A truckers convoy moved from Surrey to Vancouver yesterday (Saturday) in protest of the dangerous conditions on BC highways.
The rally was organized by the West Coast Trucking Association, who were hoping to point out the icy roads they’ve had to deal with this winter.
They added ice removal was too infrequent and de-icing equipment was used ineffectively.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure gave some information on their road clearing contracts, as well as the auditing process.
“There are 28 maintenance contracts with an approximate value of $430 million. The process to bid and win a contract has two components, the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) phase and the Request for Proposals (RFP) phase,” said the Ministry in a statement.
Potential contractors submit their information about experience with previous work, their understanding of highway maintenance work, their corporate financial background, and other factors during the RFQ process.
If they meet those standards, they then move to the RFP process, which includes documents pertaining to bid security and insurance, a service proposal outlining how maintenance services will be delivered, and a price proposal.
“All responses to the RFP are evaluated and a preferred proponent is identified. Once the preferred proponent’s quality management system is approved, a multi-year contract is finalized.”
The Ministry also stated that they’ve been taking steps to be stricter.
“To keep our highways reliable, the ministry brought in tougher standards for our maintenance contractors in recent years, including requirements to be more proactive in preparing for bad weather and more responsive in clearing snow.”
They added that there are more than 100 staff who conduct audits and monitor the results of maintenance activities.
With files from Vista Radio staff
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