The Auditor General of Québec issues the conclusions of her audit concerning the information technology consolidated procurement contracts - Press Release no. 2

QUÉBEC, May 25, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, Ms. Guylaine Leclerc makes public the report entitled Value-for-Money Audit (spring 2016). In Chapter 2, she makes known the results of her audit at the Centre de services partagés du Québec (CSPQ).

The acquisition strategy retained with regard to the two contracts examined did not always yield the desired results. The CSPQ does not have the assurance that the departments and bodies benefited from the expected price decreases or obtained models reflecting technological development.

The decisions made at certain stages of the process, particularly to establish the strategy and follow up on suppliers' questions, were not sufficiently documented. The call for tenders for microcomputers led to nearly 400 questions and 22 addenda. However, no document presenting the arguments or recommendations of the technical committee with regard to the amendments made was found.

The CSPQ did not put in place the mechanisms necessary to ensure that the people involved in determining needs and preparing calls for tenders have no conflicts of interest. The situation is identical to the one we noted in our November 2015 report on professional services in information technology.

The controls enabling adequate follow-up of contractual clauses are insufficient. For illustration purposes, the contracts set out that suppliers can propose only decreases in price. However, the price of 40 options increased during the contract period.

The addition, to the call for tenders for microcomputers, of a large number of non-mandatory options lets entities choose a specific product, which limits competition and does not always favour getting the best price. The controls enabling adequate follow-up of contractual clauses are insufficient.

The controls in place with regard to the delivered products are insufficient for all the audited entities. The internal components of microcomputers are not systematically checked to ensure that the goods obtained are actually those that were ordered.

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]