The request for proposals document issued by the Yukon government in relation to the building of a bridge in Dawson City was released to the public and posted on the bridge's web site Wednesday.

Only two companies were permitted to submit an RFP: the Dawson City Bridge Alliance and Ledcor Projects Inc.

Their proposals were received in Partnerships BC's Vancouver office at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Partnerships BC has been advising the government in developing a policy for using public-private partnerships (P3s) in the territory. The organization is a Crown-owned corporation in British Columbia and has been involved in securing P3 projects for that government in the past.

P3s are agreements between the government and a private sector organization, usually for the purpose of providing public infrastructure.

Now that the proposals have been received, they will go through a completeness review, said Catherine Silman, the government's contact person at Partnerships BC.

The review will ensure the proposals meet the government's mandatory requirements before they're shipped to the Yukon to go through an evaluation process, she said.

After the proposals are received in the Yukon, their assessment period will take a couple of weeks, said Tim Hierlighy, director of policy and communications for Highways and Public Works.

The proposals will be evaluated by government representatives from the Departments of Economic Development, Finance and Highways and Public works, as well as representatives from Partnerships BC.

A decision on whether one of the bids will be used is expected to be reached by June 14, Hierlighy added.

However, the government is under no obligation to follow through with either of the proposals, the RFP says.

Once a bid is chosen, an agreement is expected to be ratified in July with a financial closure scheduled for July 26, adds the RFP.

The government has previously been criticized for not releasing the details of its request for proposals to the public.

During the spring legislature session, the NDP called the entire process surrounding the Dawson bridge 'secretive.'

Premier Dennis Fentie has previously told the Star the process being followed is not uncommon in P3 projects, and promised when there was information to release, the public would have access to it.

'Once there is information to give, you will have it,' he said.

The RFP document indicates the construction cost of the bridge should be in the $30-million to $35-million range.

The contract will enable the winning bidder to build a two-lane bridge that's expected to have at least a 75-year lifespan, the document says.

The objectives of the bridge, according to the RFP document, are to minimize life cycle costs, transfer risk to the private sector, complement Dawson's heritage environment, provide project opportunities to the Tr'ondek Hwech'n First Nation and provide employment and business opportunities to Yukoners.

The contract will last for 30 years, with the government owning the bridge throughout the process and assuming its full care and ownership at the end of the contract.

The contract will begin in August, with the bridge expected to be available for use by the public for Oct. 1, 2007.

The contractor will be responsible for the structural repair and maintenance of the bridge over the contract period. The Department of Highways and Public Works will take care of its day-to-day maintenance, such as clearing snow.

After the construction of the bridge is completed, the winning bidder will receive monthly payments from the government.

The RFP lets the bidder with the opportunity to define how much those monthly payments should be. The RFP also instructs the bidders on what they can and can't change on the design of the bridge.

Permissible design changes include changing the foundation types of the piers, changing the number of girder lines, proposing alternative girder types and the type of concrete cast on the bridge's deck.

However, the bidders will not be allowed to change the location of the bridge, its height in relation to the water, nor its aesthetic appearance.

The appearance of the bridge is not negotiable, said Wally Hidinger, the territory's manager of transportation planning and programming.

The bidders will be permitted to focus on 'internal' element changes, he said.

He added that those are the types of choices that can be made depending on what the company is 'good at' and will allow them to reduce costs to remain competitive.

The Department of Highways and Public Works hosted an open house in Dawson yesterday to present the final design of the bridge.

The design the public will be viewing is what the RFPs have bid on, said Hidinger.