City of Fort St John awards $2M+ tender for storm drainage infrastructure

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John has awarded a tender worth more than $2 million to upgrade the storm drainage infrastructure. 

During the June 8th City of Fort St. John council meeting, the council awarded the tender of the Lower Bouffioux Coulee Dike Armouring Project to Fort St. John-based Knappett Industries (2006) Ltd. for $2,418,875.00, which is within the authorized budget. 

The city received approximately $4 million from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Community Emergency Preparedness Fund Disaster Risk Reduction Grant.  

This grant was awarded in three separate categories, including repairs to the armouring on the sewage outfall, which runs alongside properties in the Old Fort community. 

According to city staff, this project is entirely funded by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) grant. It will make the city’s stormwater infrastructure more resilient against damage from major climate events. 

The report said the city’s stormwater drainage area in and around the Bouffioux Coulee has been experiencing landslides and erosion issues for decades. 

The city staff noted that, although the work required is simple civil construction, it is located in a “sensitive” ecological area, so the tender for this project was issued under the Best Value Procurement model. 

The city introduced the best-value procurement model in 2021 for complex projects that require consideration of “additional criteria other than price.” 

The tender for this project was issued on March 31st and closed on April 20th. The city received four submissions with tender prices ranging from approximately $2.1 million to $3.5 million. 

The city anticipates the work will be completed within the budget, and unallocated funds will be used, if required, to pay for any additional costs associated with accessing the site through and around the slide on the provincial Old Fort Road. 

According to the report, construction will start in mid-August. 

To read the full report, see below.