Under the Drinking Water Safety Act (DWSA) public and semi-public water systems are required to submit water samples to a laboratory for bacteriological analysis. As time (less than 30 hours) and temperature (2-10°C) constraints are making the transport of samples from northern water systems to an accredited laboratory in Winnipeg difficult, the Office of Drinking Water is issuing this negotiated tendering process for the setup of a bacteriological testing facility located in Northern Manitoba.
The facility must be accredited for bacteriological testing with Standards Council of Canada or equivalent or become accredited within two (2) years of the Commencement date of the contract.
The Laboratory must have a Sample receiving area easily accessible to communities in Northern Manitoba. Couriers should be able to deliver Samples within 30 hours shipping time. The City of Thompson is the most logical location. Other locations will be considered if they provide reasonable access to the appropriate Water Systems. Accuracy and rapid turnaround of analytical results are fundamental to Office of Drinking Water’s ability to efficiently and effectively respond to public health issues related to drinking water. The Sample Hold Times, reporting time frames and emergency callout procedures described in the RFP are therefore considered integral to the Agreement.
The Laboratory will be required to provide water system owners with sample containers and Chain of Custody Forms that contain the information specified in Section 2. The Laboratory must have the means to control data transfer and the flow of information in emergency situations between the Laboratory, operators, owners, and the Office of Drinking Water.
Manitoba subsidizes the cost of water systems’ bacteriological analysis for samples required by regulations. All public and semi-public water systems receive an allotment of Sample Credits, approximately equal to the number of samples they are required to collect and analyze. The laboratory must be able to implement split billing, charging the water systems directly for the portion of the sample that is not subsidized. Under these regulations, the Northern Laboratory will process about 1500 - 2000 samples a year for total coliforms and E. coli from about 10 public and 20 semi-public water systems and 20 -40 remote lodges. Sample numbers are not guaranteed and Manitoba does not require Water Systems to submit Samples to any particular Laboratory.
