Montreal, March 15, 2022 – The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and Propulsion Québec, the cluster for electric and intelligent transportation, have released their briefs as part of the special consultations of the Commission on Public Finances regarding Bill 12, Law mainly aimed at promoting Quebec and responsible purchasing by public bodies, strengthening the corporate integrity regime and increasing the powers of the Public Markets publics.
These recommendations follow a study carried out by the two entities in fall 2020; Make public procurement a strategic tool for economic development and strengthening innovation in Quebec. An analysis that aimed to initiate a reflection on the strategic role of public procurement in economic development and in strengthening innovation in Quebec.
The Chamber's brief, titled Public procurement reform: an opportunity to seize to promote collaboration, innovation and sustainable development, was presented by its president and chief executive officer, Michel Leblanc. The brief from Propulsion Québec was presented by its President and CEO, Sarah Houde.
"The reform presented by the Government of Quebec echoes the flagship measures identified in the study we conducted with Propulsion Québec in 2020. In this context, we broadly support the bill and the strategy unveiled by Minister LeBel. We understand that the government wants to put innovation and sustainable development at the heart of its public procurement project, but we believe it could go even further. To achieve this, we recommended that the law be more specific as to the innovation requirement," said Michel Leblanc, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal.
"The Bill 12 will have a major impact on the ecosystem of electric and intelligent transportation (EIT) and could give a significant boost to several Quebec green companies. It is necessary to take concrete actions regarding innovation and sustainable development while ensuring the State’s exemplary conduct. It is no longer enough to simply encourage the electrification of transportation; we must take action by setting mandatory sustainable development criteria to meet the objectives of the Plan for a Green Economy 2030. Thus, Quebec companies in the EIT sector will be able to respond to calls for tenders that will be adapted to today’s and tomorrow’s realities. I would also like to highlight the government’s willingness to favour innovation and local procurement, key elements enabling the deployment of new EIT solutions," said Sarah Houde, President and CEO of Propulsion Québec.
"We understand that the government's intention is to put an end to the systematic use of the lowest-bidder rule. Indeed, this criterion no longer meets the requirements of long-term economic efficiency. We believe this rule should become the exception, while the notion of value and life-cycle cost should be the norm. This point is the subject of strong consensus among many economic actors," continued Michel Leblanc.
"We are concerned about the impact of the regionalization criterion and the possibility that it may harm the ability of innovative companies in the Montreal region to access public procurement. We will closely monitor developments in the coming months and years," concluded Michel Leblanc.
The Chamber's brief is available at this address.
Propulsion Québec's brief is available at this address.
About the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal
With a network of 8,000 members, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (hereinafter "the Chamber") acts on two fronts: it represents the voice of the metropolitan business community and offers specialized services to businesses and their employees. Always up to date with current events, it intervenes in issues crucial to the prosperity of businesses and the metropolis. With the support of its Acclr experts, the Chamber aims to accelerate the creation and growth of companies of all sizes, here and internationally.
About Propulsion Québec
The Quebec cluster for electric and intelligent transportation catalyzes ecosystem actors around concerted projects aimed at positioning Quebec among the world leaders in the development and deployment of electric and intelligent transportation, to the benefit of Quebec’s economy and environment. Created in 2017, Propulsion Québec today counts more than 250 members from different sectors and deploys its resources across six distinct workstreams aimed at developing and supporting innovative projects. The cluster benefits from the financial support of the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM), ATTRIX, Mouvement Desjardins, Fasken, the FTQ Solidarity Fund, Hydro-Québec and Québecor.
Source
Anne-Sophie DesRoches
Consultant, Media Relations, CCMM
Tel.: 514 238-1825
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chambremontreal
Twitter: @chambremontreal
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