In a previous post I was certain that this contract would be awarded to the local plant. Politics. Turns out I was wrong.
The Ontario Government went with the lowest bidder, which is how these tenders are supposed to go provided the winning company is capable of fulfilling the terms of the contract.
When a contract of this magnitude is in your backyard, a company such as Alstom should have sharpened its pencils and submitted a bid that would win. The company is here after all.
It looks to me that the local plant has forgot how to be competitive. If the company can’t win a contract in its own backyard, bidding against companies located on the other side of the world, it has no chance in the global marketplace. None.
Its future appears to depend solely on the kindness of the Ontario Government, Canadian content requirements, the TTC and Metrolink. That is it.
Has the company priced themselves out of the market? Looks like it. Stick a fork in it. Its done.