Procedure 19-2

Selection Procedure for Consultants and Contractors

Date effective: 1995-05-16

Authorized by: Vice-President, Resources

SELECTION PROCEDURE FOR CONSULTANTS AND CONTRACTORS

  1. INTRODUCTION
    1. The selection procedure for consultants depends on the estimated value of the project and on the project category.
    2. The selection procedure for contractors, for invitations to submit tenders, and for the awarding of contracts applies to all construction, renovation and refurbishment contracts.
    3. Contract authorizations come from those officials with the appropriate spending authority, as set out in university procedures.
    4. The President may, on occasion, change the selection procedure before calls for tenders to take into account specific features or needs of a project.

  2. SELECTION OF AND ROTATION AMONG CONSULTANTS

    As a matter of principle, the University invites consulting firms (architects, engineers, etc.) to submit offers of professional services. With this in mind, the University maintains a list of pre-authorized consultants.

    1. List of pre-authorized consultants
      1. General list
        • The University establishes a possible list of consultants and, to this end, may publish calls for expressions of interest.
        • An assessment committee, composed of the director of the Physical Resources Service, the assistant director of Planning and Programs, and the assistant director of Project Management, examines expressions of interest according to the selection criteria set out in article 3below.
        • Firms meeting these criteria are registered on a general list ofpre-authorized consultants, and this list indicates the nature and the maximum amount of the projects that can be awarded to these firms.
        • A firm may have its expertise assessed by this committee any time; the firm need only submit its expression of interest in writing to the director of the Physical Resources Service.

      2.  Preliminary list for large-scale projects

        For specific large-scale projects, the University may publish an ad requesting expressions of interest and, based on the response to the ad, draw up a preliminary list of pre-authorized consultants.

        A selection committee then examines the expressions of interest based on the selection criteria set out in article 3 below. Firms meeting these criteria are registered on a preliminary list of pre-authorized consultants. A certain number of firms are then invited to submit a detailed offer of services.

    2. Selection committee

      The make-up of the selection committee varies according to the value of the project. Below are the membership details:

      1. Project evaluated at less than $5,000,000:
        • the director, Physical Resources Service, or his or her delegate;  
        • the assistant director, Planning and Programming;  
        • the assistant director, Project Management;  
        • one person representing the sector concerned.
      2. Project evaluated at greater than $5,000,000:
        • the Vice-President, Resources, or his or her delegate;  
        • the director, Physical Resources Service;  
        • the assistant director, Planning and Programming;  
        • one person representing the sector concerned.

    3. Selection criteria

      Here are the selection criteria for registering pre-authorized consultants on a general or preliminary list:

      • the size of the firm;  
      • the size of the projects it has taken on over the last four years;  
      • the quality of the work accomplished;  
      • the projects it has already taken on for the University;  
      • its ability to work in the National Capital Region;  
      • the operations staff proposed;  
      • the ability to use computer-assisted drafting systems (CAD).
    4. Selection process
      1. The number of firms that the selection committee invites depends on the value of the project:
        1. Project valued at less than $300,000: 1 firm;
        2.  Project valued from $300,000 to $1,500,000: 3 firms;
        3. Project valued at greater than $1,500,000: 3 to 5 firms.
      2.  The firms invited to submit a detailed offer of services receive the following information:
        • the size of the project;  
        • a description of the project;  
        • the construction budget;  
        • the proposed schedule;  
        • general information on the construction site.
      3. The detailed offer of services submitted by a firm must contain the following parts:
        • an up-to-date résumé;  
        • the names of the team members;  
        • the cost structure for consultants hired as sub-contractors;  
        • the proposed honoraria.
      4. For projects valued at greater than $5,000,000, firms submitting an offer must undergo an interview, if this is considered necessary. Their offices may also be visited, as well as the sites of projects they have already completed. A second interview may take place if the University decides to examine certain points in greater detail.
      5. The evaluation of firms is based on a scoring grid designed for the project in question.
      6. The selection committee evaluates the reference reports, the proposed honoraria, the team itself, the quality of work performed in the past, the results of interviews where applicable, and any other relevant factor. The final choice of the committee is subject to are commendation of approval by the authorized signees.
      7. The selected firm is then informed of the committee's decision, and the contractual document is drafted and approved by the University's authorized signatories.

