2024 Public Bid Results

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Aug 03, 2023 5:37 pm

Viewing Season is coming shortly. The first contracts are probably already posted on BC Bid, although the real action starts to happen around the beginning of October.

I feel that this will be a pivotal year, similar to the Fall of 2018. The west coast planting industry showed some serious cracks in the facade this year. Bidders need to consider the increasingly-difficult job of retaining qualified workers, coupled with a tremendous increase in behind-the-scenes costs of doing business.

I'll probably write up some detailed thoughts here in mid-October. I also want to find time to do a write-up for the Reddit /r/treeplanting community about how the entire bidding process works. But for now, I need to wrap up an especially long season, and then get a few days of sleep.

jdtesluk · Post by **jdtesluk** » Thu Aug 03, 2023 10:45 pm

I just had a meeting with WSBC today to talk about coming changes in regulation and enforcement strategies. Also reviewed a $50k penalty against a planting company that didn't bring the proper first aid equipment to the block. On top of that, claims data for the sector is dismal, and with some of the dramatic events in the industry this year, I expect a robust enforcement blitz to follow.

I'll say this. Companies better plan on some padding their bids for some significant expenditures in health and safety. This will require investment in training and equipment, as well as allocating more resources and personnel time to key tasks during the season. Regulations on drills are tightening up. Requirements for worker involvement in key processes is changing. Emergency transportation requirements will be tightening up to require an ETV for every workplace with 10 or more people (used to be 16 for medium risk work).

There will be an important discussion in September at the contractors market meeting in Kamloops to review the raft of rising costs hitting the industry. Oh yeah, I heard not all workers may be tickled pink with their earnings, and that there's some sort of inflation thing going around. No more single-use plastics. Expectation of more frequent interruptions due to extreme weather (including heat and smoke), and increased requirements to shut down operations at reasonable thresholds for air quality and humidex. Yup. Job ain't getting any easier, and it's going to cost more to plant trees.

Cyper · Post by **Cyper** » Tue Aug 08, 2023 9:05 am

There's a viewing season that's already upon us - the one for the fall coast season. Jordan - are these ramped up WSBC requirements in place for fall 2023? Is there somewhere we can find a summary of the new requirements and when they come into effect?

jdtesluk · Post by **jdtesluk** » Sat Aug 19, 2023 7:59 am

Sorry for the late reply.

You can breathe easy ( a bit) in terms of timing. The changes in regulation will not come into effect until November next year. I will paste a link below, but can share a few key pointers with one critical caveat. WSBC has not yet issued a guideline to accompany the regulation. This means that some parts of the new regulation may translate into additional requirements that are not clear in what is thus far printed.
Anyway, key points moving forward:
- ETVs now required whenever 10 or more employees are present in a medium-risk worksite (currently 16). WSBC may also require ETVs with even fewer workers but the guidelines will clarify this.
- Pretty much all forestry sites will be considered "type 4" (remote and less accessible) under the new regs
- Dressing stations not needed until 20 employees present (currently 16). This actually makes it easier)
- Multiple first aid attendants required once you hit 20 employees (at medium risk) and 10 employees (at high risk)
- Move to first aid standards harmonized with national levels (Basic Intermediate Advanced) this applies to kits and attendants levels
- Changes in kits to harmonized standards will require addition of some items
- Increased emphasis on drills - more often, and mandatory testing of first aid systems....some people slipped by with fire drills in the past
- New administrative demands around first aid assessments...must review them with workers now prior to work. This is not a material expense, but a process that will require additional time.

I will be going over these points in more detail both at the fall meeting, and in printed format late this fall. As indicated, this does not impact the fall or even upcoming spring season. However, the need for additional ETVs will likely force people to invest soon, given the lack of available vehicles in the market for this purpose.

I will also provide updated info once the guidelines come clear, as that will have a big impact on some of the steps involved with deploying first aid services and managing workers in the field.

Oh yeah, WSBC also expects hi vis all the time now for tree planters. I will expand on that a bit more in the future, but that is the current expectation. I know most companies assign hi-vis on the coast, but some don't so this is important to know.

