This article discusses the concerns surrounding Canada's procurement process after contractors behind the ArriveCan app testified and received millions of dollars. The government's record-keeping on the app's costs was so poor that the final amount couldn't be determined. Additionally, the company responsible for building the app, GC Strategies, has been hired by numerous government departments and agencies since 2015.
WATCH: This week we heard baffling testimony from contractors behind the now-notorious ArriveCan app who took home millions of dollars. But concerns around the government’s procurement process extend well beyond that single case. Abigail Bimman explains. – Mar 15, 2024The Canada Border Services Agency hired the company to build the pandemic-era app. GC Strategies then subcontracted the work out to other companies.
But it’s difficult to get an exact figure because some records were listed as lost or incomplete, including at Public Services and Procurement Canada, the very department responsible for government services and administration. GC Strategies also received multi-million-dollar contracts from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
“At an undetermined point during a reorganization and relocation of hard-copy files, the contract document itself was misplaced,” said PSPC. “There was little documentation or proof as to why they were selected or how they had the skills and competencies to deliver on the contract,” Hogan said at the time.A House of Commons committee grilled the contractors behind the company — Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony — last month.
Arrivecan App Canada Procurement Process Contractors Testimony Costs Record-Keeping GC Strategies Government Departments Agencies
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