There was a good study done in the year 2009 by a guy named Tom Bedford at the University of Toronto, which talks about analysis of low-bid award systems in public construction. I'll send you the article. He finds that clients who don't use pre-qualification of contractors for large projects are more likely to have higher cost escalations. Will the contractor complete? Did the contractor miss something?
If we want to have a litigation-based system, all we have to do is always insist on low tender. We support a pre-qualification system that takes into account the capability of a contractor, financial stability, and its ability to manage the work and get the work done.
I learned as a young officer that time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted. I would ask your committee to spend some time in reconnaissance and try to get some expert help on what you ought to do in this particular area.
Thank you for your kind attention.