The Editor,
Re. "City contracts topic at Sept. workshop" (The Tri-City News, June 18).
In the above-referenced article, it is noted that the city of Coquitlam has awarded $100 million in contracts to Coquitlam businesses over the last three years. This figure was produced by staff and I wanted to provide further clarification as there is a distinction between overall payments made locally and those made locally through our procurement process.
The $100-million estimate referenced was, in fact, a total of all the payments issued by the city to an address in Coquitlam. Analysis of our procurement records indicates that "contracts awarded" to Coquitlam-based suppliers and businesses - i.e., those contracts specifically awarded through the procurement process - is just over $52 million over the past three years, an average of approximately $17 million per year.
We apologize for any confusion that may have occurred as a result of the original figures reported. And we look forward to the opportunity to meet with local businesses and share more information on the City's procurement process at the workshop this fall.
John DuMont, Deputy City Manager, Coquitlam
