Prince George city council has awarded a contract to construct a water main between two city wells and a pump house.
IDL Projects Inc. was the only bid received by the city before the March 31 closing date, city council heard at Monday night's meeting.
Coun. Garth Frizzell asked if it was typical for such a large project to receive only one bid.
The city's manager of administrative services said it is a little unusual and he's not sure why it happened, but that the contractor is a good choice.
"The score came out very favourable," said Walter Babicz in reference to the 121 out of a possible 140 points it received. "So we have no hesitation making the recommendation."
It scored highest on capability, compliance and methodology and 15 out of 20 points on historical performance.
Council heard the $2.18 million price tag is less than originally expected and earned the full 40 points for its proposed fee structure.
That total does not include GST.
The project deals with the city's water sources for two major areas in the city.
The plan is to link the two wells "to provide redundancy for both portions of the city."
When construction begins, it will mean temporary shutdowns of the water system because the contractors have to cut into the trunk mains at both pump stations.
IDL Projects Inc. will install about one kilometre of water main. It will need to build an access road above and upgrade existing access roads.
"Scheduling of the tie-ins and coordination with city forces to minimize disruption to the water service are important considerations in the construction," the staff report said.
The city hired an archaeologist to prepare a report and one will be monitoring during work, too.
"The project crosses a wetland channel and is adjacent to environmentally sensitive areas. It is possible that minor changes to the design of the channel crossing and the offsetting pond may be required by the applicable regulators," the report said, also noting IDL will have to construct a culvert and control structure in that channel as well as a habitat offsetting pond.
The report doesn't say when work will begin.
