The City of Steinbach has awarded the architectural and engineering contract for the Southeast Events Centre to Verne Reimer Architecture Inc. for $1,898,430.

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra says this is part of the $42M budget of this project and an important step toward breaking ground.

"Part of having it constructed is making sure that it is designed properly and that of course is what this contract is for. Obviously, the cost of the architectural and engineering services is significant but that is because this is a significant project and one that is quite specialized."

Mayor Earl Funk speaking at the SEC funding announcementZwaagstra notes, the city received 5 bids for this contract and administration put them through a rigorous approval process.

"Looking at factors such as the experience of the proponent, the experience of key personnel in terms of this type of project, project understanding and methodology and of course the fees." He adds "We want to get the best value for our money and we want to have the best events centre design possible. This is going to be the biggest project the city has ever done, this is going to be at the centre of our city, we want to make sure it is designed properly."

Mayor Funk says according to City Manager Troy Warkentin, there was good competition and a number of strong bids, but in the end, Verne Reimer Architecture Inc. won out. He too acknowledged the importance of this contract.

"This is a huge project for our city and this is one of the first steps. This is one of the steps now that shows the residents of Steinbach, it'll show our partnership groups, the stakeholders we are working with, both levels of government, it will show everyone how serious we are."

Council voted unanimously to award the tender at an open meeting on Tuesday.

The new arena portion of the SEC will be built behind the Centennial arena