The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) expects to pay up to nearly $1 billion for the concreting and excavation of certain new stations on the blue line.
The awarding of the construction mega-contracts for the metro extension is progressing these days, while the preparatory works have already started on the ground. The digging site should open next year.
On May 2, the STM issued a “notice of interest” to companies interested in “excavation, concreting and finishing” contracts for future stations. The STM plans to pay between 710 million and 990 million for this work, according to the documents made available to the companies.
“The budget estimates provided in the call for interest document comply with the amount of $6.4 billion authorized by the Government of Quebec,” said STM spokesperson Philippe Déry. an email.
The organization wants to consult with construction companies before launching formal tenders.
Objectives: “to publicize the planning of each lot (locations, planned work, volume and approximate period), to sound out the interest of the market and to validate the planned supply strategy, explained Mr. Déry. It will be possible to assess whether certain elements could be optimized, to better reflect the expectations of potential contractors in order to increase the potential number of bidders. This process will not result in any change to the scope of the project, its budget or its overall schedule. »
According to the tender documents, the companies chosen for these contracts will have to excavate the equivalent of 140 Olympic swimming pools of soil and rock, in addition to pouring 128 million liters of concrete.
The tunnel boring machine contract progresses
In addition, the complex process of awarding the gigantic contract for the blue line tunnel boring machine is also progressing.
Since May 4, the STM has had the price(s) proposed by the various consortium(s) concerned, but is not revealing them for the moment.
This initial submission will be “followed by a process of discussions in order to clarify the project technically and financially with each compliant bidder, thus allowing them to subsequently submit final bids”, explained Philippe Déry.
This contract essentially consists of excavating the six kilometers of tunnel using a tunnel boring machine, as well as the more traditional excavation of certain stations. This is the largest contract awarded as part of the blue line extension project.
“In accordance with the legal provisions applicable to this process, the number of bidders, their identities and their prices cannot be disclosed before the award of the contract, if necessary, he added. Moreover, the opening of tenders is not public. »
Mr. Déry added that even if he used the plural to speak of the bidders, the STM does not confirm that there is indeed more than one. “A minimum of two companies” have passed through a preliminary stage of the process, however, he said.