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Councillors OK criteria for arena/events centre RFP

Signoretti unhappy Zulich-connected company will be allowed to bid on project
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City council approved the criteria for the request for proposals for the $100 million arena/events centre Tuesday, but at one councillor is unhappy with the potential bidders in the running to design and build the facility. (File)

City council approved the criteria for the request for proposals for the $100 million arena/events centre Tuesday, but one councillor is unhappy with the potential bidders in the running to design and build the facility.

Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti, a strong opponent of building the facility on the Kingsway instead of downtown Sudbury, said he couldn't understand why a company linked to Sudbury Wolves owner Dario Zulich is being allowed to bid on the work.

Tesc Contracting, which includes Zulich and wife Julie as directors, is one of three companies that pre-qualified last year to bid on the design and construction of the arena. The arena will be built on land Zulich is transferring to the city.

Signoretti said he found it too “coincidental” that Zulich owns the Wolves, the land where the arena is being built and potentially the company that will build the facility.

Tesc qualified in a combined bid with Ball Construction. The other two companies that qualified are EllisDon Corporation and PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

Signoretti provided his council colleagues and members of the media with corporate reports showing the Zuliches were directors of Tesc.

“For me, I find it a little too close to the situation,” Signoretti said at Tuesday's council meeting. “Isn't that a conflict of interest? The owner of the Sudbury Wolves being on the shortlist?”

“It's our understanding there is no conflict of interest,” said David Shelsted, the project director for the arena project.

He referred the question to city clerk Eric Labelle, who said that just because a company does business with the city doesn't mean they are prevented from bidding on other work the city tenders.

The important thing is that all companies have a level playing field when it comes to bidding on work.

“Conflicts in the realm of procurement involves a bidder having info that is not available to other bidders,” Labelle said, adding that isn't the case here.

Shelsted said eight companies took part in the pre-qualification process and were scored on a range of criteria. As part of the process, the companies were aware the city was looking to qualify only the top three companies for the arena RFP. 

Labelle said each bidder will have to come up with a complete design and build plan for the events centre, which will be evaluated by city staff using the criteria approved Tuesday.

Shelsted said as part of their research, they visited similar facilities in Kingston, Oshawa, St. Catharines and London and will incorporate the information they learned in the RFP. He also said the city has applied for a $2.7 million grant to help them reduce the energy consumption of the events centre, to help reduce its overall carbon footprint.

In a news release after the meeting, Mayor Brian Bigger said Tuesday's vote was a big step forward. 

“The Kingsway Entertainment District and Event Centre is a significant component of the transformation we are experiencing in our community,” said Bigger in a news release. “I am confident that we are creating a community venue and spectator experience that current and future generations will be proud of, and enjoy. Thank you to Members of Council and to staff for taking yet another step forward in achieving this vision."*

The design/build RFP will outline the criteria and weighting that will be used to determine which of the three competing proposals will be successful, the release said. The evaluation criteria includes: 

• Quality of the Kingsway Arena/Event Centre’s design and specifications: 35 per cent

• Cost: 35 per cent

• Construction methodology and approach: 10 per cent

• Approach to the project and design: 10 per cent

• Development schedule: 10 per cent 

The winning bidder is expected to be announced in the fall. For more information on the Kingsway Entertainment District and Arena/Event Centre project, and to read the full report, visit www.discoverkingsway.com. 

*This is a revised quote from the mayor. His office issued a revised statement this morning. The original statement quotes the mayor saying the Entertainment District would "transform" the city. The revised statement situates the impact project as part of wider efforts to grow the city's amenities.


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