District of Clearwater is going to give provide all three proponents of the original Request for Proposal submissions another chance to provide a detailed design, build and install of a bio-energy system for the new Dutch Lake Community Centre.
During its Aug. 19 meeting, town council discussed a written proposal from the successful proponent (that was initially chosen in July), Western Bioheat Corporation.
However, no one from the company was present to answer several questions that staff and council members identified. Therefore it was difficult to know if the submission was comparative to the initial proposals from the other two proponents. Was Council able to compare “apples to apples?”
Items not included in the proposal included proof of Workers Compensation coverage, proof of insurance, and proof that the equipment is CSA or UL certified, or has approval from BC Safety Authority (although apparently there is the ability to obtain a variance for Safety Authority of BC certification).
Also not included in the proposal was the cost of engineering drawings for the hookup to the mechanical system inside the building.
The District had conducted a Request for Proposal last June to find a company that could design, build and install a bio-energy system for the former school.
In early July town council picked Western Bioheat, largely based on its having the lowest bid price submission at $175,000. The next step in the process was to bring back a full detailed proposal with firm costs to complete the project.
The other two proponents, Fink Machine Inc. and Canadian Engineered Products, had bid prices that were somewhat higher: $236,000 and $230,000 respectively.
At the July meeting, staff was directed to work with Western Bioheat to develop a detailed project plan, including firm costs and designs. The detailed plan was to be presented to Council for approval at its Aug. 19 meeting.