The Auditor General of Québec issues the conclusions of her audit concerning the government of Québec's electronic call for tenders system - Press Release no. 7

QUÉBEC, May 25, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, Ms. Guylaine Leclerc makes public the report entitled Value-for-Money Audit (spring 2016). In Chapter 7, she makes known the results of her audit at four entities and at the Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor (SCT).

For two of the audited entities, contracts worth $4.4 million are not entered in the electronic call for tenders system (SEAO). Moreover, although the information published by the four entities in the SEAO is exact, some information is not published, and when it is, it is not always posted in a timely manner.

The control and monitoring mechanisms related to the publication of information by the audited entities in the SEAO are sometimes incomplete or missing. This does not promote the quality of the information posted or its timely publication. In addition, even if the SCT has put in place different procedures for verifying and validing the quality of information published in the SEAO, they need to be strengthened.

The business model used by the SCT for developing and operating the SEAO raises questions.

• With the exception of the component related to the electronic tender functionality, no business case was found, including an analysis of the risks and costs, for the calls for tenders launched in 2002 and 2011.
• There is a significant delay of nearly three years in the delivery of the electronic tender functionality, to be integrated into the SEAO, which was initially planned for June 2013.
• The SCT carries out little monitoring and few controls with the selected firm, including for risks of authorized and unauthorized access, where relevant, to lists of suppliers having ordered call for tender documents, which are hosted on the firm's server.
• The business model increases the risk of dependency on the firm that won the 2002 and 2011 calls for tenders. This situation will be of greater concern at the end of the contract in 2019, when the electronic tender functionality will be integrated into the SEAO.

The full report is available only in French.

Source:

Lucie Roy, Director Cabinet, communications et affaires stratégiques Auditor General of Québec Tel.: [phone]

SOURCE Vérificateur Général du Québec

Lucie Roy, Director, Cabinet, communications et affaires stratégiques, Auditor General of Québec, Tel.: [phone]