Cheers

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Aug 24, 2023 3:38 pm

there's some sort of inflation thing going around.

I agree that the main drivers of ongoing operational cost increases which are mentioned above are quite significant, probably a lot more so than just basic inflationary pressures. That's saying something, considering that inflation has been so bad for the past year. I know that I'm preaching to the choir here, but just to give one example, my partner bought the two of us a nice Korean chicken lunch one day this summer (take-out) and it came to EIGHTY-FOUR DOLLARS.

Even worse, I just got back from the drug store a few minutes ago. I was stocking up on basic pharmaceuticals to get me through the next few weeks of planting. No prescriptions filled, nothing outrageous, just some Aleve, Robaxacet, antihistamines, and hemorrhoid cream (sadly necessary after "bending over for the man" for three decades). And the total came to $212. WTF. Two hundred and twelve dollars for basic over-the-counters!! Also, I use Aleve and Robaxacet quite sparingly, so it's not like I bought bucket loads in order to pop them like candy.

This Fall's viewing season needs to be pivotal for the industry.

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Aug 24, 2023 6:04 pm

Also, on a completely unrelated note, why does Plant Wizard on Android have no 30th or 31st in the month of July?

Does nobody else enter block data into the Info Section? Has nobody else even discovered this?

If we had a healthier and less over-worked workforce, there might be time for things like this to be noticed and fixed.

Cyper · Post by **Cyper** » Mon Aug 28, 2023 9:20 am

Hey Jordan - Thanks for the info!

Did you really mean to say that the WCB changes will not come into effect until November of 2024?

Also you said you'd post a "link below" but I didn't see a a link.

jdtesluk · Post by **jdtesluk** » Tue Aug 29, 2023 8:29 pm

In the recent past, some changes in how regulations are applied or interpreted have "arrived" very abruptly, without a lot of warning to adjust.

In this case, WSBC is giving due warning. As of Nov 2024, the new regs will kick in and compliance will be expected immediately as of that date. This advance warning is good in that companies may have to makes some adjustments (fleet, deployment, training, recruitment...) that may take some time.

As for the link, derp. Sorry about that. Here is the link

https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources ... ikethrough

Post by **Scooter** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 8:16 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Campbell River

Contract: PL24TCG034
Client: BCTS Campbell River
Season: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
# of Trees: 423,960
Opened: August 8th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: No
Left on the Table: 5.3%

This contract includes work this Fall and next spring. The Fall portion is 305,170 trees and 43,400 ferts, while the Spring 2024 portion is 118,790 trees and 1,830 cones.

This should be a challenging job, with islands and inlets that have access issues including boats, barges, and heli.

Congratulations to Brinkman for winning the first bid of the season.

01. $548,566 - $1.29 per tree - Brinkman
02. $577,622 - $1.36 per tree - Zanzibar
03. $628,562 - $1.48 per tree - Fieldstone

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Oct 05, 2023 12:04 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting on South Vancouver Island

Contract: PL24TCB035
Client: BCTS Campbell River
# of Trees: 93,960
Season: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Opened: September 19, 2023
Contractor Rating System: No
Left on the Table: 15.4%

This is the first in-contract notice that I've seen about the boxes of unbundled trees that we're going to see on all government contracts in BC in 2024:

"For the 2024 spring planting, expect all spring delivery spruce, pine and cedar seedlings to be ‘loose packed’ with no wrapped bundles in cartons. Cartons will be clearly labelled indicating loose packed cartons."

This was in italics and highlighted in yellow in the "Info to Bidders" PDF.

Anyway, here are the bids.

01. $ 86,229 - 88.9 cents/tree - Chase Fowler
02. $ 99,537 - $1.06 per tree - Sitka Silviculture
03. $100,118 - $1.07 per tree - Zanzibar
04. $101,666 - $1.08 per tree - Fieldstone

jdtesluk · Post by **jdtesluk** » Thu Oct 05, 2023 6:20 pm

Chase Fowler. I believe that is Sapling Silviculture.

I've also been told that unbundled trees are here to stay, and will be the majority of trees in the future.
This will make for some challenges for jobs with lots of mixed species, and could require some new cache management and bag-up tactics.
Some people have already adapted (somewhat to this, and there will be an interesting process of sharing tips and techniques over the next few years.

