HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-11-002 - Waiving of Purchasing Bylaw - Crematorium RetortREPORT TO: Mayor and Members of Council
DATE OF MEETING: January 10, 2011
SUBMITTED BY: Keith Baulk, Director of Enterprise, 2393
PREPARED BY: Lorelei Eckel-Braun, Manager of Cemeteries, 2964
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: December 20, 2010
REPORT NO.: CSD-11-002
SUBJECT: WAIVING OF PURCHASING BYLAW -CREMATORIUM
RETORT
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City's Purchasing Bylaw be waived in regards to maintenance repairs to the
crematorium retort unit at Williamsburg Crematorium; and that Commercial Burner
Maintenance Limited be awarded the contract to complete the rebuild of the Williamsburg
Crematorium retort unit at the quoted price of $29,860.00 + HST.
BACKGROUND:
As part of the ongoing maintenance of the crematorium retort unit, a complete dismantling and
rebuilding of the unit is required at approximately 5 year intervals. The previous rebuild was
completed in June 2005.
REPORT:
In order to ensure the continued successful operation of the crematorium, service work is
required on the unit in early 2011. It is a very specialized type of repair work, and in staff's
opinion, there is only one qualified company in southern Ontario able to supply this service.
We need to ensure that funeral homes and the families that we serve are completely satisfied
with the level of cremation service that we provide. Due to the fact that the City has only one
cremation unit, it is critical that the unit is repaired on time and in a manner that ensures
flawless functionality going forward.
There are no local companies and few companies that provide this service to Ontario
crematoriums. Commercial Burner was awarded the contract in 2005 when this work was
tendered. The only other company that responded to that tender call was a company that had
experience only with brick installation and no crematorium work. Commercial Burner has done
excellent work and staff has confidence in their ability to provide the service required. In dealing
with the other two service providers in the past, there were issues of flawed repairs and a failure
to adhere to required timelines. As a result, additional expenses were incurred from ongoing
maintenance issues, dissatisfied customers and the loss of business. In this industry, that is
unsatisfactory. In addition, there are liability issues that can arise both with customers and with
the Ministry of the Environment. Much of this liability is mitigated because Commercial Burner
does not use any sub trades. All of the work is completed by their staff who possess the correct
gas and electrical licences/certifications. Other municipalities and private companies have
agreed that tendering does not pay off in this circumstance. The outcome of choosing another
provider who may be a low bidder often costs more because additional funds are spent on
following up or correcting unsatisfactory work.
It is our opinion that Commercial Burner is the only company that has to competency to provide
the long term reliability in this very specialized field.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
Part of Efficient and Effective Government foundation incorporates financial management and
customer service. By using Commercial Burner, the City is prudent in its management of its
finances as additional funds are not used to correct unsatisfactory work. An additional benefit is
improved customer service as the cremation unit will encounter less downtime and delays.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The repair has been allocated within the capital budget for 2011. The total quoted cost is
$29,860 plus HST, which represents an increase of $3,260 from 2005.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
Not applicable.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, Deputy CAO
Community Services Department