November 6, 2013 Public Contracts

Montréal - The threshold above which certain public contracts will be subject to the Integrity in Public Contracts Act will be lowered to $10 million in December 2013.

As of December 6, 2013, business enterprises wishing to enter into public services and construction contracts and subcontracts and public-private partnership contracts involving an expenditure equal to or greater than $10 million must first be granted an authorization issued by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF).

The Québec government designates, by Order in Council, the contract values, categories and groups for which AMF authorization is required. This latest lowering of the threshold to $10 million is further to the adoption of two Orders in Council by the government on October 30, 2013.

To ensure that their authorization applications are filed with the AMF on time, enterprises seeking to do business with Québec public bodies are encouraged to sign up for E-mail Info - Public contracts to receive up-to-date information about changes to contract values, categories and groups.

Authorization applications can soon be filed on-line

Until November 15, 2013, enterprises can download the form

to prepare their authorization application.

Starting on November 18, 2013, Québec enterprises that wish to file an application will be required to use our E-Services. To use these on-line services in a secure manner, they must have a business clicSÉQUR account.

Processing of applications

The AMF verifies whether the applications are complete and compliant, before forwarding the information obtained to UPAC, the anti-corruption squad. In co-operation with the Sûreté du Québec, Revenu Québec, the Régie du bâtiment du Québec and the Commission de la construction du Québec, UPAC performs the audits it considers necessary and gives the AMF an opinion regarding the enterprise applying for authorization. This opinion will indicate the reason UPAC is recommending or, as the case may be, refusing authorization. Once it has received the opinion from UPAC, the AMF will issue a decision on the authorization application.

Enterprises that are issued AMF authorization are immediately entered in the register of enterprises authorized to enter into public contracts and subcontracts available on the AMF website.

The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) is the regulatory and oversight body for Québec's financial sector.

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