Province tries to get building of new Fredericton justice building going again
CBC
The New Brunswick government is renewing efforts to build a new justice building in downtown Fredericton.
The province is now seeking a construction management firm to continue the courthouse work, which got as far as the frame before it was stopped in August.
An earlier tender was cancelled because the sole bid came in at an amount substantially higher than what the government wanted to spend.
"It should be more of an economical approach to the whole project," Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Richard Ames told reporters at the legislature Wednesday.
The only response to the province's request for proposals "came in way out of whack," Ames said.
"Like it was just cahootles of money over [budget], so what we did is we sent out another RFP that closes in November and the project manager will take care of that."
The government under Premier Blaine Higgs announced it would build a new courthouse on King Street after deciding to axe an earlier plan for one that would be attached to the Centennial Building, just down the street.
Earlier tenders had been issued to prepare the site, starting in December 2021, as well as to erect the steel frame of the building, which was completed this past spring.
The bulk of the remaining work was to be done by a contractor starting this year, and on July 7, the province issued a tender for that work.
By the time the tender closed on July 13, the only company to respond was EllisDon, which submitted a bid $30 million higher than the province's original budget of $60 million for the project.
In an email to CBC News, Department of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson Tyler McLean said the construction management model is working well in other jurisdictions, as it removes some of the risk that would typically be the responsibility of a general contractor.
"Construction management is advantageous in periods of unstable markets and price uncertainty," McLean said.
"It transfers the risk of future price increases from the contractor to the owner. In a traditional tender, this risk is carried by the contractor."
The latest tender for the justice building was issued last Thursday, and will remain open until next Thursday.
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