Overpriced tenders delay city’s installation of permanent multipurpose pavilion for Diggers & Dealers

It will be business as usual at this year’s Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum, with tender cost issues delaying the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s plan to install a permanent pavilion at the Goldfields Arts Centre.

The city announced during last year’s forum it had made a budget allocation of $3.5 million for a multipurpose events pavilion at the centre, with mayor Glenn Wilson at the time saying it was testament to the city’s commitment to ensuring it remained an ideal host for the forum into the future.

While no firm timeframe was set for the installation of the pavilion, the city has recently advised Diggers & Dealers it would not be in place for this year’s event.

In a report to next week’s council meeting, the city said it received two tender submissions but both exceeded the budget, so the council rejected them at its December meeting with a view to starting work after this year’s Diggers & Dealers.

The report said retendering with a longer tender submission period and a more relaxed delivery timeframe would attract a broader range of contractors and more competitive pricing.

It said the new tender would be advertised this month or next.

This situation means Diggers & Dealers will go ahead with its usual temporary pavilion being transported from Perth and placed in the centre’s carpark.

The report said the city had secured $1m in Lotterywest funding for the project, and also submitted a $5.1m application to the BHP Nickel West Community Fund.

The city’s intention is for the new pavilion to be used year-round for other events.