While Bombardier grappled with issues that delayed the delivery of streetcars to the Toronto Transit Commission, the TTC decided to reach out to potential suppliers for its next order.
It recently issued an official Request for Information to ascertain market interest and the capabilities of the different manufacturers.
Spokesperson Stuart Green says this doesn't mean that a decision has been made to find an alternate supplier to Bombardier.
The TTC, he said in an interview with Tbnewswatch.com on Tuesday, needs to plan in advance and determine who might be able to fulfill a contract for up to 100 streetcars by 2023 or 2024.
Bombardier's current contract, worth $1.2 billion and signed in 2009, is for 204 cars. There is an option for 60 more, with no decision made as yet by the TTC.
The company fell behind targets within the original delivery schedule but has taken steps to increase the production rate.
Dominic Pasqualino, president of Unifor local 1075 at the Thunder Bay plant, said Tuesday that it's the TTC's duty to check out all options for the next contract because that's the normal thing to do for this kind of project.
"I wouldn't expect them to automatically accept Bombardier. Obviously, they've had some issues with us in the past. I think we're working hard to solve them and I think we'll be a good candidate in the future."
Pasqualino said the plant will stay in the running because it is already geared up to produce streetcars, and has increased the production rate "dramatically."
"We've hired a lot of people, done $5 million worth of infrastructure in the plant to be able to support that increase, and we're doing everything we can to meet the deadlines," he added.
Company says it can meet any future TTC order
Bombardier spokesperson Marc-Andre Lefebvre is also talking optimistically about the company's future dealings with the TTC.
In an emailed response to questions from Tbnewswatch.com, he said Bombardier "has turned around its performance and we have since then met all our quarterly delivery commitments. We are on track to deliver the entire fleet by the original deadline of the end of 2019."
Lefebvre noted that the company is continuing discussions with the TTC for the exercise of the option for 60 more cars, saying "this would undoubtedly offer Torontonians the best option from a financial standpoint."
The TTC will host a pre-bidding event for all potential suppliers at the end of October.
Lefebvre said Bombardier will be there to "gladly participate in our customer's market sounding exercise."
He said it will provide an opportunity to show that the company is the only manufacturer that already has a vehicle designed for the TTC's specific needs, with the established apparatus to build it.
