HOW NOT TO BUY A TRUCK, PART TWO

In a previous post, How Not to Buy a Truck I tried to unravel the troubled history of attempts by the Department on National Defence to buy trucks.

Since then there have been new developments.

 On July 11, 2012 the government cancelled the military truck competition just minutes before companies were to submit their bids and after the firms had already spent millions on their proposals as well as shipping the vehicles to an American test range. Several firms, including Mercedes-Benz Canada, Oshkosh Defense and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles had planned to bid on the project. The government had asked companies to submit their bids on Wednesday as well as to transport their trucks to a facility in Nevada for testing.

Several minutes before the bids were to be submitted, company representatives were told the process had been shut down. Companies were told by Public Works and Government Services Canada in an email that  "Economic, marketplace and budgetary circumstances have changed since this solicitation process began Therefore; the Government of Canada needs to reassess this procurement to ensure that the right equipment is acquired for the Army at the best value for Canada, prior to proceeding with a new solicitation. Canada will be contacting you shortly to arrange for the return of your vehicles. The Government of Canada would like to thank you for your interest in being a supplier to the Government of Canada, Your participation is appreciated, and we hope that you will continue to bid on procurement opportunity offered by Public Works and Government Services Canada."

Does anybody know what is going on at the Department of Public Works and the Department of National Defence? This is an 800 million dollar project that has been running for more then six years and has been cancelled at the last minute. Trucks matter! If the government does not have the competency to provide them for our armed forces it suggests they are not competent to manage the Department of National Defence. In any private for-profit organization this level of incompetence would get someone fired. It remains to be seen whether anyone will be held accountable for this ongoing fiasco.