Maybe I'll start, Mr. Chair, and others obviously may wish to chime in.
The way the government works, there is a policy in procurement that outlines the rules—a Treasury Board policy. PSPC would then have additional guidance that impacts contracting roles.
As a manager, if you wish to put a contract in place, you are typically dealing with a contracting expert. They're the people who would ensure that the policies are complied with, etc. You then have internal audit, who can take a look at whatever contract they like, and the same goes for the Office of the Auditor General: they are free to pick whatever they want to pick to do audits.
The additional piece that you'll see in the public sector is transparency. There is a great deal of disclosure that goes around our contracts. You will thus see sole-source contracts, etc., disclosed on a quarterly basis. My experience is that this transparency piece is as effective a control as all the others put together, because realizing that this is going to be public makes people stop and think.
Don't, therefore, lose sight of that transparency piece. I would tell you that it's probably the biggest difference between the government and the private sector.