MARY RUTH SNYDER
CAMPBELL RIVER – “We have had very good interest in the project since issuing the Request for Proposals (RFP) in December for the civil works,” said BC Hydro spokesperson, Stephen Watson “We had more than 30 companies take part in the project site tour in January. We’re really encouraged by the level of interest in this project amongst the contracting community and we are confident that we will be successful in securing a highly qualified contractor to build this important project.”
The companies that participated in the site visit were a mixture of local and North American contractors.
The key components of the upgrade project are new upstream and downstream earthfill berms, spillway gate and hoist replacement, a new overflow spillway, and an additional water seepage barrier in the middle earth-fill dam.
“We have posted the company names that attended the site tour onto BC Bid and at majorprojects.ca,” said Watson. “The majorprojects.ca web portal, in collaboration with the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce, is a good site for subcontractors to follow this project along, as well as the Ladore Spillway Seismic Upgrade Project and the Strathcona Dam Water Discharge Upgrade Project that are proposed for the Campbell River system. As is the case for all of our capital projects, we encourage business to business discussions.”
The civil works contractor bid submissions will be very in-depth and will include the various key subcontractors that may be part of the bidding company’s team. The bid closure date is spring 2022. BC Hydro plans to announce the preferred contractor around early fall 2022.
The hydromechanical or spillway gates work will proceed after completion of the civil work.
The project upgrades are required to strengthen the dam so that it can continue to operate safely and reliably during normal operation and following a large earthquake. Construction on the dam is expected to begin in 2023 and the upgrades are expected to be complete in 2029. The cost estimate for the project is between $497 million and $822 million. The estimate will be refined as the project progresses.
The following attended the BC Bid January site visit: Barnard Construction Companies of Canada ULC; 3D Geomatics Inc. ; Aecon-EBC; Allnorth Consultants Limited; Clearway Construction Inc. ; Discovery Enterprises LP; F&M Installations Ltd. ; Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited; Foundex Explorations Ltd. ; Fraser River Pile & Dredge (GP) Inc. ; Global Rope Access; Graham Industrial Services LP; Hazelwood Construction Services Inc. ; Houle Electric Limited; Industra Construction Corp.; IWC Excavation Ltd; Jim Dent Construction Ltd.; JJM Construction Ltd.; Keller Foundations Ltd.; Ledcor Mining Ltd.; Matcon Excavating and Shoring Ltd.; Norpac Construction Inc.; Oscar Renda Contracting of Canada; Pennecon Heavy Civil Ltd.
Pomerleau Inc.; PPM Civil Constructors, ULC; Roga Contracting Ltd.; Upland Contracting Ltd.; Wacor Holdings Ltd; We Wai Kai First Nation; Wei Wai Kum First Nation; Western Grater Contracting Ltd. and Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions, a Division of Wood Canada Limited.
Mary Ruth Snyder is Executive Director of the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce