Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am very pleased to appear before you today with my counterparts from TBS and DND as part of your study of the Auditor General's Fall 2009 report, in particular, the chapter on Acquiring Military Vehicles for Use in Afghanistan.
As the Auditor General Office observed, PWGSC provided, together with DND, urgently needed vehicles to the Canadian Forces in three of the four projects examined, with the projects being completed in months rather than years.
Public Works successfully implemented strategies, again with DND, to fast-track the contracting processes, and we managed the two competitive contracting processes that were examined in compliance with applicable contracting policies.
The only issue observed for Public Works and Government Services was the clarity of information to senior officials. However, the Auditor General also noted that given the urgent operational requirements of National Defence, the few problems found in the competitive process were somewhat understandable.
Only one of the AG's five recommendations was directed to Public Works and Government Services, and it was shared jointly with DND. The department accepts the recommendation that Public Works and National Defence “should examine lessons learned in contracting for urgent operational requirements that could be applied to help speed up the regular procurement process.” We agree with the Auditor General that highlighting the successful aspects of this procurement could benefit future procurement processes.
The departmental action plan, which has been shared with the committee and the Auditor General, includes a detailed review of the steps, procurement activities, actions, and processes that led to the timely acquisition of the military vehicles examined in the audit. I am pleased to report that the lessons learned from this audit are being used by the acquisition branch of the Public Works and Government Services to improve their regular procurement processes.
I'll be happy to answer your questions. Thank you.