The Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) is launching an investigation into alleged irregularities by bidders in a mammoth government tender to retain the services of private employment agencies in the health sector.
For its part, the public body responsible for this call for tenders, the Center for Government Acquisitions (CAG), has just notified all bidders that it is carrying out “verifications […] following denunciations received”.
A total of 240 temporary placement companies for nurses and other healthcare support workers participated in the call for tenders. Only 133 obtained a contract following the award.
The other 107 agencies were pushed out of the market because the hourly rate they were asking for per worker was too high, more than double the lowest bidder.
“The CAG has received various communications containing information and denunciations concerning the call for tenders. As a result, the CAG has decided to preserve the rights of all bidders and to extend the validity period of bids by 25 days, the time it completes the necessary verifications,” the organization told us by email.
“Major Irregularities”
June 8, The Press revealed that the most important association of private placement agencies had dismissed two of its directors, whom it suspects of having committed “major irregularities” in the context of this call for tenders recently awarded by the Legault government. They are Dany Côté and Martin Legault, two agency owners.
The association Private Companies of Caregivers of Quebec (EPPSQ) alleges that they made “multiple submissions” in the context of the call for tenders “via various entities”. This would have allowed them to “bypass the single bidder and single successful bidder rule”.
Also according to the association, there are close ties between 24/7, of which Dany Côté is a shareholder, and another agency, Confort Élite. Martin Legault is the founder of a listed company, First Care of America, which owns the subsidiaries Code Bleu, Placement Premier Care and Solution nursing Pha. These three agencies all obtained different ranks in the awarding of the government contract.
The companies targeted by the allegations of irregularities strongly deny having agreed to fix prices. Martin Legault maintains that he has “scrupulously complied with the legislation in force aimed at preventing collusion” and that his activities are “irreproachable”.
The AMP said so far “at the stage of the analysis of the file” after having received a denunciation. The watchdog of public contracts, created in the wake of the Charbonneau commission, now specifies that an investigation has been launched. “During the duration of the verifications in progress, the AMP will not confirm or deny any information related to the file (its nature, the timetable, the stages, the hypotheses) in order not to interfere with the work of the investigators. However, you can be assured that the AMP will not hesitate to intervene if a public body has not acted in accordance with the normative framework or if a company does not meet the high standards of integrity to which we are entitled. expect,” spokesman Stéphane Hawey said.
“Checks”
In a letter sent to the tenderers, the CAG announces for its part that it is carrying out “verifications with regard to this call for tenders following the denunciations received”.
“In this context”, he decided to use a clause of the contract already awarded to nearly 100 employment agencies to “extend the period of validation of submissions” whose deadline was scheduled for June 19. The deadline is extended by 25 days, to July 14, but the CAG does not rule out having to give itself more time. “If additional time proves necessary, we will ensure that you are informed. If necessary, rest assured that we will act promptly and with all the diligence necessary in the circumstances,” he wrote.
This government contract, on an unprecedented scale, aims to meet needs estimated at more than eight million hours of work per year in the health network, particularly for nurses and orderlies. This is the equivalent of more than 4,500 full-time workers over a full year.
The story so far
December 19, 2022
The Center for Government Acquisitions (CAG) is issuing a call for tenders to obtain independent labor services in the health sector over the next two years.
1er June 2023
The CAG enters into the contract and retains the services of nearly 100 employment agencies.
June 8, 2023
The Press reveals that two agency owners have been removed from their positions on the board of directors of the most important association in this sector, which suspects them of having committed “major irregularities” in the call for tenders.
June 9, 2023
The government says it relies on the Autorité des marchés publics to determine whether an investigation should take place. The organization triggers one later after a denunciation.