A former contractor with the Reid Lake Campground who lost his bid to renew his operations and maintenance contract says the process lacks transparency.
Cameron Buddo posted on the Reid Lake Campground Facebook page on April 6, stating that he was “deeply disappointed” in the decision.
photo courtesy of Facebook
A screen shot of an April 6 Facebook post shows that the former contractor, Cameron Buddo, is not satisfied with the grading process as to how the operations and maintenance contract was awarded to another company.
Buddo said the grading process for how the territorial government came to its decision seems unclear given his three years of running the park and nine prior years as a camper.
“I am having a hard time coming to grips with an adjudication process which has given me failing grades in staff qualifications and past experience of the firm, community engagement and operational plan,” he stated. “This after two one-year extensions were granted and having been asked twice last year to remain for an extended two weeks at the end of September.”
Buddo’s post goes on to point out that he has also logged more hours at the park than any other individual in the territory, and he believes his qualifications are better than the winning bidder, which was Arctic Turf Landscaping.
He said he has added wildlife awareness, advanced wilderness first aid, commercial vessel operator licensing, and northern guide training among other qualifacations over the past three years.
photo courtesy of Extraordinary Yk
“I have asked for an independent review, but I am not hopeful of any meaningful progress on that front,” he stated. “It's hard to understand the scores provided by (the GNWT's Procurement Shared Services). The fact that there's no way to file an appeal or even review my scores versus the winning proponent's scores is where the accountability is lost.”
He added that being able to appeal or question the scores that he received has been frustrating.
“I requested the names of those on the reviewing committee in order to identify any potential conflicts of interest and they denied me that information,” he said. “I asked for a breakdown of the winning proponent's scores and was denied that as well.”
Buddo said he has sought support from members of the legislative assembly, including Katrina Nokleby, his MLA for Great Slave.
As of Wednesday, the GNWT had not disclosed the value of the awarded contract. The camping season runs from May 14 to Sept. 15.
According to the request for proposals, Reid Lake is located 60 km east of Yellowknife and has 74 campsites in three loops.