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Oct 05, 2023 8:55 pm

Here are the results for a bid for Planting in Fort St James

Contract: PL25TJE005
Client: BCTS Fort St James
# of Trees: 2,672,278
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: October 5th, 2023
Left on the Table: 6.7%

High bids for easy ground. This seems to be a good sign that contractors are reading the room, and know how much their cost structures have increased in the past year and a half. But can anyone truly anticipate the impact of bundleless boxes on production averages?

This contract is tightly grouped and will only require a single camp location.

01. $1,399,412 - 52.4 cents/tree - NGR
02. $1,493,246 - 55.9 cents/tree - Folklore
03. $1,521,712 - 56.9 cents/tree - Dynamic
04. $1,556,900 - 58.3 cents/tree - Coast Range
05. $1,638,727 - 61.3 cents/tree - Seneca
06. $1,712,553 - 64.1 cents/tree - Rhino

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Oct 05, 2023 9:04 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Vanderhoof North

Contract: PL25TJE001
Client: BCTS Vanderhoof
# of Trees: 1,921,700
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: October 5th, 2023
Left on the Table: 4.4%

A lot of foresters (both public and private) looking at the numbers for easy ground must be wondering right now if they're going to need to adjust their 2024 budgets upward. I think we're going to see a lot of numbers in the 50's and 60's this year. The market pricing probably needs to be there for industry stability.

01. $1,073,355 - 55.9 cents/tree - Windfirm
02. $1,120,413 - 58.3 cents/tree - Coast Range
03. $1,128,698 - 58.7 cents/tree - NGR
04. $1,137,827 - 59.2 cents/tree - Seneca
05. $1,265,894 - 65.9 cents/tree - Rhino
06. $1,289,140 - 67.1 cents/tree - Folklore
07. $1,885,975 - 98.1 cents/tree - Summit

chez9 · Post by **chez9** » Fri Oct 06, 2023 9:12 pm

Jordan is correct. Chase Fowler is Sapling Silviculture. I was happy to see bids going up, even on fall work.

YellowCedar · Post by **YellowCedar** » Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:29 pm

No wrapper trees:
We did four trials over the last five years with different clients:
-The trees came in layers with cardboard dividers in the boxes.
-Anytime a box tipped over (all the time), the trees turned into a rat’s nest of dirt and seedlings pointing in whatever direction.
-Quad blocks were a nightmare.
-Cache grump and confusion was at an all time high.
-The biggest overcount happened on multi-species blocks.
-Planters would grab a handful thinking they had 15 trees and counted them on their tallies as 15 (but in reality, they would only have 12).
-The overcount was staggering (who wants to (or will) count their 300 Sx/Pli/Fdi bagup individually?).
-The number of culls was above normal.
-The amount of dirt in the bottom of the boxes was alarming.
-Trees dried out quicker b/c there’s no plastic to hold moisture.
-None of those trials were with BCTS. And none of those clients will switch to no-wrapper trees for the aforementioned reasons.
-Everyone did not like it.

Wasn't it just last year that we could only open 2 bundles at a time?

Post by **Scooter** » Tue Oct 17, 2023 6:36 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Vernon North

Contract: PL25TKJ001
Client: BCTS Vernon
# of Trees: 619,190
Season: Spring & Summer 2024
Opened: October 17th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 23.0%

This is 498,370 spring trees and 120,820 summer trees.

I'm trying to find something to compare to from last year, and this is about a 20% increase over the winning bid of PL24TKJ004, although the contracts are fairly different.

But looking at the bids, there's a pretty big gap between Zanzibar and Evergreen. This contract does have a duration problem, where there are blocks that need to be tackled as soon as they're snow free, and others at high elevation which won't be ready for a while. Not a good job for planning smooth production from start to finish. You could almost say that this is a bit of an In & Out Burger.

