Holyrood devising rules to share emergency work among contractors

By Craig Westcott\April 14, 2023

The Town of Holyrood is a lot closer to establishing a policy to guide the hiring of contractors for emergency repairs.

The so-called ‘standing offer’ policy has been a priority for council’s infrastructure and public works committee and staff for several months. The committee wants to share the emergency work among qualified companies on an as-needed basis when emergencies arise. The Town has called for expressions of interest from contractors who would like to participate in the offerings and has been reviewing their submissions.

“With one of the bidders there were some questions around their ability to provide the documentation and self-performance of inspections for equipment that is going on the highway, which is a provincial requirement under the Highway Traffic Act,” said committee chairman Steve Winsor, in his regular update to council last week. “It’s very important for the safety of the residents and anyone using that equipment. The director (of public works) went back to the Province and back to the bidder and confirmed they are in fact a registered steel station and provided the paperwork, so that’s okay. We’ve satisfied that, and now the director can move forward with issuing that standing offer.”

Winsor explained this latest step will give the Town the ability to engage multiple companies on a rotating basis. “Everyone gets a shot at doing the work,” he added. “And we closely monitor their performance and the timeliness of the responsiveness. So, if you’re not available, and you don’t do a good job, you might not get the call the next time. That’s fair ball.”