There are six proponents interested in doing something with the former Collingwood Terminals building, but there are still several steps planned before a public reveal of those plans.
The Town of Collingwood has been working with KPMG Consulting to seek out interested developers for the local landmark, which culminated in a call-out for interested parties.
The town is offering a chance for a developer who is interested in revitalizing the terminals building to present their ideas through a multi-step procurement process.
According to an earlier presentation from KPMG to council, there's a buffet of options when it comes to redeveloping the building and site.
“We’ll be going to the market to look for interested parties that have the capability, have the experience, and perhaps more interestingly, share the same vision of the town in terms of what could happen with the project,” said Shawn Oakley, engagement lead with KPMG in his presentation to council in February.
After the April 6 deadline for submissions, the town announced there were six responses for the pre-qualifying round.
CAO Sonya Skinner said the town is thrilled with the response.
“We know that our community and council have a great vision for the grain terminals revitalization as a showpiece to our waterfront,” said Skinner in a news release. “It’s a positive milestone in this project.”
But there are many more miles to go.
A staff report delivered to council on March 31 during a special meeting listed several steps and details involved in selecting a developer for the terminals building, many of which were prompted by recommendations from the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry.
The commissioner’s recommendations stated council should remain at arm’s length from staff and suppliers in the procurement process. Council will be involved along the way as observers of the presentations by the interested developers and will help decide the criteria for evaluating the bids, but will not be rating the proposals.
A guidance/evaluation group made up of seven senior staff members and independent advisors from KPMG, RFP solutions as the fairness monitor, and Miller Thomson for legal advice. This team will be responsible for evaluating the proposals.
Those selected in this process will be “pre-qualified” to submit a bid through a request for proposals process which is anticipated for mid-April to mid-July.
According to the town’s news release, the preferred proponent could be selected by August 2022 after the proposals are evaluated.
You can read more on the history of the grain terminals revitalization project on Engage Collingwood here, and the staff report for the evaluation process is available online here.
With files from Jessica Owen