01. $362,836 - 58.6 cents/tree - Zanzibar
02. $446,324 - 72.1 cents/tree - Evergreen
03. $498,738 - 80.6 cents/tree - Timberline

Post by **Scooter** » Wed Oct 18, 2023 7:15 pm

I've been told that these may be the numbers for the PL25DMK002 bid in Mackenzie

Contract: PL25DMK002
Client: MOF Mackenzie
# of Trees: 980,540
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: August 28th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: N/A
Left on the Table: 34.7%

This job was originally supposed to be planted by Folklore in August 2023, but the wildfire situation made that impossible. Folklore didn't want to plant it in Spring of 2024 at the August 2023 price (77 cents), so the MOF put it back out to tender for Spring 2024.

It looks like this is a terrible bid for Apex. After all, they left a lot of money on the table ($283k). But it isn't. That's an accurate price for the ground. The bids by Folklore and Blue Collar were lottery bids. Yes, it's unfortunate for Apex that they didn't bid higher, because they could have still won the job with a significantly higher price. But it doesn't mean that this is a bad bid or that they misjudged the price.

01. 83.1 cents/tree - Apex
02. $1.12 per tree - Folklore
03. $1.23 per tree - Blue Collar

Post by **Scooter** » Wed Oct 18, 2023 7:28 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Cascades

Contract: PL25DCS100
Client: MOF Merritt
# of Trees: 1,000,000
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: October 10th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: N/A
Option to Renew: 3 Years
Left on the Table: 3.2%

We're definitely seeing some strength in the bids so far this Fall.

01. $644,291 - 64.4 cents/tree - A&G
02. $665,086 - 66.5 cents/tree - Leader
03. $706,773 - 70.6 cents/tree - Brinkman
04. $738,304 - 73.8 cents/tree - Coast Range
05. $763,478 - 76.3 cents/tree - Spectrum
06. $982,109 - 98.2 cents/tree - Zanzibar

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Oct 19, 2023 8:47 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Arrow South

Contract: PL25TFG003
Client: BCTS Nelson
# of Trees: 304,800
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: October 19th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Option to Renew: No
Left on the Table: 8.1%

Bid prices are definitely looking healthier this year. For context, this job was won at 59.5 cents/tree last year. But perhaps twenty-five percent increases in bids shouldn't be surprising considering that bids were essentially stagnant for the past two years, and since contractors are dealing with the cumulation of three years of inflation and other cost pressures.

Also, the situation re. unbundled trees next year is really starting to cause some serious concerns within the industry. I guess the joke now is that plastic bags are still going to be used in the tree boxes, so really, each bundle of trees will still be wrapped in plastic. The only real difference is that now it will be a single bundle of 330 trees.

01. $229,459 - 75.3 cents/tree - Wildhorse
02. $248,081 - 81.4 cents/tree - West Arm
03. $298,342 - 97.9 cents/tree - Zanzibar
04. $315,004 - $1.03 per tree - Evergreen

MikeBH · Post by **MikeBH** » Fri Oct 20, 2023 9:52 pm

Aside from Zanzibar's bid on the NZ, the bids definitely seem to be trending higher, while remaining quite competitive. Not saying Zanzi's bid is bad, just it's the only real 'Wow that's a lot left on the table' bid thus far. The Arrow South job says it's mostly for fills, so probably not a great comparison to last years. Anyone know why the Arrow North results aren't out yet?

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:04 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting at Arrow North

Contract: PL25TFG004
Client: BCTS Nelson
# of Trees: 264,995
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: October 18th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: N/A

It appears that Evergreen was the only bidder on this one.

01. $217,568 - 82.1 cents/tree - Evergreen

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:15 pm

Here are the results for another contract for Planting in Fort St James

Contract: PL25TJE003
Client: BCTS Fort St James
# of Trees: 2,269,759
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: October 24th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 2.3%

Wright Holdings is Spectrum under a new corporate name.

The blocks on this contract are quite spread out, and will require two camp locations. However, Spectrum knows this area well as they were on this contract in 2024.

