Development of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec engineering firm audit program: Québec government departments and public bodies to serve as observers

MONTREAL, Dec. 18, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The development of the new program to audit consulting engineering firms by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec passed a new milestone in recent weeks with the formation of a committee charged with defining the standards framework on which the audits will be based. This committee includes observers from two Québec government departments and four public bodies: Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), Commissaire au lobbyisme du Québec, Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ), Office des professions du Québec (OPQ), Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor and the Unité permanente anti-corruption (UPAC). As observers, the representatives of these departments and bodies will be able to provide advice to the OIQ and the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ).

"To better protect the public, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec intends to provide a framework for enterprises offering engineering services and is currently developing a program for that purpose. The contribution of these departments and public bodies to the development of the program will make it even more robust and we thank them for their collaboration on this initiative, which will extend the limits of the Québec professional system," announced OIQ President Daniel Lebel, Eng., FEC, PMP.

The companies that participate in the program will pay its costs and have a voice on this committee through representatives of the Association des ingénieurs-conseils du Québec (AICQ), including three of its consulting engineering firm members.

Last October, the OIQ announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with the BNQ on drafting specifications covering ethics, professional practice, the contract award and management process and business development. These private specifications will be used as the basis for audits to be conducted by the OIQ of those consulting engineering firms that agree to participate in this voluntary program. The firms that satisfy the criteria defined in the private specifications will be certified by the OIQ.

About the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec

Founded in 1920, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec has a membership of more than 60,000 engineering professionals in all fields except forest engineering. The mission of the OIQ is to ensure the protection of the public by supervising the practice of the profession within the framework of its constituent laws and ensure that the profession serves the public interest. For more information, go to http://www.oiq.qc.ca.

SOURCE: Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec

Patrick Leblanc
Direction des communications et des affaires publiques
Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
514 845-6141 ou 1 800 461-6141, poste 3253