Anticipated Concerns Pre-Agreement Execution
The promising SAAQclic project was under scrutiny before its image-tarnishing launch in February 2023, as the winning consortium, LGS and SAP, seemingly forsook a crucial pre-launch simulation.
Vincent Larin, our very own insightful expert, shed light on the matter during the Gallant Commission, with former SAAQ Executive Jean-Marc Perrotte chiming in. Perrotte, weary, warned that without a simulation, they might've overlooked glaring flaws that eventually ensnared society.
Revisiting the extensive bidding process for the $458 million megacontract for the digital transformation of the society (CASA), Perrotte, as a member of the selection committee, was responsible for scrutinizing each firm to see who best matched the SAAQ's stringent criteria.
Concerns about the SAAQclic platform launch bubble arose when the committee realized that the alliance intended to roll out the platform without a previous simulation trial. In an email pointed out to Commissioner Gallant, the committee highlighted this choice as owning innumerable risks for society, with Perrotte corroborating the concern.
For the public, the "wait times" became synonymous with a chaotic SAAQclic launch, where clients formed tireless queues in front of the inoperative service points of SAAQ.
Remarkably, the alliance had initially intended to conduct this treasured simulation in its first submission, advised Perrotte. However, after dialogues with the SAAQ, they ultimately abandoned the idea, which undeniably secured their contractual victory.
The witness also disclosed that SAP conducted a training session for SAAQ employees who were later tasked with assessing the society's requirements within the tendering process. Yet, global software heavyweight Oracle was absented from this training session, a revelation Perrotte chose to leave without added context.
In its damning report, Quebec's auditor general had previously called attention to the SAAQ's overreliance on SAP in documenting its needs, concluding that the SAAQ fell short in providing proper support for its decisions.
Jean-Marc Perrotte mounted a defense of the selection committee's independence, disputing allegations of biases introduced by close associates of the vice-president of information technology, Karl Malenfant, in other committees allegedly influential in the bidding process.
"We had been explicitly told, prior to commencing, what the purpose of these advisory committees was: experts to offer their opinion on specific aspects of our work. But we had a comprehensive bird's-eye view," he elucidated.
Despite conceding the influence of these advisory committees, he asserted that the committee did not diminish their significance or ignore their advice.
- The SAAQ's digital transformation megacontract, despite initial plans to simulate the SAAQclic platform, was awarded to LGS and SAP without executing a pre-launch simulation, according to Jean-Marc Perrotte.
- The controversial implementation of technology in the society's transformation, as seen in the SAAQclic project, was under scrutiny regarding its political implications, with questions being raised about the committee's decision-making process and potential biases in the bidding process.
