essential that tenders get out earlier in the season in order to ensure that a project can be completed within the construction season. If a tender cannot be awarded early enough, final restoration of grassed areas may be delayed until the following season.