The awarding of contracts without calls for tenders allowed during the pandemic increased the health network’s dependence on certain suppliers, such as the appointment platform Clic Santé, whose contracts were subsequently renewed without the market having been solicited, says a report by the Auditor General of Quebec.
The document, tabled Thursday in the National Assembly, notes that in the context where the Ministry of Health does not own the platform, there is a risk of dependence on the company providing the service.
“The current supplier has an advantage over other potential suppliers, in particular because it received $1.3 million to adjust its platform to the needs of the ministry. And if the latter signs a long-term contract with the supplier, this service will never have been the subject of a call for tenders and no other bidder will have been able to present itself,” the report states.
In total, during the pandemic, Clic Santé received 60 contracts totaling close to $16.2 million.
On March 13, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government passed a health emergency decree that gave health institutions more flexibility to enter into contracts without competitive bidding. This provision ended on March 23, 2022.
The team of Auditor General Guylaine Leclerc examined more precisely 29 contracts awarded under the decree to validate whether the use of this exceptional provision was justified.
“In light of our work, we observed that these contracts always had a direct or indirect link with the pandemic,” the report said.
Moreover, the auditors’ analysis shows that the use of calls for tenders is an uncommon practice in the awarding of contracts by the CISSSs and CIUSSSs, even excluding those offered by mutual agreement thanks to the provisions of health emergency.
From 1er April 2019 to March 31, 2022, these establishments offered 73% of their supply and service contracts of $25,000 or less by mutual agreement. This volume, which excludes construction contracts, represents 50% of the value of their transactions.
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