I will give you an example. Projects involving work, repairs and maintenance to be carried out are generally listed on the government's electronic tendering system called MERX. If you consult MERX, you will see that SNC-Lavalin regularly lists construction and repair contracts for federal government buildings across Canada. In almost all cases, the technical documents need to be prepared by professionals before the work begins. However, despite the fact that the work projects are up on the MERX site, I hardly ever see a call for tenders for professional services to prepare the technical documents required before the work is undertaken. How are those professionals selected? To my knowledge, that is the biggest problem.
There are some 10 SNC-Lavalin building managers in this region. I would have to go see them every day and ask whether there were any projects or professional services corresponding to my area of expertise. That would be a full-time job. It is not how things should work. If I do not know who needs to have painting done, how can I offer my services as a painter?
The work that the federal government needs done should be made public. That way, professionals could prepare technical documents required for the work, which would then be done properly. The way things stand now, there are no rules governing how professionals are hired, at least as far as I know. SNC-Lavalin may be applying rules or may have signed an agreement with Public Works Canada. If so, the agreement is being kept well hidden. In my opinion, it has never been put into effect. I have had a lot of work from SNC-Lavalin and contracts from Public Works Canada, but every time, it has been a matter of going to the project manager and insisting that it was my turn to get a contract. Then I was asked to bid. It is rarely because the work was listed on MERX that my services have been called for.