'Cheapest isn't always best' when choosing city contractors, Motkaluk says

Winnipeg mayoral candidate Jenny Motkalukdoesn't want the lowest-bidder-wins standard to decide who designs and buildsmajorinfrastructure projects in the city.

In a campaign announcement Tuesday, Motkaluk said the lowest price should not be the solequalification when selecting contractors for designing, planning and construction work. She said the city should consider the merit of each bid.

"The current and past administrations failed to recognize that cheapest isn't always best," Motkaluksaid during a news conference.

The City of Winnipeg usesthe request-for-proposals modelto award most infrastructure projects, where firms list their qualifications and plans to complete the project.

Price is just one of the categories evaluated, butMotkalukarguedthe bid pricetends to be the deciding factor.

She saidthe current model the city employs isadversarial, resulting in confrontations with bidders,project delays and cost overruns. She argues the city would save money and time by choosing the most-qualifiedcontractors.

"We've hadway too many experiences as taxpayers where we're on the hook for millions andmillions of dollars, andIcan't think ofa single reason why we shouldn't consider industry-wide, best purchasing practices."

Incumbent mayoral candidate Brian Bowman's camp dismissed Motkaluk's assertion that price rules all.

Under the request-for-proposals model the city uses, the bid price receives anywhere from 10 to 40 per cent of the points available to bidders.

"Price still matters. Mayor Bowman does not support the candidate's desire to ignore price by giving construction companies undefined 'flexibility'to win public sector contracts at any cost to taxpayers," said a statement from Bowman's campaign.

The Manitoba Association of Architects and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities are among the organizations endorsingthequalifications-based selection, or QBS,process for awarding engineering or architecture contracts.

Thisprocesshas been adopted in other cities, including Calgary, Coquitlam, B.C., and London, Ont.,Motkaluk's campaign said.

Winnipeg's election is on Oct. 24.

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