What we want to find out are the rules that govern the government, and especially those that govern Public Works and Government Services Canada and SNC-Lavalin. Obviously, PWGSC is a serious, organized and structured organization that has existed for a very long time and has experience in overseeing maintenance of federal government buildings. PWGSC looked after this until 1999, when it was decided to transfer this responsibility to the private sector.
The problem is that no one knows what is in the contract signed between SNC-Lavalin and PWGSC. No one knows what the rules governing the awarding of contracts are. We do not know what rules or process SNC-Lavalin uses to hire professionals, launch a public call for tenders, or launch an invited tender. In the case of a public call for tenders, everyone knows there is a contract to be awarded and people will be interested in offering their services. If a certain party doesn't obtain the contract, it may be because it did not offer acceptable services or an acceptable price.
If we don't know the process SNC-Lavalin uses to hire professionals and award contracts, it is difficult to offer one's services or assess the quality and costs of the services offered. We just do not know. If the people from SNC-Lavalin are the only ones who know the rules, how can we who wish to offer our services be sure we are following them?