Construction of a Temporary Causeway-Bridge Connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Construction Requirements
3. Attestation of Assurance
4. Methodology
   1. 4.1 FM Activities and Observations: Letter of Interest Phase
   2. 4.2 FM Activities and Observations: Request for Proposal Phase
   3. 4.3 FM Activities and Observations: Evaluation Phase
5. Reference Documents

1. Introduction

Samson & Associates was engaged as a Fairness Monitor (FM) to observe the procurement process for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal, issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) as a result of solicitation 53000-130001/A and 53000-130001/B. Samson & Associates is an independent third party with respect to this activity.

We reviewed all of the information provided and observed all relevant activities.

We hereby submit the Final Report, covering the activities of the Fairness Monitor, commencing with the Letter of Interest Phase of the Project continuing through the conclusion of the selection of the successful bidder.

This report includes our attestation of assurance, a summary of the scope and objectives of our assignment, the methodologies applied and relevant observations from the activities undertaken.

2. Construction Requirements

The Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued by PWGSC to retain a firm for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal.

In the context of the St-Lawrence bridge replacement project, the Consultant will provide the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge during the period of 2013-2015 at the request of the Government of Canada. The letter of interest was issued to confirm the capacity of the industry to execute this mandate with the parameters and the conditions described in the RFP. In particular the project is intended to allow traffic to bypass the Nuns' Island Bridge while maintaining the current level of service to the public during the construction of the new St-Lawrence Bridge. The Champlain Bridge Corridor, which includes the Champlain Bridge, Highway 15 and the Nuns' Island Bridge, is managed by the Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc. (JCCBI).

3. Attestation of Assurance

The FM hereby provides the following unqualified assurance statement concerning the competitive selection process for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal, commencing with the Letter of Interest, continuing with the request for proposals, questions and answers raised by interested bidders and continuing through the selection of the contractor.

It is our professional opinion that the procurement process for the construction services for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal we observed, was carried out in a fair, open and transparent manner.

______________________________
Mathieu Farley, CPA auditor, CA, CIA, CISA
Partner, Samson & Associates
and
FM Team Leader

______________________________
Christian Dugas, CPA, CA
FM Specialist

4. Methodology

Samson & Associates was engaged as a Fairness Monitor (FM) to observe the competitive selection process for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal and to attest to the fairness, openness and transparency of this monitored activity.

In accordance with the terms of our engagement, we familiarized ourselves with the relevant documents, observed all phases of the RFP (e.g. the Letter of Interest, the RFP, the Questions and Answers, and the Amendments, the selection of the winning bidder), identifying fairness-related matters to the contracting and technical authorities and ensuring that responses and actions were reasonable and appropriate.

4.1 FM Activities and Observations: Letter of Interest Phase

The Letter of Interest, issued to confirm the capacity of the industry to execute this mandate with the parameters and the conditions described in the RFP, was posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on May 15, 2013 and closed May 28, 2013, following an amendment to extend the bid closing period.

The FM reviewed all comments received as well as questions and answers provided during the period to ensure fairness-related considerations were satisfactorily addressed through the RFP document.

Observation #1: The Letter of Interest was written in a clear and understandable manner. All fairness considerations were satisfactorily addressed. No issues from a fairness perspective have been identified with respect to the observations noted.

Fairness Monitor Summary of Findings on the Letter of Interest: It is the opinion of the Fairness Monitor that the Letter of Interest for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal was conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner. In this context fairness is understood to encompass the elements of openness, competitiveness, transparency and compliance.

4.2 FM Activities and Observations: Request for Proposal Phase

A Request for Proposal, for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal was posted on buyandsell.gc.ca on June 3, 2013 and closed July 12, 2013, following an amendment to extend the bid closing period.

Questions from potential bidders were to be presented five days prior bid closing. Eighty-three (83) industry questions were submitted and seven (7) amendments were published.

Four companies submitted proposals.

Observation #1: The Request for Proposal was written in a clear and understandable manner. Eighty-three questions were submitted during the Request for Proposal phase. All fairness considerations were satisfactorily addressed. No issues from a fairness perspective have been identified with respect to the observations noted.

Fairness Monitor Summary of Findings on the Request for Proposal Phase: It is the opinion of the Fairness Monitor that the Request for Proposal for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal was conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner. In this context fairness is understood to encompass the elements of openness, competitiveness, transparency and compliance.

4.3 FM Activities and Observations: Evaluation Phase

The FM has reviewed the evaluation plan and framework, scorecards and summary consensus of the evaluators. The evaluation of bids in this phase consisted of a review of the documentation submitted by the bidders.

An information session for the technical evaluation team attended by the contracting authority took place July 9, 2013. The evaluation of the technical bid began July 13, 2013. Three technical evaluators, employees of Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated, attended the consensus meeting, as well as the contracting authority (PWGSC), and the FM. The evaluation was completed July 16, 2013.

No fairness issues were identified.

Observation: Evaluator tools and instructions were complete, respected the terms of the RFP, were consistent with fairness principles and practices, and were executed fairly. Evaluation criteria, weightings, scores and pass marks fully respected what was established in the RFP. The evaluation was performed as described by the RFP without deviation and bid scoring was done in strict adherence to the stated criteria. Consensus discussions were open and all evaluators were present, and a consensus was achieved on all criteria.

Fairness Monitor Summary of Findings on the Evaluation Phase: It is the opinion of the Fairness Monitor that the Request for Proposal for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal was conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner. In this context fairness is understood to encompass the elements of openness, competitiveness, transparency and compliance.

5. Reference Documents

The following documents are referenced by number in this report and unless otherwise indicated, are available through PWGSC.

Table Summary

The following table includes a list of documents referred to in the report such as the Request for Proposal(RFP), amendments, clarification letters, debriefing letters, etc. Each row is numbered, followed by the document title, then a document identifier such as a date or document number.

Reference Documents

No.	Document	Date
1	Letter of Interest	May 15, 2013
2	Amendment 1 to LOI	May 17, 2013
3	Request for Proposal	June 3, 2013
4	Amendment 1 to RFP	June 10, 2013
5	Amendment 2 to RFP	June 14, 2013
6	Amendment 3 to RFP	June 27, 2013
7	Amendment 4 to RFP	July 4, 2013
8	Amendment 5 to RFP	July 4, 2013
9	Amendment 6 to RFP	July 9, 2013
10	Amendment 7 to RFP	July 10, 2013
11	Bid Evaluation Plan	July 9, 2013
12	Technical Evaluation Worksheet	July 9, 2013
13	Technical and Financial Evaluation Report	July 24, 2013

Addendum to the Final Report
March 19, 2014

Addendum to Fairness Monitor Final Report dated August 2, 2013 on the competitive process of awarding a contract to retain a firm for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal.

This Addendum to the Fairness Monitor Final Report covers the period following the conclusion of the evaluation phase.

FM Activities Related to Contract Award and Debriefings

There were four bids submitted in response to the RFP. The successful bidder was advised of contract award on August 20, 2013.

No debriefing information or meetings were requested by the interested bidders.

FM Attestation of Assurance

The FM hereby provides the following unqualified assurance statement concerning the competitive process of awarding a contract to retain a firm for the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge connecting Nuns' Island and Montreal, commencing with the Letter of Interest, continuing with the request for proposals, questions and answers raised by interested bidders and continuing through the selection of the contractor.

It is our professional opinion that the process for procuring the services of the construction of a temporary causeway-bridge we observed, was carried out in a fair, open, competitive and transparent manner.