Public procurement strategy | Quality rather than price, argue engineers and architects

With an estimated sum of 135 billion in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, the Legault government must resist the temptation to be inspired by the rule of the lowest bidder in the awarding of public contracts if it wants to get its money’s worth, warn engineers and architects.

Julien arsenault
Press

This recommendation is at the heart of the 33 suggestions of the most recent roadmap presented on Tuesday by the Association of Consulting Engineering Firms (AFG) and the Association of Architects in Private Practice of Quebec (AAPPQ), which are eagerly awaiting the strategy on the public markets of Quebec.

Press was able to consult the document.

“The design phase represents a maximum of 2% of the total cost of a project over its life cycle”, underlines the Chairman and CEO of AFG, Bernard Bigras. “Neglecting this phase is […] totally unacceptable. “

The two associations fear that the strategy will pave the way for a bill that would modify the Law on contracting by public bodies, which oversees more than 400 departments and agencies, such as the Ministry of Transport, by minimizing the criterion of competence to select firms of architects and engineers.

In 2018, the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard wanted to modify this law, which would have made it possible to opt for the rule of the lowest bidder – the firm which offers the lowest price – before changing its mind.

“We should not have the ambition to do business with a firm that will work for the shortest time and as little as possible on a contract,” said Lyne Parent, general manager of the AAPPQ. “This is what we find [le principe du plus bas soumissionnaire] in the municipalities and it is these contracts that we heard the most about at the Charbonneau commission. “

Mr. Bigras estimates that the aspect of quality should represent 90% of the evaluation when it comes time to retain the services of a firm. The price should only count for 10%.

With a few exceptions, the representatives of architects and engineers claim to “adhere” to the Legault government’s economic vision with regard to purchasing from Quebec, local production and the more low-carbon economy, in particular.

The procurement strategy must be presented in the “coming weeks”, was limited to indicate Florence Plourde, press secretary to the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel. M^me Plourde did not provide a timeline or elements that would appear in the strategy.

If the lowest bidder is selected, the process becomes more predictable, emphasizes assistant professor at the National School of Public Administration Nicholas Jobidon. However, he considers that it is “completely false” that this practice “obliges” a public body to obtain lower quality products.

“The public body can, under its conditions of conformity, determine its needs as it wishes and it can therefore demand the quality products it wants. And if a bidder offers a cheaper product, but of lower quality, his bid will be rejected, and the contract will go to the lowest compliant, ”he explains.

However, some contractors have difficulty with this approach, which presents “logistical and administrative complexities”, such as the constitution of a committee and the application of the score to the presentations of the bidders.

Salaries and local content

AFG and AAPPQ are also asking Quebec to index the maximum admissible hourly rates for architectural and engineering services provided to the government, which have been frozen since 2009.

At a time when it is difficult to recruit labor, these rates should at least grow at the same rate as inflation, believe Mr. Bigras and Mr.^me Parent. Otherwise, firms’ interest in public procurement will continue to wane.

“This weakens firms in the regions of Quebec,” said the president and CEO of AFG. If I am a young engineering firm in Trois-Rivières, I cannot recruit someone and pay them at the 2009 rate. ”

Prime Minister François Legault likes to repeat in many forums that he wants as much local content as possible when public contracts are awarded.

If the two associations are of the same opinion, they also wish to see this principle applied to professional services, which would, in their opinion, generate more spinoffs, particularly in the regions.

“In architecture, for example, we talk a lot about SMEs for firms,” ​​explains Mr.^me Parent. It is important to help them maintain themselves and cover the entire territory. We are in an effervescent cycle in construction. It is important to support and develop Quebec expertise. ”

The two associations had submitted recommendations in the fall of 2020. They returned to the charge as the tabling of the government strategy approached.