Summary#
Montréal city council adopted a decision awarding Lemay CO inc. a professional-services contract for preliminary work on new production greenhouses at the Jardin botanique de Montréal. The goal is to prepare material for a later public call for tenders to design and build the greenhouses; this decision does not approve their construction.
- Lemay will update the functional and technical program and prepare preliminary plans and specifications, a schedule and phasing plan, and tender documents for the later design-build contract.
- The contract was awarded through public call for tenders 25-21233. Five firms submitted bids; two did not meet the 70% threshold for opening their price bids. Of the three bids evaluated, Lemay received the highest final score.
- Council authorized $717,012.84 for the contract, $107,551.93 for contingencies, and $50,000 for incidentals: $874,564.77 in total, taxes included.
- The contract runs from May 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027. The city must evaluate Lemay’s performance.
What it means for you#
- City residents and taxpayers: The city has authorized spending for planning work, not construction. The decision does not directly change taxes, access to the Jardin botanique, or residents’ rights.
- Jardin botanique: The work will prepare plans and tender documents for a future construction process. City staff say the existing production greenhouses have major infrastructure and safety issues.
- Lemay CO inc.: The firm must provide the contracted services and will be subject to a performance evaluation.
Money#
The authorized total is $874,564.77, taxes included; the materials give no separate overall estimate of the project’s eventual construction cost.
- The base contract is $717,012.84; contingencies are $107,551.93, or 15% of the base; and the incidentals budget is $50,000.
- The decision summary lists the net-of-rebates amounts as $623,625 for the base contract, $93,543.75 for contingencies, and $43,487.71 for incidentals.
- The expense is planned in the Service de l’Espace pour la vie’s 2026–2035 capital program. City staff say the central city will pay it under borrowing bylaw RCG 24-033. The spending is split 60% in 2026 and 40% in 2027.
What is unclear#
- The decision does not set a construction budget or guarantee that the new greenhouses will be built.
- It does not explain what specific work would qualify for the contingency and incidentals budgets, or how their use will be approved.
- The materials do not give the expected cost or schedule for construction after this contract.
- The decision requires a performance evaluation but does not state its criteria or how its results will be used.
Case for#
- City staff say the current production greenhouses have outdated infrastructure, including electrical and mechanical systems, foundations, and single-pane glass. Preparing plans and tender documents is a step toward addressing those conditions.
- A competitive process compared five bids. Lemay had the highest final score and was also the lowest-priced of the three bids that passed the evaluation threshold.
Case against#
- The contract and related budgets total $874,564.77, 37% above the city’s latest estimate. Even the base contract alone is a substantial planning expense before any construction decision.
- Only three of five bids passed the threshold for price evaluation. City staff describe the work as technically complex and say few firms have the required expertise; the materials do not show how that limited competition might affect later construction procurement.