For NSEs, again, we do industry engagement, and a client department may start to form the opinion that, because of the nature of the procurement, because of what they're buying, because of concerns about national security, they may want to invoke a national security exception.
Our lawyers are involved. We have a group dedicated to reviewing these requests, to looking at precedents, and to making sure that this is in line with government policy. They look at the Treasury Board guidelines and they will challenge it all along the way. If they are satisfied that the request is valid, it will go all the way to the assistant deputy minister or equivalent in that organization who will then write to me and make the request, setting out all of the reasons for it and seeking my permission to invoke.
I will also then do my own challenge function and, if satisfied, I will invoke the NSE.
To answer your question about a request to sole-source, that is also challenged very vigorously. If a government department wishes to sole-source, they have to provide a rationale to us that is challenged very vigorously. In many instances, we will go back to industry and say that there are other business solutions out there, and this should be competed.