For the second time in less than a month, the Regional District of Central Kootenay has rejected all bids for a major project because they came in over budget.
The RDCK announced today that all five bids for the Balfour and Kaslo transfer station upgrades, which closed April 8, were “substantially” above the $1.25 million approved project budget.
In a news release today, the RDCK said the board has directed staff to work with the project engineers to revise the scope of the project to find cost savings. The project will soon be re-tendered to the five bidders with revised specifications. Construction will be delayed by at least a month, but the RDCK still expects the upgrades to be completed this year.
The Kaslo transfer station, expected to close for several weeks starting May 4, will remain open until a revised construction schedule is determined.
“The RDCK is committed to renewing our waste management infrastructure and will ensure that RDCK residents receive maximum value for the investment in these projects,” said Tom Newell, a rural Nelson director and chair of the central resource recovery committee. “Considering that the tender prices exceeded our budget, a review of the project design is in the best interest of the RDCK.”
A weigh scale is to be installed at Balfour along with two new bids and associated infrastructure for an estimated cost of $715,000. The Kaslo station is also slated to get new transfer bids, but not a weigh scale, at an estimated cost of $535,000.
Last week the regional district rejected both bids for upgrades to the aquatic centre because both came in more than a million dollars over budget.
The fate of that project is expected to be determined at a meeting on April 27.