The City of Armadale has dumped plans for a new pony cross country course in Wungong saying the Pony Club Association of WA ‘unacceptably intervened’ in the project’s tender process.
Last year the city started a process to find a tenderer to construct a new cross country course through Fletcher Park to be used by the Wallangarra Pony Club.
At their April 11 ordinary meeting councillors were presented with the preferred tenderer Terra Firmer Constructions costing the course at $107,000.
At the same meeting Pony Club Association of WA members raised concerns about the ability of the preferred tender to complete the course to their standards.
The association warned it would not accredit the course if an accredited course designer didn’t work with the builder.
Councillors voted not to accept the tender and re-invest the money in other projects citing concerns over the involvement of the association in the tender process.
Armadale chief executive Ray Tame said the tender process was followed correctly but it had become a ‘minefield’.
“The city is sympathetic to the needs of the Wallangarra Pony Club who operate on the city’s land but found the intervention into the tendering process unacceptable,” he said.
“What was a modest construction tender has been turned into a minefield and council has exercised its right not to accept any tender.
“The evaluation panel determined that Terra Firma Constructions represented the most advantageous tender to the city with the greatest level of formal qualifications, resources and experience in the area of building and construction works.
“The city would ensure it met with the appropriate equestrian standards before handover and contract completion.”
Mr Tame said it would have been preferable the association remained independent of the tender process.
“While we accept the Pony Club Association of WA is an appropriate stakeholder to be consulted they are not the determinant of who the city should hire or on the satisfactory performance of the contract,” he said.
The city was providing further information to councillors on this tender process.
The association was contacted.