01. $1,332,135 - 58.7 cents/tree - Wright Holdings Canada Ltd.
02. $1,362,277 - 60.0 cents/tree - Seneca
03. $1,394,898 - 61.5 cents/tree - Celtic
04. $1,471,976 - 64.9 cents/tree - Folklore
05. $1,656,272 - 73.0 cents/tree - Rhino
06. $1,689,855 - 74.5 cents/tree - Coast Range
07. $2,023,796 - 89.2 cents/tree - Dynamic

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:22 pm

Here are the results for another contract for Planting in Fort St James

Contract: PL25TJE004
Client: BCTS Fort St James
# of Trees: 1,939,445
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: October 24th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 5.7%

The blocks on this contract are very tightly grouped up the Tsilcoh FSR. Only one camp location will be required.

01. $ 967,912 - 49.9 cents/tree - Folklore
02. $1,023,322 - 52.8 cents/tree - Celtic
03. $1,071,310 - 55.2 cents/tree - Seneca
04. $1,081,745 - 55.8 cents/tree - Wright Holdings
05. $1,149,105 - 59.2 cents/tree - Coast Range
06. $1,339,682 - 69.1 cents/tree - Rhino
07. $1,379,917 - 71.1 cents/tree - Dynamic

Post by **Scooter** » Wed Nov 01, 2023 6:52 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in the East Kootenays

Contract: PL25TFH005
Client: BCTS Nelson
# of Trees: 900,825
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: October 31, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table:

01. $511,322 - 56.8 cents/tree - West Arm Silviculture
02. $633,633 - 70.3 cents/tree - Zanzibar
03. $731,675 - 81.2 cents/tree - Evergreen

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Nov 02, 2023 9:17 am

Here are the results for another contract for Planting in Burns Lake

Contract: PL25TAS5102
Client: BCTS Burns Lake
# of Trees: 1,512,417
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 1, 2023
Contractor Rating System: No
Left on the Table: 11.4%

Easy ground but two camp locations.

01. $783,234 - 51.5 cents/tree - Folklore
02. $872,210 - 57.3 cents/tree - Seneca
03. $887,374 - 58.3 cents/tree - Rhino
04. $944,530 - 62.1 cents/tree - Wright Holdings

Cyper · Post by **Cyper** » Thu Nov 02, 2023 10:51 am

West Arm, with their East Kootenay bid has taken over from Zanzibar as the contractor to leave the highest percentage on the table at 23.8%. It make some sense that West Arm would take the crown in this unfortunate category as they are a small company with much reduced overhead and owners that actually plant trees. That would allow them to bid lower than a bigger outfit. But it's sad in that it goes against the building trend that will provide higher wages to planters and more profits to companies.

It's also more understandable than Zanzibar's Vernon North 23% left as Zanzibar is very tuned in to the WFCA info and market trends whereas West Arm is out of that sphere and has nothing to do with the wider contracting community.

jdtesluk · Post by **jdtesluk** » Thu Nov 02, 2023 7:06 pm

That bid doesn't look great. More than a few small companies have seen larger entities come into their turf and bid away local work, and in turn have made more aggressive bids in an effort to regain or hold on to their work....and then ended up leaving a lot on the table.

Companies cannot collude or agree on bids, but they can do other things to come together and establish understandings of the market. The WFCA is one such venue for that conversatin but not the only one. I have seen cases where companies will go into competitors areas and bid high....basically just put in what they think are good bids for the job, and not really aggressive bids to get the work. This sends a message to the other (more local) companies that their competitor isn't trying to eat their lunch. It also sends a message to the licensee and the broader market that this is what they think the price of that work really "should be". Hopefully WASI will be alright. This isn't their only job, and they have some strong experience and knowledge of the area to get them through.

Cyper · Post by **Cyper** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 10:33 am

This lower and very aggressive Cranbrook bid from West Arm is a product of the opposite of the scenario you mention above "cases where companies will go into competitors areas and bid high....basically just put in what they think are good bids for the job, and not really aggressive bids to get the work"
Zanzibar ventured into West Arm's home turf in 2022 and took their local work away with the help of the contractor rating system. This caused West Arm to set their sites on and take the Cranbrook work away from Zanzibar (surely the race to the bottom). So now West Arm is familiar with and obviously likes working in the Cranbrook area, much to Zanzibar's chagrin.

