Duane Hicks
Two construction firms responded to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a firm to design and build a fenced, four-court multi-use tennis facility at the St. Francis Sports Field.
Court Surface Specialists Ltd. of Mississauga, Ont. said the job will cost $404,076.70, incl. HST but not including lighting.
Manshield Construction of Thunder Bay, meanwhile, submitted a cost of $515,400 plus HST.
Proposals were opened yesterday at the Civic Centre after the 2 p.m. deadline.
The two proposals now will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the Fort Frances Multi-Use Tennis Court Committee.
“I have to say I was disappointed that we didn’t get more tenders submitted,” admitted committee member Rick Wiedenhoeft.
“I would have hoped for four or five, or even six optimistically.
“But you work with what you got,” he added. “We go with the hand we’re dealt, I guess.”
Community Services manager Jason Kabel and committee member Al Christiansen contacted 12 different firms that build tennis courts, but only two sent in submissions by yesterday’s 2 p.m. deadline.
The subcommittee will meet this week to review the submissions.
It will take a thorough look at the two RFPs and then decide whether or not it wants to go forward with one of them, or whether it wishes to resubmit the RFP, said Wiedenhoeft.
Kabel noted the subcommittee also may choose to negotiate with one or both of the firms.
As is the case with all RFPs, the selected proposal is not necessarily based on the lowest bid but on which firm is going to do the best work for the town, Kabel added.
If the subcommittee selects one of the two firms, it will submit a recommendation to town council for final approval in the near future.
The Fort Frances Multi-Use Tennis Court Committee has about $430,000 in funding, including $150,000 in Trillium grant funding.
The balance includes commitments from the town, public school board, and citizens sponsors.
