Opinion
Fairness put on back burner for infrastructure procurement
By Toon Dreessen March 24, 2021
Every day, we make hiring decisions based on clear expectations for salary, skill, and treating someone fairly. Why can't we do the same when hiring to design the important physical infrastructure our society needs?
The federal government, in retaining a third party to maintain its assets, has permitted contracts that do not align with ethical or professional standards and creates a culture that prohibits our natural rights to compete on fair and reasonable basis for work that is funded by our own government, writes Toon Dreessen. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Procurement, through a Request for Proposal (RFP), is how architects and engineers are hired to design Canada’s infrastructure. This not only includes exciting new museums and libraries, but also the day-to-day infrastructure for offices, renovations, roof rehabilitations, barrier-free washroom upgrades, and thousands of regular projects. But how architects and engineers are hired is increasingly challenged.
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