WINDSOR, ON – Six different teams made up of Canadian, American and international companies have offered up their services to built the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), which is managing the project to build the span connecting Windsor, ON and Detroit, MI, announced on Wednesday it received a strong response to its request for qualifications (RFQ) it made in July.

“The private sector has shown a vibrant interest in working on the Gordie Howe International Bridge project,” said Mark McQueen, chairman of the WDBA Board of Directors.

This development is part of the first stage in a two-part procurement process.

The next steps in procurement process is to select a private-sector proponent partner, including an evaluation of the RFQ responses by a team comprised of WDBA officials, partner organizations and experts overseen by an independent fairness monitor.

The three highest scoring qualified respondents will be invited to participate in the Request for Proposals (RFP), which will be released by the end of this calendar year.

“Although site preparation has already begun for the eventual construction of the new Canadian Customs plaza, businesses and travelers on both sides of the border understand that the completion of the new bridge is dependent upon the successful conclusion of the pending RFP process,” said McQueeen.

Construction of the bridge is expected to start in 2017 with completion set for 2020.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) is a not-for-profit Canadian Crown corporation created to manage the procurement process for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge through a public-private partnership and will set and collect all tolls.