Government Operations committee  No, he was not told to leave. He announced his retirement in January of 2010. It was a planned retirement after a long career.

Government Operations committee  Yes.

Government Operations committee  Let me rephrase that. It's imminent. The appointment is imminent.

Government Operations committee  That's correct.

Government Operations committee  That's correct.

Government Operations committee  I'm going to ask my colleague Paul Morse to respond to this question.

Government Operations committee  Yes.

Government Operations committee  That's correct. I'm exercising the powers of the deputy procurement ombudsman to ensure the continuity in the office, but I cannot exercise the powers of the procurement ombudsman that derive from the legislation.

Government Operations committee  I have been informed that an appointment will be made shortly, so this should no longer be an issue for the office.

Government Operations committee  Imminently.

Government Operations committee  I mentioned during our opening statement that our office has not had an opportunity to review this particular contract, so we cannot express an opinion on it.

Government Operations committee  Again, during the opening statement we talked a bit about construction contract amendments. Our office did a practice review in this area. We looked at a framework that Public Works and Government Services has. We also understand that other government departments now are acquiring delegated authority to acquire their own construction services, and some of the recommendations we made are contained within that practice review: that those particular agencies—Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada, and RCMP—adopt the same framework that Public Works has implemented in managing construction contract amendments.

Government Operations committee  Our office has done a number of practice reviews, and generally we have found that the systems, processes, and practices are aimed at promoting fairness, openness, and transparency. Of those practice reviews, though, we have looked at specific areas and we have made recommendations that could foster improvement.

Government Operations committee  I'm sorry. Can you rephrase your question?

Government Operations committee  You're talking about sole-source contracts--