In this previous blog post I raised a few questions about the process behind the city of Winnipeg awarding two property management contracts. I've since learned that the city is in fact claiming the 2008 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) gave them the authority to do so.

However, as I also noted in that blog post, three commercial real estate firms in Winnipeg that I spoke with indicated they did not submit property management rates as part of their 2008 RFQ bids as they were under the impression the RFQ was for buying and selling commercial properties. The firms weren't approached to do property management work either.

Well, since that time I spoke with two more large commercial real estate firms operating in Winnipeg and asked if they supplied property management rates along with their bids and the answer again was "no." They weren't contacted to do property management work for the city either.

When calling each of the five firms, I noted that I work for a taxpayers watchdog organization and was trying to determine what the concerns are within the industry about the real estate division down at city hall. After all, the mistakes at city hall are well known, but the some of the rumours are downright troubling.

Unfortunately, so was the response from industry reps I spoke with. If there was a way to sum up what I heard, here it is - there is no confidence in the city's real estate division. None. Zero.

Are other big firms confident with the system? Perhaps. But when five big ones express such deep rooted concerns with the system...well, the real estate troubles at city hall are much bigger than a fire hall land swap.