The City of Montreal has decided to clear snow itself from the streets of part of downtown and Rosemont next winter, after being surprised by overly greedy bids from the private sector.
Two calls for tenders were thus completely canceled at the beginning of the fall. It is blue-collar workers who will clear snow from roads and sidewalks in the heart of the business district, for example, whereas the task has long been entrusted to contractors.
“We really want to send a signal to the market that we will not accept any exaggerated price,” said the elected representative responsible for the file, Maja Vodanovic, in a telephone interview with The Press. “It’s really a message that we won’t let ourselves be fooled. »
The lowest bidder for the downtown contract (between Atwater and De Bleury) offered to do the work for 15 million, while the bid was 1 million for snow transport in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie. Montreal did not specify the amount it would have considered acceptable.
For the City as a whole, approximately 50% of snow removal is done each winter by blue-collar workers, while the other 50% is entrusted to the private sector. The recent cancellations of calls for tenders “represent a total of 60 km to be cleared of snow, or a tiny part of the 4,100 km of streets that make up the Montreal network,” specifies Montreal.
“If it works well, we will continue”
Mme Vodanovic, also mayor of Lachine, indicated that this decision still forces blue-collar teams to reorganize and the City to purchase new equipment.
“We didn’t have the necessary equipment, but we bought it all and everything arrived on time. We are really happy with that, she said. We have all the equipment necessary to clear snow in-house. […] If it works well, we will continue like this. »
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Montreal elected officials voted in favor of purchasing eight snow tractors to equip blue-collar workers.
The latter, who have long campaigned for a reduction in subcontracting in Montreal, are happy with the decision. Thirty-five to 40 auxiliary blue-collar workers, who are normally laid off for the winter, should be able to continue working thanks to this decision.
“We welcome the cancellation of two calls for tenders for snow removal,” said President Jean-Pierre Lauzon in a written statement. “We are also satisfied with the City of Montreal’s decision to have our blue-collar members do snow removal. It is truly in the interest of all citizens. They are entitled to an efficient service and this is what we offer them at the best cost. »
A surprised entrepreneur
Jason Imbeault is snow removal manager at CMS Entrepreneur, the low bidder for the downtown contract.
“We were surprised to see that,” he testified, assuring that his bid of 15 million corresponds to the market price in 2023. His competitors have also submitted significantly higher prices, he said. underlines. “It’s a big sector, an important sector. It’s probably in the most difficult areas of Montreal, so it certainly means that fewer entrepreneurs can go there. It generally has to be from the world of experience. »
“I don’t think they’re really saving money,” he added, wishing good luck to the blue-collar workers who will have to do this work. “I look forward to seeing the quality of the service. »