Extension of the blue line | The only consortium in the running threatens to slam the door

New difficulty for the extension of the blue line: the only consortium competing to dig the immense tunnel threatens not to bid if the conditions of the project are not modified to its advantage, we have learned The Press.

Mobilité Bleu Horizon, a group led by the construction giant Pomerleau, demands, among other things, that the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) reduce late fees and the amount of financial guarantees provided for in the megacontract.

These elements (and two other requests) constitute “critical issues” for the consortium, indicates Mobilité Bleu Horizon in a communication intended for the STM and of which an anonymized version was made public in the last few days on the calls platform online government offerings. “This issue may affect its ability to submit a final submission. »

In response, the STM agreed to modify certain provisions of the contract, without however agreeing with the consortium across the board.

Mobilité Bleu Horizon is made up of Pomerleau, the manufacturer EBC and the French company SPIES Batignolles, according to the Quebec Business Register. The latter has expertise in tunnel digging. The purpose of the consortium: “Bid and construction project for the tunnel for the extension of the blue line of the Montreal metro”, again according to the register.

Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The Press that he was the only candidate still in the race. Three other sources indicated that the consortium was confident that it had no competitors yet in the saddle.

Pomerleau and EBC did not want to comment on our information, contenting themselves with directing The Press towards the STM. Contacted early Tuesday morning, the STM had not yet reacted Wednesday evening.

After a postponement, the closing date for the call for tenders was set for December 20.

The tramway?

The contract in question, worth several hundred million dollars, is the most important of the project to extend the blue line of the Montreal metro, its “backbone” according to the STM. It involves digging the ground over more than six kilometers using a tunnel boring machine, an expertise uncommon in North America, in addition to excavating three of the five new stations.

Last September, the STM refused to reveal how many potential bidders were still in the running, after a qualification stage.

“Even if, ultimately, there is only one price submitted, the process is compliant, so we can technically move forward with the awarding of the contract,” indicated Maha Clour, director of the office at the time. blue line extension project. “We listened to the market. We adapted. And we expect the market to adapt to us too. It is expected that the price(s) submitted will reflect the best price for the work to be completed. »

The absence of a submission would otherwise be problematic for the STM.

This is what happened at the beginning of November in the Quebec tramway issue, again with a consortium where Pomerleau and EBC were associated (with the French company Vinci, this time). The group, called Mobilité de la Capitale, would not have succeeded in obtaining the financial guarantees necessary to embark on the project, according to information published by The Press in the wake of Mayor Bruno Marchand’s announcement.

Bitter aftertaste

Among Mobilité Bleu Horizon’s demands: significantly reduce late fees and the amount of the letter of guarantee required by the STM, prevent the public organization from having access to its accounting linked to the project and appoint an independent certifier to establish the degree of progress of the site (and therefore the invoices payable).

The STM agreed to reduce the late fees and the amount of the letter of guarantee, restricted its power to consult the consortium’s documentation, but refused the appointment of an independent certifier.

“The STM will not include such a mechanism in the call for tender documents,” responds the organization, still on the government’s call for tenders platform. This question and answer process between potential bidders and the client is normal for a contract of this magnitude. The responses are then made public, to allow all bidders to have access to the same information. Usually, however, the discussions concern very specific technical points.

The Press could not establish whether the consortium is satisfied with these modifications.

According to two sources, executives involved in the project retained a bitter taste of the Côte-Vertu underground garage construction project, which ended badly between the STM and a consortium led by EBC. The carrier had terminated the contract altogether, triggering a legal conflict with the companies.