Summary#
Montréal city council adopted a unanimous position on three contracts for signage and engineering work for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships. It recommends awarding them to Entreprises Madali inc., Échafauds Plus (Laval) inc. and Entreprise de signalisation SEDGE ltée. for 30 days, starting around September 5, 2026, at a total of $1,788,186.14, taxes included. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting.
- Entreprises Madali inc. would receive lots 1–3, 5–7 and 10–11 for $674,308.68.
- Échafauds Plus (Laval) inc. would receive lot 12 for $17,590.83.
- Entreprise de signalisation SEDGE ltée. would receive lots 13–15 for $1,096,286.63.
- The contracts cover services for producing signage boards and detour plans. City staff describe the wider event work as including barricades and traffic-control equipment.
- The contracts are not renewable. The public call for tenders received three bids in total; the recommended firms are identified as the lowest compliant bidders for their lots.
What it means for you#
- People attending or travelling during the event: City staff say the work is intended to support public safety and traffic management during the championships, scheduled for September 19–27, 2026. The decision does not set out specific street closures or detours.
- The city: It would pay the three contract amounts for the specified work. The decision does not name a borough or individual streets.
- Taxpayers: The decision concerns these contracts, not the full cost of hosting the championships.
Money#
The three contracts total $1,788,186.14, taxes included.
- City staff’s estimates were $564,669.83 for Madali’s lots, $25,064.55 for lot 12 and $896,049.85 for SEDGE’s lots.
- Madali’s and SEDGE’s bids were respectively 19.42% and 22.35% above staff estimates. Staff attribute the higher amounts mainly to added labour for installing, monitoring, adjusting and removing equipment.
- Échafauds Plus’s bid for lot 12 was 29.82% below the estimate.
- The resolution says the expense will be charged according to the financial information in the file. No further funding breakdown is provided here.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not give the detailed route plans, streets affected or the schedule for specific traffic measures.
- Lots 4, 8, 9 and 16 received no bids. The city opened another call for tenders for three lots, but its results and costs are not provided.
- No publicly available information in these materials gives the full cost of the championships or the total cost of related city services.
Case for#
- A possible argument for the contracts is that the event needs specialized signage and detour planning for a short, defined period.
- The public tender produced three bids, and the city recommends compliant bidders for the lots covered by this decision.
- City staff say extra workers are needed to keep equipment in place and adjusted during the event.
Case against#
- Two contract packages are substantially above the city’s estimates; staff explain the difference, but the decision still commits the city to the higher amounts.
- Only three bids were received, and several lots got no bids in the initial tender. That leaves some event needs and their costs unsettled in these materials.