Page 63 Page 62 pany Based on the information from the bidders meeting the bidders will develop their tendered bid In some cases such as lar ge scale mine operation developmen ts open pit mine engineering shaft sinking and under ground developmen t where there are only a few providers who can provide the service individual tours of the proposed site are given This visit and the information gleaned from it will serve as a basis for the tendered bid Generally the tender is awarded to the company with the lowest cost bid but this may not always be the case In certa in situations cost is an impor tant considerat ion but not the only one For examp le a company that has a higher cost bid but also provides a greater range of expertise and capa bility may be selected even though it was not the lowest bidder The bottom line is the job has to be done to speci fcations on cost and on time Each company has a purchasing and supply department or similar named departments that contractors can call to get more information on how its purchasing and supply system works The Meet the Purchasers event helped to provide direct access to the pur chasing and supply representatives of the mining companies and the lar ge contractors who require subcontrac tors After the presentations were over the tables of the respective companies were buzzing with activity as poten tial supply and service providers and subcontractors swarmed around the company rep for more information as they looked for business The T im mins area is a rich source of supplies and service providers because of its long tradition of service and experi ence in mining One or ganization that provided a unique service to both mining com panies and lar ge scale contractors is Northern Colle ge of Arts and T ech nology which of fers valued courses in mining related studies Education is increasingly the number one concern as veteran mining of fcials retire New well educated re placements are in demand Courses related specifcally to mining include Mining Engineering T echnology En gineering T echnology and T rades However there are many courses of fered that are pertinent to mining and also have wider application eg Con struction and Maintenance Electrician Apprenticeship and Heavy Equip ment Operator Contd from pg 61 T immins ar ea a rich sour ce of supplies and service