Surrey procures 4 trucks from Chilliwack dealership for $1.6M

Surrey procures 4 trucks from Chilliwack dealership for $1.6M Published 9:30 am Thursday, July 16, 2026 The City of Surrey has bought four medium-duty trucks from a Chilliwack dealership for $1,609,186.43, raising questions from a councillor why they...

Surrey procures 4 trucks from Chilliwack dealership for $1.6M Published 9:30 am Thursday, July 16, 2026 The City of Surrey has bought four medium-duty trucks from a Chilliwack dealership for $1,609,186.43, raising questions from a councillor why they weren’t procured from a Surrey dealership. Scott Neuman, Surrey’s general manager of engineering, told council in a corporate report on July 13 these will replace 16-year-old trucks that have seen better days and have reached the end of their service life.

Chilliwack Ford Ltd. won the bid, beating Surrey’s Mainland Ford Ltd. $1,616,518.40. “Chilliwack Ford Ltd. provided the low conforming bid, which provides best value to the City,” Neuman told council. “The City has previously purchased vehicles from this supplier and has been satisfied with the quality and performance of their products.”

Councillor Doug Elford asked why the Surrey dealership didn’t win the contract. “I guess my concern is we’re giving the contract to a Chilliwack company,” he said. “The difference isn’t a heck of a lot, really.

“Why aren’t we procuring through our Surrey based businesses?” Surrey’s finance manager Kam Grewal replied that city is “bound by certain pieces of legislation” that prohibit such favouritism. “And in this case I believe the dealership in question might have more than one location and it could include Surrey, but we cannot necessarily weigh that into the solicitation and evaluation.”