Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I will try to be brief in my answers. Mr. Chairman, Public Works and Services did write a letter to the honourable Member answering the questions on February 10th. In there, it lays out how this department does the contracting methods. The information is that, when contracts are awarded, this department advises the unsuccessful bidders and there are regret letters sent to the unsuccessful proposers and for the proposals. The officials are available to discuss issues with the unsuccessful proposers and give them feedback on areas where proposers may be able to improve on future proposals. This is how the department advises the unsuccessful bidders. Request for proposal goes out mainly to the consulting businesses, but ten percent of the total budget goes, and it is not strictly based on the financial, it also deals with the costs involved, building quality, project teams, schedules, training methodology on how they plan to do the proposal. A lot of this is weighted in there, so we try to be as open and transparent as we can. Thank you.
Debates of Feb. 16th, 1998
Topics
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 825
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 825
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Ootes.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 15th, 1998
Page 825
Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Are the rating sheets given back to the proposers?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 825
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 825
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
No, we do not give the rating sheets back. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 825
The Chair John Ningark
Mr. Ootes.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 825
Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is the area of contention. I wonder if the Minister could undertake to look into this because it is the area of contention. The proponents want
to see the rating sheets and it would clarify a lot for those individuals submitting proposals. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We will look into it, however, a lot of the proposers submit their proposals on a confidential basis. We would like to seriously look into this. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Ootes.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre
Just a comment, Mr. Chairman. The proposals are submitted on a confidential basis. I am not asking that the rating sheets be handed out to everyone, just the rating sheets for that particular company that submitted a proposal, their respective rating sheets. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. I will repeat what you said. It is just a comment. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Yes, we will look into it. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Project management, page 5-7, operations and maintenance, total operations and maintenance, $87.609 million. Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Vince Steen Nunakput
Mr. Chairman, if I could follow up with my question on negotiated sole-sourced RFPs. The information I have been supplied suggests that the BIP policy has been in place since 1976. It is effective. If it is effective, why would we need these negotiated contracts, sole-sourced, standing offer agreements and RFP policies?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to ask my deputy minister to answer it very briefly. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Lovely, I will allow you to answer.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Lovely
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The business incentive policy is administered by the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. I do not want to speak on their behalf in terms of how the policy is administered. It is intended to provide a degree of preference for northern businesses when contracts are awarded through the competitive process. The only two forms of competitive process that we are involved with are requests for proposals and tender calls. The tenders are awarded almost entirely on the basis of costs, who submits the lowest bid. As you know, proposal calls are for when we are not quite sure how we want to have it done and we want some idea, some creative proposals on how to do it. It does contain an element of cost. With sole-sourced and negotiated contracts, the BIP is not much of a factor because sole-sourced means you cannot get the service or the goods from anything other than one source within the timeframe that it is needed, particularly when you have emergency requirements. Negotiated contracts are not heavily impacted by BIP because BIP is applied when contracts are awarded, when there is a degree of preference needed in the awarding of contracts. The business incentive policy is applied to contracts awarded through the competitive process and is not really much of an issue in those other areas you identified. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Steen, on page 5-7, project management.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Department of Public Works is heavily involved in pricing of projects in the budget to different departments. I am wondering at the time the project is costed out in the budget, how much of that is BIP?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, when the project has been priced by the planners in this department, BIP is not costed out at that time. It is only factored in later through a public tender process that is when it is weighted. However, during the costing, we would look at northern factors like northern suppliers in the costing of the project. BIP is not really factored in until after public process such as a public tender, has been issued. Whoever put their bids in then, that is when this is factored in. Thank you.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Steen.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 826
Vince Steen Nunakput
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. How much BIP is in your overall operations and maintenance?