Even if the state of health emergency will probably be lifted next fall, Quebec is extending the authorization given to the health network to enter into private contracts for the supply of medical equipment until March 2022.
A decree adopted by the Council of Ministers and published on Wednesday extends this extraordinary permission by nine months.
It is a recommendation of the Treasury Board, can we read there. The office of its president, Sonia LeBel, explains that this measure was necessary to avoid “service disruptions” in the health system.
Under normal circumstances, any contract valued at more than $ 25,000 must be the subject of a public call for tenders.
However, the staff normally assigned to the preparation of tenders would have been overwhelmed since the start of the pandemic, hence the need to allow them to catch up with the accumulated delay, said Sonia LeBel’s press secretary, Florent. Tanlet.
Several restrictions are also put in place this time to prevent abuse, he adds.
Among other things, contracts concluded within the framework of this decree may not be concluded for a period exceeding 18 months, they may not include any renewal option or any option to acquire additional goods or services.
Also, the extension of this special permission only applies to certain categories of equipment intended for the health network: collection tubes, hygienic bags, laboratory products, etc.
At the start of the pandemic, in March 2020, the Legault government used the Public Health Act to allow the health network to enter into contracts without a call for tenders in order to meet urgent needs, particularly in terms of equipment. protection.
The rules of mutual agreement were then tightened a year later.
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