Area B Director Bob Fleming, Area C Director Amanda Shatzko, Spallumcheen Mayor Christine Fraser and Okanagan Indian Band Chief Byron Louis break ground for the new North Okanagan Wastewater Recovery project in October 2022. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters file photo)

By Pete McIntyre

Higher prices

Swan Lake wastewater project attracts several bids

Jan 17, 2024 | 5:00 AM

Six companies bid on the collections works tender for the proposed $43-million wastewater facility that will provide sewer service to Swan Lake and South Spallumcheen.

Regional District of North Okanagan Area B director Bob Fleming was pleased they had that much interest in the North Okanagan Wastewater Recovery Project, and said the next step is for a consulting firm (Urban Systems) to review the bids and make a recommendation to the RDNO board.

“It’s actually more than just a review,” Fleming told Vernon Matters. “It’s a bit of of negotiation with the people that have submitted tenders because it’s actually an RFP [request for proposals] so they can each be a little different.”

Fleming said a request for proposals — as opposed to a request for tenders — provides options for companies as to how they might approach certain aspects of the construction.

“And if they think they have a better idea that saves money, they can propose that,” the veteran local politician said.

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Fleming said Urban Systems will make its recommendation Jan. 18, and the project should be awarded in February, so construction could start sometime in the spring.

“This was the tender for collection works, so that’s all the pipes and lift stations and so on. But tendering for the treatment works is being done separately,” Fleming explained.

Fleming said large firms like Maple Reinders did not bid on this portion of the project but he said they might be more interested in the treatment portion instead of the collection component.

“It’s no surprise that the prices are significantly higher than what was envisioned even a year or two ago as we were going through re-costing,” Fleming remarked. “We had hoped there might be a little levelling of the pricing on some of these construction projects, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The prices are still high and that’s reflective in all the bids.”

While the prices have gone up, Fleming said they are in good shape as far as senior government support.

“We had an original federal-provincial grant of 24.3 million dollars when it was 38 million dollar project. They [RDNO] got another 9.5 million to make the collection works more whole at the end of March last year. We’ve got a fair amount of money available to get this project underway, and I’m hoping that’s what happens.”

The facility will provide sewer service for the Swan Lake/South Spallumcheen area at a site on L&A Cross Road in Spallumcheen, just north of Swan Lake.

The project will allow residential and commercial properties in that area to get off septic systems and provide economic development opportunities. It’s a partnership between the Township of Spallumcheen, the Okanagan Indian Band and Regional District of North Okanagan Areas B and C.