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The City of Swift Current is handing over management and quality control of their yearly asphalt and concrete program to a consulting agency.

Genivar provided design and tendering services for the program and is now being asked to provide construction engineering services for the program as well.

"It's one of the largest contracts that has ever been done in the city of Swift Current," said City General Manager of Infrastructure and Operations Mitch Minken. "Brought Genivar on board to assist in ensuring that we get good quality production out of our contractor."

He noted Genivar will be conducting engineering services, contract management, quality assurance and post construction inspection and documentation.

Mitch Minken Interview"Mostly quality control," Minken said. "Both quality control of the end product but also quality control of the actual work that is being done in terms of traffic accomodating and all those good things in terms of getting a project of that size done."

The city used to conduct those services themselves in conjunction with the contractor, but felt that wasn't the best practice with a project of this scope.

"Because of the size of this project we just didn't have the resources to be able to properly monitor this project."

Ashphalt and concrete programs include upgrades to sidewalks and streets, as well as paving and preparing new streets.

The city is paying Genivar $73,000 to manage the contract.  They noted that is just over 2% of the cost of the contract, while construction engineering fees can be as much as 10% of a contract at times. The city added they got the work at a value cost in part because Genivar is local and that eliminates travel and accomodation costs.

Minken noted they did the same type of thing when managing the renovations to the water treatment plant.