The Auditor General of Québec issues the conclusions of the second part of her special audit concerning contract management at the Ministère des Transports, de la Mobilité durable et de l'Électrification des transports Français
QUÉBEC, June 14, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, Ms. Guylaine Leclerc made public the results of her work at the Ministère des Transports, de la Mobilité durable et de l'Électrification des transports concerning the second objective of the audit.
The size of the contracts granted to external firms, in the context of the Department remaining vulnerable from an expertise standpoint, raises concerns with regard to the Department's ability to properly supervise these firms. This is especially important considering that the Department entrusts external firms with responsibilities such as the development of plans and specifications and site supervision.
For the construction contracts and professional service contracts we audited, the estimates were not made with the necessary rigour. Furthermore, for construction contracts, when the estimate is made by an external firm, the Department has not shown that it ensures the quality of the firm's work.
For most of the audited amendments resulting in additional expenditures, the required authorizations were not obtained before the work started.
The Department does not ensure that objectives related to task order contract programs are achieved, that is, that contracts are fairly distributed between firms and that more small firms can participate. In addition, these programs create situations in which the Department risks paying more for the services it receives.
For contracts awarded in emergency situations, problems regarding cost control and significant delays between the start of work and the signing of the contract were observed.
The analyses performed by the Department to gain an understanding of the markets are not sufficiently in-depth for it to be able to adapt its intervention strategies to encourage more competition. For 11 of the 17 audited contracts for which only one submitted tender was in conformity, the justification for proceeding with the signing of the contract with the supplier was not sufficient.
The Highlights are available at www.vgq.qc.ca. The full reports and the videos presenting the work results (the two parts) are available only in French.
SOURCE Vérificateur Général du Québec
Direction of Communications, Auditor General of Québec, Tel.: 418 691-5902
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