West Arm lost their local BCTS work to another local contractor for 2024. Another contractor who unfortunately is not "in the know" about what the current market is for planting trees.

jdtesluk · Post by **jdtesluk** » Fri Nov 03, 2023 10:30 pm

I'm not sure you follow me here. I never suggested West Arm was or has been "going into competitors areas to bid high".

I was instead pointing to that concept as a way that contractors in OTHER areas have maintained mutually beneficial understandings of territory. I've seen this more among smaller to medium size operators, and I suggest it helps avoid situations where Company A steps into Company B's area, and Company B responds by bidding in theirs or steering low to hold on to local jobs.

Being tuned into the WFCA can benefit companies if they have opportunities to develop a shared idea of where the market is or should be - but it's not the only way to steer bids in healthy directions.

The market summit in Kamloops is helpful . Companies don't have to be association members to attend. At the meeting, people share information about impacts on operational costs....labour, materials, process changes, regulatory changes....and Government provides data on projected volumes. , but if you look at the list of attendees, you'll see most of the biggest companies and some medium-sized operators but only a few of the smaller ones.

There's probably lots of reasons why few small companies attend those meetings, including the fact the owners are often busy in the field or maybe busy raising a family and not having extra staff to attend for them. Maybe those "big market" discussions are more relevant to companies that subsist on higher volume, and smaller companies are focused more on maintaining relationships and hoping they can just secure a few good jobs to cover the season. Not sure, probably have to ask the smaller companies to know for certain.

Cyper · Post by **Cyper** » Sun Nov 05, 2023 8:51 am

One of us is confused for sure.

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:18 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Quesnel

Contract: PL25TLH007
Client: BCTS Quesnel
# of Trees: 2,176,560
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 7th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 6.1%

This is a job on the Select list, so most viewers of the BC Bid website can't see the contract documents.

01. $1,064,424 - 48.9 cents/tree - Rhino
02. $1,129,270 - 51.9 cents/tree - Wright Holdings
03. $1,165,415 - 53.5 cents/tree - Apex
04. $1,207,394 - 55.5 cents/tree - Folklore
05. $1,244,451 - 57.2 cents/tree - Coast Range
06. $1,344,332 - 61.8 cents/tree - Dynamic
07. $1,422,026 - 65.3 cents/tree - Seneca
08. $1,537,538 - 70.6 cents/tree - Celtic

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:22 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Vanderhoof

Contract: PL25TJE002
Client: BCTS Vanderhoof
# of Trees: 912,260
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 7th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 4.6%

Back to back wins for Rhino, at reasonable prices.

01. $536,024 - 58.8 cents/tree - Rhino
02. $560,611 - 61.5 cents/tree - Seneca
03. $628,972 - 68.9 cents/tree - Folklore
04. $676,701 - 74.2 cents/tree - Wright Holdings

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:30 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Houston

Contract: PL25TAS5100
Client: BCTS Burns Lake
# of Trees: 722,170
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 7th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: No
Left on the Table: 2.8%

Seneca has been waiting for a contract where the price was right, and they got it.

01. $455,700 - 63.1 cents/tree - Seneca
02. $468,608 - 64.9 cents/tree - Windfirm
03. $489,881 - 67.8 cents/tree - Folklore
04. $588,500 - 81.5 cents/tree - Wright Holdings

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Nov 09, 2023 3:38 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Burns Lake

Contract: PL25TAS5103
Client: BCTS Burns Lake
# of Trees: 1,179,120
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 1st, 2023
Contractor Rating System: No
Left on the Table: 2.9%

A big job for Chase and Sapling Silviculture. This is for the area south of Francois Lake. The mini-ferry!

01. $660,126 - 56.0 cents/tree - Chase Fowler (Sapling Silviculture)
02. $679,554 - 57.6 cents/tree - Folklore
03. $725,119 - 61.5 cents/tree - Rhino
04. $817,517 - 69.3 cents/tree - Seneca
05. $865,864 - 73.4 cents/tree - Blue Collar
06. $884,371 - 75.0 cents/tree - Wright Holdings
07. $993,379 - 84.2 cents/tree - Dynamic

Future · Post by **Future** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:37 am

It's great to see a new small company break through and win a public bid of this size. I do wonder though if Sapling Silviculture will run into any issues getting the contract finalized with BCTS due to not completing a contract of a similar size. Our company has not qualified to bid on certain contracts due to not having experience completing contracts of similar size and even when we won a BCTS contract of less than 100,000 trees we had to provide references for completing a contract of similar size until we received the contract. Has any company ever won a contract but then not been awarded due to lack of experience?

