Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted a position recommending a contract for rebuilding and rehabilitating water-valve chambers and related water-main work. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting. City staff say the goal is to improve the reliability and upkeep of the main water network.
- The recommended contractor is Les Entreprises Cogenex inc., the lowest compliant bidder in a public call for tenders that received six bids.
- The work would cover sites in Baie-D’Urfé, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, Saint-Laurent, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and Verdun.
- The recommendation includes a $430,316.19 contingency budget for unexpected work and $430,316.19 for related costs, both taxes included.
- It also calls for the city to evaluate the contractor’s performance. The contract sets a late-work penalty of 0.1% of the contract price per day, excluding taxes, with a minimum of $1,000 per day.
What it means for you#
- People in the listed areas and road users: If the agglomeration council approves the recommendation, work is scheduled to start September 15, 2026, and finish June 30, 2028, with a winter pause. City staff identify traffic management as a concern, especially on boulevard Saint-Joseph and avenue Laurier-Est.
- Water-system users: The work includes building and rebuilding water mains and valve chambers. City staff say the chambers’ condition and the age of the pipes make repairs necessary.
- Taxpayers: The decision summary says the agglomeration would bear the full expense under borrowing bylaw 23-022. It does not set out the effect on any individual’s taxes.
Money#
The recommended maximum authorization is $3,729,406.95, taxes included; the decision summary’s financial section states a total that is one cent lower.
- The contractor’s bid is $2,868,774.57, taxes included. The two additional amounts are $430,316.19 each, for contingencies and related costs.
- The decision summary gives the total as $3,405,445.63 net of tax rebates. It says the expense would be fully borne by the agglomeration under borrowing bylaw 23-022.
- Cogenex’s bid was 23.98% below the city’s estimate. The second-lowest compliant bid was 3.38% above Cogenex’s.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not give the exact work sites or a detailed schedule of closures and traffic changes.
- They do not explain how use of the contingency and related-cost budgets will be reported.
- The total differs by one cent between the resolution and the financial section of the decision summary.
Case for#
- City staff say the chambers’ deterioration and the pipes’ age could increase the risk of water-main breaks and maintenance costs if work is delayed.
- The recommended bid was the lowest compliant bid among six and was below the city’s estimate.
- The work would address several parts of the main water network across the listed boroughs and linked municipalities.
Case against#
- A possible trade-off is disruption to traffic and nearby areas during a project scheduled to run until June 2028.
- The recommendation includes two additional budgets of $430,316.19 each, but the materials do not specify how much of either will ultimately be spent.