BC Hydro awards contracts of the Site C generating station and spillways civil works contract

Graphic rendering of the Site C Project.

— Photo courtesy BC Hydro

VANCOUVER – BC Hydro has selected the Aecon-Flatiron-Dragados-EBC Partnership (AFDE Partnership) as the preferred proponent to move to the next phase for the Site C generating station and spillways (GSS) civil works contract.

As part of BC Hydro’s standard procurement process, BC Hydro will work with the preferred proponent to come to terms on a final contract for the GSS civil works. Should a final contract be reached, BC Hydro will take the contract award decision to BC Hydro’s Board of Directors. At the conclusion of this process, BC Hydro will award the contract to the preferred proponent.

The GSS civil works is the second largest contract that will be awarded for Site C, and it includes the delivery of civil works associated with the powerhouse, penstocks, spillways and power intakes for the dam. The proposal by AFDE Partnership is within the revised cost estimate established by BC Hydro of $10.7 billion.

Work under this contract is expected to create opportunities for local, regional and Indigenous businesses. At the peak of construction in 2021, there will be approximately 1,600 people working on the GSS civil works.

The AFDE Partnership has signed a Project Labour Agreement for the GSS civil work with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 115, the Construction and Specialized Workers Union (CSWU) Local 1611 and the Construction Maintenance and Allied Workers (CMAW). As part of this agreement, the AFDE Partnership has committed to prioritize hiring locally and within British Columbia, as well as providing opportunities for apprentices. This includes a goal of up to 25 per cent apprenticeships on the project. There are also targets for Indigenous apprentices and employment.

In May 2016, BC Hydro issued a Request for Qualifications for this scope of work and received seven submissions. Four proponents were shortlisted and BC Hydro received proposals from three proponent teams. A rigorous evaluation process concluded that AFDE Partnership met BC Hydro’s requirements for this contract.

A contract is expected to be awarded in early 2018 and the contractor anticipates mobilizing to site in spring 2018.

The AFDE Partnership includes Aecon Constructors, a division of Aecon Construction Group Inc. (Aecon), Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited (Flatiron), Dragados Canada, Inc., (Dragados), and EBC Inc. (EBC).

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