Iqaluit council awards $1M in sole-source water contracts
City administrator says timing of budget made putting out request for proposals unfeasible
Iqaluit city council voted Tuesday to approve spending that will enable the municipality’s water pumping work to continue this year. They awarded just over $1 million in sole-source contracts. (File photo)
Iqaluit city council awarded just over $1 million in sole-source contracts Tuesday night, but not before several councillors balked at the idea.
The work involves pumping water from Apex River to the city’s Lake Geraldine reservoir during the summer months to ensure supply meets the needs of the community, said Murray Amirault, engineering manager for Colliers Project Leaders, which is leading the effort for the city.
Work for the pumping itself has gone up five per cent, coming in at a little over $865,000 for this year’s work, Amirault said. He also asked council to approve around $140,000 for consulting fees and $88,000 for supplemental pumping, if needed.
While the city could invite companies to bid on these contracts, Amirault said preparation is integral before the snow melts.
He recommended awarding the pumping contracts straight to Tower Arctic and the consultant work to Nunami Stantec. Both companies have been involved in the city’s water work since 2021.
This work is expected to continue until 2026, when the city’s new reservoir and distribution system is expected to be in place.
“This is not recommended. Every bit of this is not recommended,” said Coun. Sam Tilley after Amirault’s presentation.
“We had time to put out a request for proposal – this is engineering services … But now we are put in a corner where we have no choice but to accept this.”
Coun. Harry Flaherty said he agreed, saying he’s “not a fan of sole-sourcing at all.”
Steve England, the city’s chief administrative officer, agreed sole-sourcing is not a preferred process and that the city tries to avoid it “at all costs.”
However, he said, it is allowable within the municipality’s purchasing bylaw and is sometimes necessary.
“With the timing of the year-end and the budget, there are projects that get caught up,” England said.
Council approved this year’s budget on Feb. 13.
C0un. Kyle Sheppard pointed out that sole-sourcing this work does follow procurement bylaws and offered some advice to his colleagues.
“I encourage all of us to familiarize ourselves with the current bylaw and then participate in any potential changes as they come,” he said.
To which Flaherty replied: “I do not need to be educated about the procurement process. I have been doing [this] for 30 odd years on the federal level, municipal level and other levels.”
Seven councillors voted to approve both proposals, with Flaherty being the only member to vote no.
Because they failed to plan properly it is now an emergency sole source? No. Any company who could have bid could go after the city under the CFTA and win.
Ignoring elections and sole source ~5% of the budget in one go.
Shepard keeps justifying bad decisions by saying there not ILLEGAL decisions.
The. bar. should. NOT. be. that. low.
Isn’t Coun. Flaherty on NCC’s Board?
Don’t they have many sole source contracts with GN?
Interesting amount of sole-sourcing going on in the short time frame of the recent election of council. I hope Nunatsiaq keeps reporting on this council. There seems to be a lot of interesting movement from them, that seems to really take open, public procedures away. In the last couple weeks we seen the appointment of a councillor, the purchase of truck, and now this one. This is a City, and things need to get done, but do them properly in a transparent and open process. I really like Flaherty’s quote. I am happy that he stood up to being told to be “educated”. Like I said, as they keep making less public tendering, lets keep reporting them and hold them accountable to these decisions.
Is Harry mad about it not being fair? or is he mad the company he is president of didn’t get a chance to bid so he’s out more money in his bonus?
You are referring to one councillor’s possible conflict of interest. There is another one who is a banker and may have clients’ interests at stake. In any event both will now be able to have ego duels couched as disagreements in principle.
STAFF knew they would need this contract renewed BEFORE any election or passing of a budget. A call for tenders or quotes could have gone out before Christmas.
Collier Project Leaders should have THEIR contract pulled for this screw-up on their part. If they were doing their jobs, you wouldn’t need a contracted project management consultant. Oh I guess you would need one for this Hamlet Council.
How much has that contract cost the Hamlet..
l.
Sheppard perhaps should heed his own advice and learn more about procurement policies and the council may want to listen more to the experience of Flaherty.
Where were the Finance manager and the Hamlet engineer? They should have been on top of this.
if i remember correctly the firs emergency pumping done for the City were not done by Tower, so there are other company in Iqaluit with the expertise
A sole source contract for $1 million, or rather a second one in 2 weeks, is definitely shocking. Of course, I get that perhaps this is the only contractor who can perform that work, though someone in comments is suggesting otherwise (did you mean Stantec in 2019?).
On another note, it is nice to see a councillor standing up to the patronizing big fish in the small pond councillor.
Harry is Chairman of NCCD. NHC has awarded $555,000,000.00 to NCCD , so far.That must be because no other contractors an build housing. Isn’t that kind of strange.
If this is going to be an annual event why not install permanent water line and permanent pumping station. It can’t be that simple or could it.
Egomaniac Harry. Not used to democratic processes as he’s been at the top level for too long elsewhere. Different scene Harry, can’t bully your way to submission. We’ll see much more of this cuz he’s not used to opposition, just surrounded by yes men like Shell.
Guffawing so hard. Laffing stock at its best.
Why Not Consider Desalination Plant ? Unlimited tap water after the process of removing the salt in it. As i Read Time ago, the city was scare and wondering what to do if one day both Lake Run out, Desalinisation is the answer. its simply draw water in from the sea wich we will never run out of and clean the salt out of it
sewage and microplastics
Who has the better knowledge of procurement?
Who is better at looking down one’s nose at their fellow councils?
Who has a bigger perceived conflict of interest in this situation?
I don’t know but in the old days a squabble like this would’ve been sorted by a round of fisticuffs. Chirp, chirp.
1.Sam
2.Kyle
3.Harry
Violence isn’t the answer.
It is expensive to pump water from “unamed lake” because it is lower than the reservoir.
The ocean is lower and further away than “unamed lake”.
Desalination wouldn’t help here, even if it was free, which it very much isn’t.
We are so Mickey Mouse here in the Capital squabble about everything even water