By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

The Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) has issued formal recommendations to the Université de Sherbrooke after uncovering serious deficiencies in how the university handled over $4.4 million in laboratory supply contracts. According to a detailed investigation released July 28, 2025, the university failed to properly assess its needs and unjustifiably relied on exceptions to public tender rules, thereby restricting fair competition in the public market.

The AMP found that the university entered into four successive sole-source contracts—known as “contrats de gré à gré”—with the same suppliers between August 2024 and February 2025. The contracts, valued at $613,359, $137,700, $1.15 million, and $2.48 million, were all awarded without calls for public tenders, despite exceeding the $133,800 threshold requiring competitive bidding under provincial law.

René Bouchard, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at the AMP, explained in an interview that the university did not conduct the legally required needs assessment prior to awarding the contracts. “They had not evaluated the expenses, evaluated the needs, how much it was going to cost to buy the supplies,” Bouchard said. “They did not question themselves whether they were going to call for an offer. They decided to go gré à gré. That’s what’s problematic.”

Instead of launching a public call for tenders, the university repeatedly used an exception permitted for contracts involving teaching or research. However, the AMP concluded that this justification was insufficient and not adequately documented.

“The university said, ‘It’s research and teaching, so we’re allowed to go gré à gré,’” Bouchard said. “We told them, ‘You have to document it. Show us that there is only one supplier possible for technical or scientific reasons.’”

In reality, the AMP noted that many of the purchased goods—such as personal protective equipment and general consumables—were readily available from multiple suppliers. Furthermore, the university acknowledged the existence of alternative products on the market, undermining its claim that only one source could meet its needs.

“The law says, when you go to a call for tenders, you can get several prices from several suppliers and get better value,” Bouchard said. “They didn’t do that.”

The AMP’s full decision, dated July 24 and signed by President and CEO Yves Trudel, states that while the university did publish the estimated costs of these contracts on Quebec’s electronic tendering system (SEAO), these publications were for transparency only and did not reflect formal contracts. The university continued issuing purchase orders on a case-by-case basis over three years, creating a patchwork of unchecked procurement activities.

One core issue, according to the AMP’s report, is the absence of a centralized assessment of needs across the university. Individual researchers made separate requests without coordination, making it difficult for the institution to understand the full scope of its recurring supply demands.

Moreover, the university’s reliance on a previous government call for tenders to estimate costs was deemed inadequate, as the products listed there did not align with its actual procurement needs. The AMP also faulted the institution for limiting its supplier pool to only those included in that earlier process, thereby stifling potential competition.

In light of these findings, the AMP has issued two key recommendations:

• That the Université de Sherbrooke perform a “rigorous and adequate preliminary evaluation” of its needs and develop a proper acquisition strategy aligned with the regulatory framework.
• That it ensure proper training for all personnel involved in procurement and contract management, including those requesting goods, on applicable norms and exceptions.

The university has 45 days from the date of the decision to submit a written report outlining the measures it will take to address these recommendations and demonstrate their effectiveness.

When asked whether similar issues are common, Bouchard acknowledged that the AMP has encountered comparable problems at other public institutions. “It’s not unique to the Université de Sherbrooke,” he said. “It’s part of our work.”

The AMP serves as an independent body mandated to oversee the integrity of public procurement processes in Quebec, ensuring transparency and equitable access to public contracts. Its role includes investigating complaints and issuing binding recommendations when violations are identified.

In a written statement provided by its communications service, the Université de Sherbrooke acknowledged the AMP’s recommendations, noting that the matter pertained to projected research-related laboratory supply purchases—not finalized contracts—and that the review stemmed from its own decision to proactively publish cost estimates on the SEAO in August 2024. “It was not a question of contracts being awarded, but rather of forecasts,” the statement reads.

The university said its intention was transparency and that it acted in good faith, “based on a reasonable interpretation of the applicable rules and exceptions for laboratory and research-related supplies.” It said it fully cooperates with the AMP and is committed to implementing the recommendations. “The Université takes the recommendations seriously and reaffirms its commitment to upholding the highest standards of rigour and compliance in responsible procurement,” the statement reads.

As of press time, no spokesperson was available for interview due to the university’s summer holiday schedule.