By Mark Squibb
Beginning this month, it’s going to cost the Town of Paradise more to keep its facilities clean.
Back in 2023, council had awarded the 2023-2024 cleaning contract to Kellaway Construction in the amount of $421,038, HST included. The contract was renewed for 2025, but late last year the company notified the Town that it would not be renewing the contract this year.
That contract officially ended on February 7, and as a new tender had not been issued until December 15, council agreed to keep paying Kelloway for cleaning services on a week-by-week basis at a cost of $14,375, HST included, per week, until the tenders could be reviewed and a new contract inked.
All told, Paradise received seven bids for the new one-year contract, ranging from $239,760 to $571,831, HST excluded. Staff recommended that council award the contract to the lowest qualifying bidder, The Cleaning Company, in the amount of $478,584, HST included. The lowest dollar value bid did not qualify.
In order to expedite the approval process, as the Town was paying for cleaning services on a week-by-week basis, council awarded the contract during its February 17 committee meeting rather than wait until the February 24 public meeting.
All told, Paradise will pay $57,556 more this year for janitorial services at Town-owned buildings.
Council will be able to renew the contract for two additional one-year periods – should both parties be agreeable to the extensions.
The average bid amount in 2023 was $592,562. That actually decreased to $553,312 in 2026. In both years, the Town received seven bids.
