b'TENDERING PROGRAMSPROVINCIAL SNAPSHOT:TENDERING PROGRAMS MUNICIPAL TENDERING PROGRAMSARE AT A CROSSROADS IN THE ERA OF COVIDBy BRIANNA PUIGMARTIE achOntariomunicipalityAmajorthemethatwasrevealedall been awarded. The procurement isimpactedbytheCOVID- duringtheseinterviewswasthatprocess has not been greatly affected 19pandemic.Majorsocietalbothmunicipalitiesandcontractorsby COVID-19, she says. changes we have all become familiararefacingchallengesthatwillMoving east towards North Bay and withoverthepastseveralmonthsextendintonextyear;upcomingtheOttawaregion,GordYoung, cannot be separated from operationalcapital budgets, in particular, are theCommunicationsOfficerforthe and capital funding issues.greatest concern. In the northern half of the province,CityofNorthBay,saystherehave Inanefforttounderstandthecities like Thunder Bay and Sudburybeen no cancellations, and all other wider implications of the pandemichavemanagedtoenterautumnroadprojectshaveproceededas onthetenderingprogramsofwith very few, if any, project delays.planned. Much like the Northern half municipalities,ORBAreachedoutInThunderBay,DanMunshaw,of the province, both North Bay and tomunicipalities,industryandManagerofSupplyManagement,Ottawa have carried out their capital partnerassociations,includingtheconfirmsthat,Althoughtheworkprograms as planned. In the City of AssociationofMunicipalitiesofyearwascompressedbecauseofOttawa,CarinaDuclos,Directorof Ontario (AMO), the Ontario Generalmanyfactors,thecitymanagedtoInfrastructure Services, confirms that Contractors Association (OGCA), theaward approximately 90 per cent ofOttawaneverstopped,cancelling National Capital Heavy Constructionitstotalcapitalbudget,otherthanonlytwotendersin2020,bothof Association(NCHCA)andORBAsomesmallprojectspushedintowhichwerenotCOVID-related. members. ORBA interviewed officialsnext year. Munshaw maintains thatOutofallofthemunicipalities fromninemunicipalitiesacrossThere are no plans to restrict budgetsinterviewed, the City of Ottawa has theprovince:Windsor,London,in 2021. Chief Procurement Officerdonethebest,offeringmorework Hamilton,PeelRegion,Toronto,forSudbury,KariBertrand,tellsathan contractors were expecting and Ottawa,NorthBay,Sudburyandsimilar story. Capital contracts thatkeeping them very busy throughout Thunder Bay.were budgeted for this summer havethe summer. 14Volume 16, Issue 4|www.orba.org'