As in many parastatals, IT has caused headaches for Garantie de construction residential. Unable to obtain satisfactory tailor-made software, the organization had to resolve to conclude a series of contracts without an urgent call for tenders. The saga has cost 6.4 million so far.
When it was created, the organization first bought the software used by the former plan of the Association de la construction du Québec for $ 755,000, by mutual agreement. But Garantie de construction residential (GCR) quickly realized that it was not up to the task. Its new quality rating system for entrepreneurs required a much better computer program.
“Very quickly, we asked the firm that created the software, Logient, to adapt it,” explains GCR CEO Daniel Laplante. The renewable contract with this company, still awarded without a call for tenders under an emergency clause, will have cost 2.3 million over 31 months.
But things did not get better, says the boss of GCR. “After months of no results, we decided to recommend some kind of company to him. coaching to help them achieve their goals. “
the coach in question, Bee Software Development Inc., belongs in particular to Carl Létourneau, a contact of the vice-president of finance and administration of GCR, Josée Boisvert, who knew him when they were both consultants for another organization.
Despite Bee’s help, Logient continued to struggle, according to the CEO. At the end of 2016, an update notably caused a computer bug that would have cooled GCR. “We realized at one point that in terms of deadlines, we couldn’t do it. So our whole inspection program was in serious jeopardy. “
An urgent contract
GCR therefore invoked the urgency once again to award a new renewable contract without a call for tenders, this time directly to Bee, which therefore completely replaced Logient. The deal has cost $ 3.3 million so far.
“The company already knew the code, they already knew about GCR’s business analysis and they delivered the goods on time. We were hot, but we had it, then the hourly costs decreased, ”assures Daniel Laplante.
The situation is far from ideal, he admits. “I had a decision to make,” says the manager. According to him, making a call for tenders could have taken a year. Time he didn’t have.
There, at some point, as CEO, you have to put on your panties, and that’s what I did. I know I put myself at risk for criticism, but I prefer to be told that today.
Daniel Laplante
Daniel Laplante assures us that if he had not made this decision, it was sure to fail. “We would not have been able to deliver and I would have been sacred at the door. ”
However, this is not the opinion of the president of Logient, Vincent Godcharles. He says that in May 2017, GCR terminated his contract without explanation. “We have no known reason,” he said.
As GCR had respected the 30-day notice provided for in the clauses of its agreement, the company contented itself with packing up. But Vincent Godcharles assures that GCR had never told him before that his services did not suit him. “In my opinion, the quality was there. ”
More than 6 million dollars later, Daniel Laplante assumes. “A new organization that finds itself in an emergency situation is not exceptional, but we must act accordingly. ”
GCR also ensures that the firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, which prepared its business plan in 2014, forecast that it would spend even more on IT, more than $ 10 million.
Bee president Carl Létourneau declined to comment on the situation.
With the collaboration of Marie-Eve Fournier, Press