The Ma-te-Way Expansion project has dealt with a number of issues, from the contract to the project’s scope and more.
Renfrew Council heard from Tammy Carruthers of WSCS Consulting on Tuesday about their third-party review of the project, which has frustrated the town and its residents with millions of dollars in overages and a year of delays ahead of its completion.
Carruthers laid out a number of problems her firm’s months-long study identified, including the fact that the scope of the project kept expanding without the changes being added to the original cost estimate from back in 2012.
She also pointed to the “delegated authority” management structure the town had in place when the project was in its early stages as an issue that led to violations of public procurement best practices and the town’s own development policies.
She would explain that even putting the report together was a problem with how the project files were kept.
Some of the other major issues Carruthers raised were a lack of political and organizational oversight, incomplete or unsigned contracts, poor reporting from the contractor, no risk management assessment being completed, and a lack of a project manager to keep things in check.
While there was some disappointment that the report didn’t directly lay blame on a specific group or person, Mayor Tom Sidney notes that the report highlights the institutional failure of the town and allows council to understand “where Renfrew was and where it needs to go” moving forward.
Carruthers and WSCS Consulting are expected to finalize their cost analysis and follow-up on interviews following substantial completion of the Ma-te-Way Expansion before returning to give their final report in spring 2024.
(written by Kasey Egan)
The Root Cause “Fish,” which Carruthers used to demonstrate the wide range of issues that occurred during the timeline of the Ma-te-Way Expansion project