    5. Rotation

      To promote the greatest possible rotation among consultants at the University, no firm may obtain more than $200,000 in honoraria in one year. This amount applies only to construction projects valued at$1,500,000 or less. The consulting firm responsible for the master plan is exempted from this annual ceiling, but only for projects related to the master plan.

    6. Extended offers for consultants

      The Service reserves the right to combine a series of projects to be executed over a given time period (maximum two years) and to issue extended offers for this work. The procedure will follow the levels already set out in Policy 113, paragraph 22,according to the total estimated value of the work over this period. Based on needs and at its discretion, the Service reserves the right to negotiate with any of the qualified consultants. The University also reserves the right to ask the qualified consultants who are retained to compete.

  3. SELECTION AND ROTATION OF CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS

    The University maintains a general list of pre-authorized contractors in the primary fields and makes invitations to obtain the number of submissions required for the value of the project in question, as per Policy 113.

    1. List of pre-authorized contractors
      1. The University maintains a list of pre-authorized contractors in major fields (electrician, plumber, etc.) that it may invite to tender for projects. This list is established according to various sources of information, including:
        • The profiles and expressions of interest that firms specialized in a number of fields may submit from time to time;
        • Standing invitations to submit posted on the Service's Web site.
      2. The accepted profile is titled document CCA no. 11 and is accompanied by an appendix stating the dollar value of projects that the firm or company can undertake.

    2. Selection criteria

      The criteria considered for registering a firm on a list of pre-authorized contractors or for inviting a firm to submit a tender for specific projects are as follows:

      1. the nature and the scope of the projects described in the contractor profile;  
      2. the firm's ability to obtain security insurance for the project;  
      3. the recommendations of consultants;  
      4. the type of project to be carried out;
      5. performance on earlier projects.

    3. Extended offers for contractors

      The Service reserves the right to combine a series of refurbishment, alteration, renovation and construction projects to be executed over a given time period (maximum two years)and to issue extended offers for this work. The procedure will follow the levels already set out in Policy 113, paragraph 22, according to the total estimated value of the work over this period. Based on needs and at its discretion, the Service reserves the right to negotiate with any of the qualified contractors. The University also reserves the right to ask the qualified contractors who are retained to compete.

    4. Rotation among invited tenders

      Because the objective of the tender is to obtain the best price for work required, the frequency at which contractors are invited to submit is directly related to their record of past offers.

      • The Physical Resources Service ensures a rotation among contractors:
      • to allow contractors who submit the best prices to be invited the most often;  
      • to give other contractors the chance to submit by rotation.

    5. Procedure for conducting calls for tenders and for awarding contracts

      The procedures in both these cases apply to new construction, renovations, additions and any other such projects.

      1. Firms can obtain plans and tender documents by contacting the consultant responsible or by contacting the Physical Resources Service,depending on the instructions given.  
      2. Submissions must be handed in to the secretariat of the Physical Resources Service in a sealed envelope. The person receiving the envelope indicates the date and time of reception and signs it. Late submissions are returned to tenders without having been opened.  
      3. Tenders are opened in public by two members of the Physical Resources Service.  
      4. The names of persons attending the opening of tenders and the amount on the tender of each contractor are entered in the minutes of the tender-opening session. Representatives of the University sign these minutes.  
      5.  Representatives of the University and the consultants then evaluate the tenders.  
      6. The firm offering the best price for work meeting the stated requirements is recommended for approval to the authorized signatories.  
      7. The University reserves the right to refuse the lowest bid and may even refuse all bids.

EXCEPTION

There can be no exception to this procedure without the written approval of the Vice-President, Resources.

Revised November 2, 2005

(Physical Resources Service)