Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the Member pointed out some very important facts, in particular, in regard to contractors' bids being put in on time and the department's position on whether they be considered or not. In the Member's own words, on whether or not they missed the boat. In this situation everybody missed the boat, including NTCL. They did not have registration in time when the bids closed. They were not registered as a manufacturer. They made an effort to, but it was not in time. The other person that did not put their bid in time we treated the same way. It was not accepted. What we did was we put invitational tenders to three companies that could respond. We closed the bids for July 4th. This would allow for the project to still go forward in time.
It is unfortunate that NTCL's bid was opened, but that is part of the game. They get opened the minute we open the bids. They are posted. They are public knowledge. I think what the Member did here, he very clearly identified the problem the department faces in trying to be fair with everybody. That is why we try to stay within the policy because that is the only backup we have on whether we are treating contractors fairly. We must abide as closely by the policy as possible, within reason. So far we have not had to go outside of reason. All I can offer as a response to the Member and the committee, Mr. Chairman, is that the department is making its best efforts to abide by the rules and keep projects on time. That is what we are trying to do, Thank you.