Iqaluit skips bidding process for new service trucks
City will spend $907,900 to buy water truck, two sewage trucks from N.W.T. supplier
Iqaluit city council agreed to spend $907,900 to purchase one water truck and two sewage trucks this year, during its meeting Tuesday night. (File photo)
Iqaluit will get a new water truck and two new sewage trucks at a cost of approximately $907,900, after city council approved the move Tuesday night.
Council wasn’t initially scheduled to meet that night, however members voted unanimously to support the purchase during a 15-minute meeting held specifically to address this proposal.
The reason for the urgency was to ensure the city receives the new vehicles this year, said Steve England, Iqaluit’s chief administrative officer, during the meeting.
After the 2024 municipal budget was approved Feb. 13, the city began preparing requests for proposals to acquire the trucks, using funds allocated for that purpose.
However, it became clear that if the city issued that request — the standard process where contractors bid to provide goods or services — it would take until the 2025 sealift season to get the trucks.
“This delay has potential to cause undue hardship for residents,” England said.
If the city lost the service of a water or sewer truck unexpectedly and did not add more to the fleet, the vehicle shortage could create an emergency situation for those services, he said.
Citing that, England asked council to approve his motion to purchase the three trucks directly from Hay River Heavy Trucks Ltd., based in the Northwest Territories.
“This action will help us avoid the aforementioned problems and continue to provide essential services to the community,” England said.
Coun. Sam Tilley said he was in favour of the motion.
“We do not want our residents not to get water and sewer services if one of [our] trucks go out of commission,” he said.
Tilley said that as someone with a professional background in procurement, he typically favours using a bidding process for large purchases.
In this circumstance, he said, he understands the need to buy directly from the supplier so the city does not have to wait longer to get the vehicles.
Coun. Harry Flaherty asked if the amount of money to be spent on these three service trucks matches the amount allocated in the city’s budget. England said it does.
Why not repair the the truck that the city currently owns?
Cheaper to repair a truck v.s buying a new truck.
Everytime a truck breaks down, the city’s only solution is to replacement the complete truck.
This type of solutions is very very expensive, when the truck could have been repaired locally.
Get a proper licensed heavy duty technician to repair the city’s broken HD trucks….not an automotive mechanic to work on heavy equipment.
pro-tip, the heavy equipment mechanics’ salary is same as a heavy equipment operator…what can go wrong? haha good luck finding the proper licensed technician for the salary that is offered.
the city has less trucks than smaller communities for more people. Accidents happen all the time, and there are only so many fixes to be made before something cant be fixed anymore. They should have more trucks around because whenever one breaks other trucks have to work longer to make up for it, and if they break what? No water? Sewage filling your house?
LOL! have you seen the city’s backyard?
“They should have more trucks around because whenever one breaks other trucks have to work longer to make up for it, and if they break what? No water? Sewage filling your house?” —— FIX IT??? in a timely manner. Clearly you don’t know how trucks work. everything is fixable!
being will to increase in paying your taxes than and don’t complain about it, if it’s that easy
Is it standard, or if not standard, a good idea to order a truck from Hay River? How will it get to Iqaluit? By sealift? So it will be driven to Montreal and then be sealifted? Are there no appropriate trucks closer to Montreal? Would that not be cheaper?
This company has been providing NU and NWT with these trucks for many years. Custom built for the north by a northern company, with a proven track record. City of Iqaluit followed the CTV by doing it this way. the City has also enhanced what is required in the CTV with their own by-laws. to bad NN didn’t research any of that, lol. I wonder why?
I came here to say this.
https://www.auroramfg.ca/trucks
For more information
You can sealift from Hay River, up the MacKenzie River and out the Beaufort Delta then head East through The Passage
“It’s like Las Vegas out there”
The amount of homeless and destitute people are on par
Were any of the councillors concerned that this sole source could’ve been avoided by proper planning?
You don’t have to wait for a budget to get quotes.
The hamlet administration needs to get itself organized.