Tecumseh Town Council has awarded a contract for repairs and improvements on the Desjardins Drain in Tecumseh to Jeff Shepley Excavating Ltd. at a cost of $344,420.50, even though the price came in roughly 53% higher than the original $225,000 engineering estimate. Because the winning bid exceeded the 133% threshold set out in Ontario’s Drainage Act, a public meeting must now be held to give affected landowners a chance to raise concerns.
The project went through three rounds of tendering after the first two attempts each drew only a single bid that was far over the engineer’s estimate. In the third round, eight bids came in, all above the 133% limit, but the offer from Jeff Shepley Excavating was the lowest.
Under the Drainage Act, when a contract price tops 133% of the engineer’s estimate, the municipality is required to call a public meeting. The Desjardins Drain serves about 335 acres of land in Tecumseh and Windsor, and property owners in the watershed will shoulder the cost through assessments. Landowners include farms, the Greater Essex County District School Board, and the Essex Region Conservation Authority.
Construction cost inflation continues to hit local infrastructure work. Tecumseh reported in early 2025 that rising prices had pushed another project millions over budget. The drain work will be handled by Jeff Shepley Excavating, a family-run company based in Essex, Ontario, with over 45 years of experience in heavy civil construction. The original estimate was prepared by the consulting firm Dillon Consulting Limited.
