b'TENDERING PROGRAMSAroundtheGoldenHorseshoe, theTorontoareahashaditsshare ofdifficultieswithtenderingover thesummerconstructionseason.Even if or when upper-tier government According to the Chief Procurement OfficerfortheCityofToronto,stimulus comes, there is not always a lot of Michael Pacholok, there was not as much activity this summer as there normally might have been. In all ofconsideration placed on how construction construction, numbers are tracking at around 200 tenders, a bit behind the 300 projected for this year. Pacholokhappens on a sequential basis.assuresORBAthat,althoughthe City might not hit the 300 mark, work still continues. IntheRegionofPeel,sourcesalso confirmed a slowdown, stating that the Region has really had to adjust its program$200 million in tenders projectedfor2020-2022havebeen deferred to 2023-2024. Out of all the regions across the province, it seems like procurement in the central region hasbeenhithardestbytheeffects ofCOVID-19.FrancoisVachon, PresidentatTheMillerGroup, estimates work tendered in the GTA has dropped by 25 per cent since the beginning of the year. In some major southwestern Ontario municipalities,suchasLondon and Windsor, project tendering has continuedwithonlyafewminor deferrals.Duringthebeginning stagesofthepandemic,most municipalitieshaltedtheirproject tenderingforaperiodwhilethey awaitedfederalandprovincial direction.Municipalitieswere alsowaitingforspecificindustry indicators,suchasthecapacityfor contractors to continue work, and the developmentofappropriatehealth and safety protocols. MichaelCappucci,Transportation PlannerfortheCityofWindsor, states,Mosttendershadanearly startthisyear,despiteabrief two-weekshutdown.Although thebudgetfor2021isstillupin theair,werenotexpectingany problems. The initial delays related toCOVID-19uncertaintylasted anywhere from a week to a monthreception@rancangroup.comforeverymunicipalityinterviewed across the province. InLondon,theprogramfor2020 hasbeenreleasedasnormaland UgoDeCandido,DivisionManager forConstructionAdministration, www.orba.org|ROADBuilder15'