Montreal reviewing proposals from contractors

MONTREAL –The Montreal Port Authority has received bid responses from five bidders in response to the Request for Qualification for the design and construction of a new container terminal in Contrecœur.

These consortia expressed their intention to be qualified for the next step of the procurement process. Each bid response will be evaluated based on technical and financial criteria.

A maximum of three bidders will be selected to participate in the Request for Proposals which, subject to obtaining the required approvals and permits, will begin in 2021.

The Request for Qualification is the first step in a competitive procurement process for this infrastructure project worth an estimated $750 million to $950 million.

At the same time, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada has released its draft report on the Montreal Port Authority’s (MPA) Contrecœur container terminal project. The port authority is analyzing the report and has reiterated its commitment to implement mitigation and compensation measures.

“The Contrecœur container terminal project is the largest expansion project in the history of the Port of Montreal and will ultimately increase its container handling capacity by 50 percent,” said Paul Bird, vice-president, Contrecœur.

“Once the bid responses have been evaluated, the qualified bidders will be announced and they will complete their Request for Proposals.  The Port of Montreal and its private partners involved in the Contrecœur expansion project are eager to get started with the consortium that will be awarded the contract to complete this project, which will reinforce the Port’s vital role as an international trade hub for Eastern Canada.”

A long-term project

Located in an industrial zone, the Contrecœur land reserve was acquired over 30 years ago by the Montreal Port Authority and has been the focus of careful collaborative planning to support the development of the supply chain in Quebec and Eastern Canada.

With the support of Canada Infrastructure Bank and private partners, the Port of Montreal intends to develop a new state-of-the-art container terminal to handle 1.15 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) when completed.

In planning for over 30 years, the expansion of the Port of Montreal in Contrecoeur is needed to manage import and export traffic. The new terminal project will support the growth of the container market over the next few decades.

This project was developed in conjunction with a host of local, regional and national partners, starting in 2014. Hundreds of citizens, numerous provincial and federal stakeholders, scientific experts and First Nations representatives took part in both the MPA’s pre-consultation process and the Agency’s independent process.