Collingwood reports $2.1M in non-competitive purchases last year

The Town of Collingwood made 16 purchases over $25,000 last year without a competitive bid process. 

In 2021, the town made three emergency purchases worth a total of $71,943.50 and 13 staff approved non-standard purchases totalling $2,107,985. 

That’s down from 30 non-standard and four emergency purchases in 2020 totalling about $2.2 million and $185,700 respectively. 

The bylaw governing the town’s procurement of goods and services will sometimes allow a purchase to be made without a competitive bid process, if the circumstances fit the bylaw exemptions. 

The town’s purchasing bylaw, enacted in 2017, requires such purchases over $25,000 to be reported to the public on an annual basis because they do not follow the standard procedures set out for purchasing items and services.  

“Reporting non-standard and emergency purchases is for information … these types of non-competitive purchases are a fact of efficient and effective programs and procurement at all levels of government,” states a staff report submitted by Clerk Sara Almas headed to the corporate and community services committee on April 4. “There are legitimate reasons to proceed with a non-competitive purchase, and these are used judiciously.” 

The reporting includes emergency purchases, which can only be made for public health and safety, maintenance of essential town services, the welfare of persons or public property, or the security of the town’s interests. 

Emergency purchases in 2021 amounted to less than half the 2020 totals with $71,943 spent in 2021. 

The emergency purchases included security services for the downtown transit terminal ($33,219) and pump repair for the water treatment plant ($15,863). 

The other emergency purchase was $22,861 to Black and McDonald to replace traffic signal equipment at Hurontario and Sixth Street. The signals broke down and the town had to send an after-hours crew to temporarily reinstate the intersection with borrowed equipment. 

Non-standard procurements include purchases made without or with a limited competitive process, meaning the town does not seek bids from multiple sources in an open competition. 

In 2021, the largest non-standard purchase was $1.1 million for membrane replacement at the water treatment plant. The plant uses ZeeWeed membrane technology, which is exclusively supplied by Suez. 

The town’s procurement bylaw allows for non-competitive purchases if there is only one supplier for a product that must be compatible with existing products. 

For this same reason, the fire department’s $120,000 purchase of bunker gear from AJ Stone was permitted and included in the non-standard purchase report for 2021. 

The Hurontario Street crosswalk at the Hamilton Drain Trail also made this year’s list. The crossover was constructed in 2019, was vandalized, fixed, and then re-done after studies in the area showed a very high rate of non-compliance from drivers. The flashing yellow lights were removed and replaced with red-yellow-green traffic lights. 

A total of $79,264 was included on the non-standard purchase report for the replacement, which was done by Black and MacDonald, the town’s current traffic light and street maintenance contractor. 

This purchase was approved per the bylaw clause stating a non-competitive purchase is allowed where, for technical reasons, there’s an absence of competition.

Cleaning out a digester at the town’s wastewater treatment plant cost $76,906 last year and was done without a competitive bid process in the interest of getting it done quickly. According to the staff report, the digester was about to fail and needed cleaning quickly. 

The third phase of a sprinkler system installation at the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena was also contracted without a bid process. The town hired Vipond Inc. for the $171,050 installation, which is the same contractor who completed the first two phases of the same project. 

A joint project with the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority to complete maintenance work and clearing on the Pretty River dyke landed on the non-standard purchase list for $100,000. The conservation authority hired the contractor through their procurement process. 

The town’s bylaw allows non-standard purchases from a public body or non-profit organization. 

In total, four of the 2021 non-standard purchases were made because of the absence of competition, six were made because a specific product carried by only one supplier was required for compatibility, two were for goods, services, construction from a public body or non-profit, and one purchase was made through the Ontario Vendor of Record progam. 

Following the April 4 committee meeting, the non-standard purchase report will go to council on April 19 for council's information.