Cyper · Post by **Cyper** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 9:58 am

It's standard practice for BCTS to require every contractor big or small to provide references in order to be awarded any contract they are the low bidder on. We've been the low bidder on a job we've done for many years and still have to provide references.

Yes there have been contracts that weren't awarded due to lack of meeting experience levels. The way around that is to have someone, such as a supervisor who individually has the experience themselves. This is from a typical Conditions of Tender document:

(a) That the Bidder, including a partner(s) or Key Personnel, has previously and satisfactorily completed a project of the same type and size as the one described in the Tender Documents; or
(b) of the Bidder’s, including a partner(s) or Key Personnel, prior employment in the same type of service as the one described in the Tender Documents.

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 1:17 pm

Future wrote: ↑Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:37 amHas any company ever won a contract but then not been awarded due to lack of experience?

BCTS Valemont two years ago.

MikeBH · Post by **MikeBH** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 3:10 pm

It will be interesting to see if he gets it. Most companies I think wouldn't bother bidding if they didn't qualify in some way for the job. It might be close and end up being a judgement call by BCTS as the language is kind of vague on lots of contracts. Some are more explicit. As in 'must have completed a contract of x trees in similar terrain in the previous 3 years.' It's quite a bit of work to bid on a contract to not win based on not qualifying.
Also, looks like Evergreen won the Revelstoke job for about $.86/tree. Not sure why they didn't release Zanzibar's price.

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 3:48 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Revelstoke/Golden

Contract: PL25TKR002
Client: BCTS Vernon
# of Trees: 771,800
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 1st, 2023
Contractor Rating: Yes
Left on the Table: 2.1%

Only two bidders here on a fairly significant job (which means that the spread from lowest to highest bid is probably the tightest on any job in the past few years). A lot of companies have a lot of work arranged already, and are reluctant to push their limits in a challenging market when it comes to putting together an experienced workforce.

01. $658,345 - 85.3 cents/tree - Evergreen
02. $672,238 - 87.1 cents/tree - Zanzibar

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 3:54 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Houston

Contract: FN25TAS5104
Client: BCTS Burns Lake
# of Trees: 329,400
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 7th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: No
Left on the Table: 5.9%

The qualification requirements for this job were more detailed than many others due to the First Nations affiliation. One of the most interesting things about this contract is that it's for a single block.

01. $213,100 - 64.7 cents/tree - Whanau
02. $225,612 - 68.5 cents/tree - Blue Collar
03. $226,930 - 68.9 cents/tree - Windfirm
04. $244,593 - 74.4 cents/tree - Wright Holdings

jdtesluk · Post by **jdtesluk** » Fri Nov 10, 2023 5:06 pm

Some good results it seems. I look forward to more analysis on comparisons with past years.
That Revvie bid had to make Evergreen smile.

That Houston job is interesting too. I would be curious what kind of additional details were involved with respect to First Nations affiliation.
It is worth noting that at least three of the bidders on that job have put a LOT of energy into advancing relationships with First Nations....and not just box-checking and financial things, but personal engagement. .....I say at least three, because the fourth may also have done so, but I am simply not aware of all their activities.

Post by **Scooter** » Wed Nov 15, 2023 2:32 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting on the Sunshine Coast

Contract: PL25TBP001
Client: BCTS Chilliwack
# of Trees: 138,143
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 14th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 13.3%

The logistics on this one are a bit challenging, but Rainforest can easily handle them. The price seems high, but this contract requires the contractor to buy all of the cones and stakes and ship them to the planting sites. For this reason, I don't include this contract when I'm doing statistical analysis of bid averages and trends, as the high price skews the results.

