The City of Swift Current has secured a contractor to help the Light & Power Department with a variety of projects over the next three years.

Swift Current city council approved a deal between the City and PMP Powerline Construction at Monday night's council meeting.

One of the big projects that the Assiniboia-based company will help with is the city's downtown overhead-to-underground power line conversion.

"We're scheduled for two years remaining if we maintain our current pace," Mitch Minken, the City's general manager of infrastructure and operations, told council. "This would get us to the end of that project and leave us a little bit of room if, for some reason, we have a delay or other work."

According to Minken, PMP Powerline Construction has been working with the City for about 20 years now and have assisted with the overhead-to-underground power line conversion project in the past.

"PMP requires a location to work during the spring break-up period, and the City requires some construction work to be done," he said. "Based on this timing, PMP has provided the City with preferred pricing. We've previously tendered annual construction and PMP has either been the low bidder or we've received no alternate bids."

PMP Powerline Construction will make their service available to the City at any time during the three years, and they will help if emergency situations arise due to a storm.

No dollar figure was committed in the agreement, but the City has budgeted $250,000 in the 2019 capital budget for contract work, and past contract amounts with PMP Powerline Construction were around $200,000 per year.

PMP Powerline Construction will get a six per cent rate increase over the three-year deal, with three per cent coming in 2019, two per cent in 2020, and one per cent in 2021.