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On top of consumers not supporting local to save a buck, the city of Brandon does not have a local purchasing preference and will take low ball bids over local companies.  
 
It is one thing if there is not a local company around that can do the work, but I know of instances that local guys bid on projects only to have the jobs go to Winnipeg companies that undercut, yet when all is said and done prices skyrocket past the original bids, which may have meant the local guys were right in line all along.  
 
Heck, I am not even sure the province has a local purchasing preference. I have seen Alberta companies doing big projects around the province too...

I love when people say support local. How are people coming from Winnipeg or Steinbach and still pulling a profit. Nobody comes this far for free. With the economy the way it is things are tight for everyone. If another company is willing to lower prices to get work and still make money at it why not support them? When the economy rebounds and these people are gone then we get to support the locals who are still charging what they do.

I don't think Brandon will suffer that much, towns near Brandon, shop in Brandon.  
 
It's hard to get things you need in very small rural areas, unless you go to Brandon.

The issue of out-of-town contractors coming into Brandon was addressed by City Hall many years ago. The answer does make some sense - if we restrict contractors coming in from other places, then our contractors will be shut out of those places.

what I am trying to say is if we aren't going to use the guys in our area they wont be around ask the local electrical contractors or plumbers they have already layed off lots of there staff. You get guys coming in trying to make a quick buck get in get out there price may seem cheaper at the time but in the long run it will cost more as they wont be coming to do any after service or the little jobs, they just want the cream off the top. Look at the job the city had done for them last year installing fiber networks that company left a horrible mess drive down 1st street on the north hill look in the east ditch the trenches have all settled open all the way along. When I see local guys doing the work it is all looked after usually sod is put in place, city standards call for sod the water guys all have to re sod why not make these guys clean up there mess

Rowdy said "what I am trying to say is if we aren't going to use the guys in our area they wont be around ask the local electrical contractors or plumbers they have already layed off lots of there staff. You get guys coming in trying to make a quick buck get in get out there price may seem cheaper at the time but in the long run it will cost more as they wont be coming to do any after service or the little jobs, they just want the cream off the top. Look at the job the city had done for them last year installing fiber networks that company left a horrible mess drive down 1st street on the north hill look in the east ditch the trenches have all settled open all the way along. When I see local guys doing the work it is all looked after usually sod is put in place, city standards call for sod the water guys all have to re sod why not make these guys clean up there mess "

You also have that with local companies too. Look at the building industry. There are names popping up all over the place, local and out of town. Just because they are local doesn't mean that the service and support is unmatched. If the city is having work done that is sub par the question isn't why the city uses locals, why is the city paying for completed work and not holding back money.

Maybe the city should do more thorough inspection to ensure that their standards are being followed.  
 
Brandon has its share of bad companies, too. I have heard of local design companies that people prefer to avoid. They would rather pay extra to go with someone out of Winnipeg.

So lots of misinformation in this thread. First of the scope of the work is well defined fix bid contracts can only exceed the bid amount when there is a change in scope. Time and material work is always just an estimate and can exceed the quoted price.  
 
Engineering code of ethics dictates that the engineer must select the lowest bid, as long as the contractor can meet the spec. If outside contractor as consistently beating local contractors in price. Local contractors will have to sharpen their pencil, acquire more efficient workers etc. or go out of business. We cannot spoon feed local businesses with work they have to be competitive.  
 
If they close they close, those businesses will pop up again when it is profitable. Let the market do its work and don't continue to support bad businesses it hurts the economy because it enables monopolies that charge what they want when they want. That hasn't happened around here with a particular building contractor has it ?

I'd like to see where the code of ethics states that the lowest bid must always be taken. I am an engineer and work with engineers, at our company we are not required to always take the lowest bid. Price gets the most weighting when considering bids, but there are other factors that are considered as well.

But it goes both ways. While there's companies that come from outside of Brandon to do work within the city, there's also a lot of Brandon companies that travel outside of Brandon to do jobs. A buddy of mine works for a plumbing company here in Brandon and travels all over Manitoba and even into eastern Saskatchewan to do jobs. There's a lot of Brandon companies that do work in rural Manitoba.

ultraguy said "I'd like to see where the code of ethics states that the lowest bid must always be taken. I am an engineer and work with engineers, at our company we are not required to always take the lowest bid. Price gets the most weighting when considering bids, but there are other factors that are considered as well. "

I've never heard of a code of ethics when it comes to tenders and on most tenders, both government and private, there a disclaimer saying that the lowest or any bid at all will be accepted or awarded. Also if the bids are over budget they can cancel the bid.

Meant to say *may not be accepted or awarded* in my previous post.

ultraguy said "I'd like to see where the code of ethics states that the lowest bid must always be taken. I am an engineer and work with engineers, at our company we are not required to always take the lowest bid. Price gets the most weighting when considering bids, but there are other factors that are considered as well. "

Such as? Previous dealings? Quality of work? In your experience, what would justify paying more? Just curious

fdsafdsa said "So lots of misinformation in this thread. First of the scope of the work is well defined fix bid contracts can only exceed the bid amount when there is a change in scope. Time and material work is always just an estimate and can exceed the quoted price.     Engineering code of ethics dictates that the engineer must select the lowest bid, as long as the contractor can meet the spec. If outside contractor as consistently beating local contractors in price. Local contractors will have to sharpen their pencil, acquire more efficient workers etc. or go out of business. We cannot spoon feed local businesses with work they have to be competitive.     If they close they close, those businesses will pop up again when it is profitable. Let the market do its work and don't continue to support bad businesses it hurts the economy because it enables monopolies that charge what they want when they want. That hasn't happened around here with a particular building contractor has it ? "

What is the difference to the layman?

casualobserver said "    ultraguy said "I'd like to see where the code of ethics states that the lowest bid must always be taken. I am an engineer and work with engineers, at our company we are not required to always take the lowest bid. Price gets the most weighting when considering bids, but there are other factors that are considered as well. " Such as? Previous dealings? Quality of work? In your experience, what would justify paying more? Just curious "

Yes, previous dealings, quality of work, references that they provide, quality of proposal, their previous experience doing similar jobs. Basically, we have to have confidence that they will be able to deliver what they claim they will.

If u keep local companies as first priority it won't be long before they know it and take advantage of it and start charging more. And if u have an out of town company coming in doing same job for less money then it a no brainer. That's like you when you get a quote to fix up ur house I hope u don't just call the first guy cause he from ur side of town lol

Really what is local anymore? People boast the "local" phrase when comparing Westman to MTS. Funny thing both companies have local people. MTS still sponsors a lot of local stuff around here too. The local contractor driving around in a brand new fully loaded pick up, winter home in the US, etc, are you supporting their lifestyle or the fact they employ a few local people? How many people shop in Winnipeg or the US because of price? We have to face it....money talks. Now if I can get something the same here for the same or heck even a slight (and I do mean slight) price higher I will shop local.

Is not always accepted, ability to finish the project can weigh heavily in favor of a mid range bid.  
 
Also if all but one company have to travel their equipment too site and pay for hotels for extended periods of time for employees plus trips home a local company would be foolish to leave this money on the table and say no thanks I don't want it.