01. $564,233 - $4.08 per tree - Rainforest
02. $639,212 - $4.63 per tree - Osprey
03. $648,218 - $4.69 per tree - Fieldstone
04. $806,273 - $5.84 per tree - Brinkman

Post by **Scooter** » Wed Nov 15, 2023 2:37 am

Here is a contract for Planting in Smithers

Contract: PL25TAS5101
Client: BCTS Burns Lake
# of Trees: 711,900
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 14th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: No
Left on the Table: 1.6%

This is the last of the four contracts in the Burns Lake area, this one in Smithers/Telkwa.

01. $446,361 - 62.7 cents/tree - Whanau
02. $453,669 - 63.7 cents/tree - Windfirm
03. $459,230 - 64.5 cents/tree - Seneca
04. $510,305 - 71.7 cents/tree - Folklore

Post by **Scooter** » Wed Nov 15, 2023 2:41 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Dawson Creek

Contract: PL25TDE001
Client: BCTS Dawson Creek
# of Trees: 545,580
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 14th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 13.0%

This probably won't be a fun contract. Apex is going to have some challenges here. This was one of many that I went to view. I started to drive to Tumbler Ridge. Then I took a closer look at the maps and notes for the contract and said fuck that, and drove away.

01. $579,451 - $1.06 per tree - Apex
02. $655,162 - $1.20 per tree - Rainforest
03. $697,523 - $1.28 per tree - Dynamic
04. $872,472 - $1.60 per tree - Wright Holdings

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Nov 17, 2023 3:28 am

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Kamloops

Contract: PL25TEM624
Client: BCTS Kamloops
# of Trees: 1,131,300
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 16th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 11.2%

This job is spread out from Clearwater to Avola to Blue River.

01. $ 914,076 - 80.8 cents/tree - Leader
02. $1,021,176 - 90.3 cents/tree - Dynamic

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Nov 17, 2023 3:36 am

Here are the results for another contract for Planting in Kamloops

Contract: PL25TEM626
Client: BCTS Kamloops
# of Trees: 1,644,572
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 15th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 1.4%

This one has a lot of fills, and a lot of challenging specs. It's going to require a couple of camp locations, and the contract specification document seems to be full of reasons to fine a company. I spent five days looking at this contract and didn't like it at all. On a positive note, BCTS is covering helicopter costs on this particular job, which makes a huge difference.

01. $1,012,363 - 61.6 cents/tree - Dynamic
02. $1,026,744 - 62.4 cents/tree - Apex
03. $1,104,842 - 67.2 cents/tree - Seneca
04. $1,372,564 - 83.5 cents/tree - Folklore
05. $1,591,450 - 96.8 cents/tree - Leader

Post by **Scooter** » Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:14 pm

Here are the results for a contract for Planting in Williams Lake

Contract: PL25TLE002
Client: BCTS Williams Lake
# of Tree: 2,871,072
Season: Spring 2024
Opened: November 15th, 2023
Contractor Rating System: Yes
Left on the Table: 5.8%

This is one of the largest public contracts of the year in terms of tree numbers, but not in terms of dollar amount. That probably had some appeal for bidders.

01. $1,464,272 - 51.0 cents/tree - Wright Holdings
02. $1,549,246 - 54.0 cents/tree - Apex
03. $1,569,136 - 54.7 cents/tree - Coast Range
04. $1,675,177 - 58.3 cents/tree - Dynamic
05. $1,692,051 - 58.9 cents/tree - Folklore

Cyper · Post by **Cyper** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 2:13 pm

PL25TEM624
"This job is spread out from Clearwater to Avola to Blue River."

Isn't this the job that Dynamic just had as a renewable for the last 5 years?
I believe their bid in 2019 was 57 cents - how times have changed.
This current job is a 3 year renewable, so either Dynamic isn't keen to do it for 3 more years or Leader has a tight bid.
Who'd guess 80 cents could be a tight bid?

MikeBH · Post by **MikeBH** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 4:22 pm

Anyone know why the PG spring/summer contract got retendered? Did just no one bid?

Cyper · Post by **Cyper** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 8:17 pm

Hard to believe that nobody would bid on a million summer trees?
Perhaps BCTS thought the bid(s) were too high.
It looks like they didn't change the tender at all.