The Town of Bridgewater has been ordered to pay a Halifax construction company more than $22,000.
A bid by S Jollimore and Sons to demolish the south parkade was rejected because council felt they didn’t comply with tender requirements.
The company took the matter to small claims court and won.
CAO Ken Smith says it was a no-win situation.
“Because if we hadn’t turned it down the next lowest bidder who ended up being awarded tender could have turned around and said ‘we complied with the tender.’ So, we were caught either way.”
Smith says changes need to be made to the way tenders are written.
“It’s time to review regulations regarding purchasing-procurement,” he says, “and this will be a lesson learned from everyone.”
He says the money will come from funds set aside for legal services.
