The City of Greater Sudbury issued the Design-Build RFP (DB RFP) for the city’s planned new Greater Sudbury Event Centre. In 2017, the City issued a Request for Supplier Qualification (RFSP), and three teams were shortlisted for the RFP Process:
1. Ball/TESC Construction Inc. (Joint Venture)/Architecture 49 Inc.
2. EllisDon Corporation/BBB Architects Toronto Inc., in conjunction with J. L. Richards & Associates Limited
3. PCL Constructors Canada Inc./Parkin Architects Ltd.
A Compliance Team consisting of city staff, specialist consultants, and a fairness monitor will oversee the Design-Build Process.
Following the RFP, the city will select one of the teams to be awarded the contract for the design and construction of the Event Centre and the surrounding site.
The Design-Build procurement process is expected to be complete early in Q3 2022. Council approval of the final Event Centre budget is required prior to the final award of the DB RFP. Construction of the Event Centre is expected to be complete in 2025.
In the next several days, the City will also issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) from short-listed firms wanting to operate and manage the Event Centre. This is the second step in a two-part procurement process. In November 2021, the City issued a Request for Pre-qualification (RFPQ) and two firms were shortlisted:
• ASM Global; and
• OVG Facilities, LLC.
After a review of their proposals, one of these experienced, internationally-connected firms will be selected to provide input in the Event Centre’s final design, maximize revenue, minimize operating costs, increase venue programming, and work toward meeting the City’s goals as outlined in the Community Energy and Emissions (CEEP) Plan.
The Services the operator will provide will include the management, operations, marketing, and programming of the 5,800-seat multi-purpose Event Centre. This process is expected to be complete, with an operator in place by early Q2 2022, but that timeline is subject to change. The selection of the Venue Operator is subject to City Council approval.
The new Event Centre has been endorsed by Greater Sudbury City Council as one of four priority projects. It will feature comfortable seating, modern dressing rooms, vehicle access to the event floor and ample parking. The Event Centre will be located on the Kingsway and will be co-developed and sited alongside a casino and hotel in what has become known as the Kingsway Entertainment District.
Construction of the Event Centre will begin when the final design is complete, with a planned opening expected in 2025.
The following are estimated next steps for the project. These dates are preliminary and subject to change:
• Site preparation (early Q3 2022, subject to Project Completion Agreement approval)
• Road and intersection construction, plus storm water management pond (Q2 2023)
• Event Centre construction start (Q4 2022+)
Featured image: (City of Greater Sudbury)
