Québec watchdog orders transport ministry to fix telecom tender

Québec’s procurement watchdog has ordered the transport ministry to amend a telecommunications tender after finding two cost-calculation provisions non-compliant.

The Autorité des marchés publics said the tender covers cellular packages, routers and antennas. Its review followed a complaint about the way the ministry planned to calculate the total acquisition cost.

One disputed component concerned the cost of replacing SIM cards. The watchdog said the cost would be paid to the successful supplier but was based on prices from the incumbent supplier rather than prices submitted by bidders.

The second component was a contingency for equipment damaged when boxes are opened. The authority said that amount was based on an approximation rather than objective costs.

The order requires the ministry to correct the tender documents. It does not mean a contract has been awarded or cancelled.

Source: Autorité des marchés publics (September 17, 2026).

Illustrative photo: User_Pascal / Unsplash License. Cropped and resized.