The provincial government has announced a shortlist of three private consortiums it will consider for the Pattullo Bridge replacement.

Three bidding teams were chosen to advance into the request for proposal (RFP) stage of the procurement phase, with one team led by Kiewit Canada Development Corp. and another team jointly led by Flatiron, Dragados, Carlos Pattullo JV., and ACS Infrastructure Canada.

The third team is led by SNC-Lavalin and Acciona Infrastructure Canada.

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All three teams have a wealth of experience in designing and building major infrastructure projects around the world.

For instance, Kiewit and Flatiron were the key contractors for the new Port Mann Bridge, and Acciona Infrastructure Canada is one of the two main contractors for the Site C hydroelectric dam in the BC interior.

SNC-Lavalin designed, built, and financed the Canada Line, and it has a 35-year operating and maintenance contract for this SkyTrain line. It was also the main contractor for the Millennium Line’s Evergreen Extension.

However, the embattled Montreal-based construction and engineering firm has been embroiled in numerous controversies in recent years over accusations that it practiced widespread bribery for a decade starting in the early-2000s, and it is currently facing criminal charges for its corrupt contracts and practices.

If convicted, SNC-Lavalin could be banned from bidding for federal government contracts for a decade.

On Monday, an investigation was launched into whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office tried to provide SNC-Lavalin with a reduced punishment. The following day, Jody Wilson-Raybould, Canada’s Minister of Veterans Affairs, former Justice Minister, and MP for Vancouver-Granville, announced her resignation from her position in Trudeau’s cabinet.

The new four-lane bridge between Surrey and New Westminster will replace the existing 1937-built crossing, which is prone to collapse from a modest earthquake or even a windstorm. The new replacement, under the framework of the Community Benefits Agreement, is expected to cost $1.377 billion, with construction completing by 2023.

Earlier today, the provincial government announced the launch of the bidding process for the $2.8-billion project to extend the Millennium Line to Arbutus Street.

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