By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Contractors interested in leading the construction of Davidson’s new pool have until Oct. 29 to dive right in.
Walker Projects, the Regina firm working on behalf of the town, released the request for proposals (RFP) online on Tuesday, kicking off the process through which Davidson will determine the builder of the pool.
Documents released via sasktenders.com last week included the architectural plan for the site, located just north of the current pool on a plot of land, roughly two acres in size, donated by Bryan Ulmer.
Also released were the blueprints for the building that will contain the change house and mechanical equipment, and the general requirements for proposals submitted to Walker Projects.
The process will include a local site walkthrough conducted by Daryl Andrew, the project manager from Walker working with the town, this Wednesday.
Once the deadline is reached, Walker Projects will rank each of the proposals using a point system that measures several criteria.
These include demonstrated comprehension of the project, compliance with the project scope, overall quality of design-build elements and pool systems, experience and past performance of the proponent team, proposed construction schedule, cost, and the overall quality and thoroughness of the proposal.
“They go through each submission, vet everybody,” explained Davidson recreation director Trevor Ouellette, adding that the town will be provided with the ranking and information on all proposals.
Over a couple of weeks, members of town council, the recreation board and the swimming pool committee will consider the proposals, with Walker’s report as a reference point, and narrow them down.
Ouellette also said that the RFP process, in comparison to seeking tenders, allows for greater communication and negotiation between parties, allowing the town to seek flexibility on the use of volunteer labour, time and materials.
The documents state Nov. 19 as the projected date the contract will be awarded; Ouellette said the group hopes to have made its decision by the Nov. 17 town council meeting.
“It’ll start to happen quuckly once these come in,” said Ouellette.
For the full story, please see the Oct. 19 edition of The Davidson Leader.