Talk’s cheap, but not as cheap as the bid…

Demolition’s willingness to say one thing and then do another knows no bounds.

Back at the end of January, we roundly applauded the stance taken by TRC Environmental Corp. amidst the low bidding and undercutting surrounding the contract to demolish the Holly Street Power Plant. At that time, the company – the preferred bidder on the project despite its $24.9 million bid being the second highest of the six submitted proposals – was quoted as saying “Don’t ask why we’re so expensive; ask why our competitors are so cheap…”

Almost exactly two months later, however, and that stance appears to have wavered somewhat as submitted a revised proposal that now prices the job at less than half its original submission.

TRC officials would not explain how the company was able to cut its bid so drastically, but said in a statement that it has “steadfast confidence that the proposal submitted to the city fully satisfies” the bid requirements.

“This is a complex process, and we believe that we offer the best strategic plan and the best value to the city in decommissioning the Holly Power Plant,” said the statement from Mike Holder, project manager at TRC Environmental.

Read more here.