Three weeks ago, at the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, you were asked whether, following the 23 responses to the request for information, you had approached industry. You replied that, no, you had not formally approached industry for more information.
During that same committee meeting, you also mentioned that the request for information led you to conclude that the only existing aircraft that provided a solution to all “high-level mandatory requirements” was Boeing’s P-8. You then stated the following: As for the process, we went from gathering information to analyzing and then delving deeper into this potential solution, Boeing’s P-8 Poseidon. […] […] the only way to get additional information from Boeing regarding the [request for information] was through a government-to-government military sales agreement.
As I understand it, following Avascent’s recommendation or analysis of the request for information, the only possible choice was offered by Boeing. Instead of consulting the whole industry, a way was found to go straight to Boeing’s information by signing a contract with the government.
Why wasn’t the rest of industry consulted in this context?