Carleton Martello Tower Conservation, Saint John, Saint John County, NB

Trade Agreement: CETA / WTO-AGP / CFTA
Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid
Competitive Procurement Strategy: Lowest/Lower Bid
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Nature of Requirements: 

Carleton Martello Tower Conservation, Saint John, Saint John County, NB

EC373-182762/A
Johnston, Edward PWB
Telephone No. - (506) 636-4416
Fax No. - (506) 636-4376

Carleton Martello Tower Conservation, Saint John, Saint John County, New Brunswick

APPLICATION FOR PREQUALIFICATION:
Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is initiating a process to pre-qualify Bidders for the Carleton Martello Tower Conservation, Saint John, New Brunswick.

This document defines the requirements for the prequalification of Bidders for this Work. Interested Bidders are required to respond to this Application for Prequalification. Only those Bidders considered by PWGSC to meet the prequalification requirements as defined in this document will be invited to submit competitive tenders for this work during the ITT Phase II of the solicitation.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This project is being undertaken by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Atlantic Region on behalf of Parks Canada Agency (PCA), Southern New Brunswick Field Unit. The Carleton Martello Tower is a National Historic Site of Canada (NHSC) in west end Saint John, New Brunswick, that is operated by PCA. The Tower is located on a steep rocky promontory overlooking Saint John Harbour.  The building is comprised of a two-storey conical heavy masonry Martello tower, approximately 9 metres in height, constructed between 1813 and 1815, and a two-storey cast-in-place concrete superstructure (the Command Post) that was added at roof level in 1941.

The Martello Tower has a battered exterior heavy masonry  wall that tapers from a thickness of approximately 2.25 metres at grade to 1.65 metres at parapet level.  This exterior wall is constructed with an exterior wythe of roughly coursed rubblestone from 300 mm to 600 mm deep, a rubble core of smaller stone fragments, and an interior wythe of rubblestonework.   The exterior and interior wythes generally consist of large fieldstones of granite, limestone and glacial till.  There is limited bonding between the exterior wythe and the rubble core, and no bonding has been found between the core and the interior wythe.  Joints in the exterior wythe are wide, with stone galleting to reduce the width of exposed mortar.  Many of these galleting stones have fallen out of joints over time; a stockpile of small stones fallen from the exterior face of the wall has been stored by Parks Canada.  A parapet wall sits at the top of the exterior masonry wall, with an upper course of squared sandstone units and many large split glacial till stones, with split face exposed and rounded end set towards the interior.  The top of the parapet is sloped to the exterior, with a cast-in-place concrete capping that was installed in 2003.   That capping has flashing installed below joints in the concrete, but has no overhang or drip edge.  Joints in the concrete cap are caulked.  The Martello tower was designated a National Historic Site in 1930, before the addition of the Command Post.  The entire building, including the Command Post, was designated a Recognized heritage building in 1999 by the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO).

CONSTRUCTION SCOPE:
The construction scope includes but is not limited to the following:

1. full dismantling of the Command Post and its replacement in situ with a light-weight replica, possibly reusing some original elements;
2. removal of existing slag fill between the second-storey brick vaulting and the roof slab, and replacement as required with clean material; 
3. comprehensive repair of the 1813-15 Martello tower, including but not limited to the following: heavy masonry exterior wall and parapet; interior brick column and vaulting; windows, doors and shutters; and roof slab, roofing and flashings, and rainwater goods/roof drainage;
4. building envelope improvements to greatly reduce water infiltration and provide good durability to the repairs and longevity for the Tower, including a full waterproof barrier  at roof level;
5. structural repairs and modifications as required to provide long-term structural stability of the Tower;
6. improvements in the safety of the winding masonry stairway leading up to roof level;
7. reduction of humidity levels on the interior of the Tower to promote drying of masonry elements;
8. improvements in lighting and heating;
9. minimized maintenance requirements for the next fifteen to thirty years.

It is intended that the current project will fully conserve the Tower, addressing the root causes of problems and providing repairs that will be durable for the long term.  It is also intended that the work will be undertaken in ways that will protect the heritage value of the Martello tower and that will interpret the 1941 Command Post to visitors.  

At the end of the project, the building will continue in seasonal use as a publicly-visited NHSC operated by PCA.

GENERAL PROCUREMENT APPROACH:
Given the nature of the Work, it is essential that the successful Bidder have the competence and experience to realize the project. A two-phase procurement approach will be followed.

Phase One (I) Prequalification: This application for Prequalification to prequalify Bidders with the necessary experience to function as the Contractor is open to all interested Contractors. The prequalification of a Bidder is based on defined mandatory requirements specified in this document. 

Phase Two (II) Invitation to Tender (ITT):  An ITT will be sent to qualified bidders once the prequalification process has been completed.  Only those Bidders who have been prequalified by PWGSC in Phase I will be eligible to bid in Phase II.  The decision to participate in the ITT in Phase II is the decision of each prequalified Bidders.

Should there be an insufficient number of prequalified Bidders after Phase One (I) to permit a competition in Phase Two (II), PWGSC reserves the right (but will not be obligated) to cancel Phase Two (II) or to modify the requirements and re-publish the solicitation using the same or a different approach.  The assessment of the sufficiency of number of prequalified Bidders will be at PWGSCs sole and absolute discretion.

All the prequalification requirements in Phase I will be carried over to Phase II. To be eligible to bid for Phase II, Bidders must first be prequalified by PWGSC at Phase I.


Inquiries:  All inquiries of a technical nature and all questions of a contractual nature are to be submitted in writing to the Contractual Authority: Edward Johnston, telephone - (506) 636-4416, facsimile - (506) 636-4376, email - edward.johnston@pwgsc.gc.ca.  Inquiries are to be made in writing and should be received no less than five (5) calendar days prior to the closing date to allow sufficient time to respond.

Firms intending to submit tenders on this project should obtain tender documents through the Government Electronic Tendering System (GETS). Addenda, when issued, will be available on GETS.  Standard terms and conditions for this procurement are incorporated by reference, and form part of the tender and contract documents. The standard documents are issued by Public Works and Government Services and may be viewed at buyandsell.gc.ca.

BID RECEIVING:
Sealed bids will be received at:  
Public Works and Government Services Canada, 
Bid Receiving Unit
189 Prince William Street, Room 405
Saint John, NB
E2L 2B9


This PWGSC office provides procurement services to the public in both official languages


Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.