Private health placement agencies banned from Quebec public contracts

Six health-care worker placement agencies are no longer eligible for Quebec public contracts for the next five years, Radio-Canada is reporting.

According to information from the Autorit des marchs publics (AMP) obtained by Radio-Canada, the agencies are now registered with the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA) because they do not meet integrity requirements.

The AMP oversees public contracts in Quebec. More than 2,400 companies are currently banned from contracting with the government.

Several major agencies that provided hundreds of nurses and orderlies to hospitals and CHSLDs in Quebec are among the list of ineligible companies.

After the AMP conducted audits, it found that three companies 24/7 Expertise en Soins de Sant Inc., 9272-4095 Qubec Inc. and 9159-2634 Qubec Inc., doing business under the name Confort lite had, through their respective managers, participated in a scheme to submit strategically defined prices with the aim of encouraging an award and award of contracts favourable to them.

Three companies that submitted bids, namely 9423-8714 Qubec Inc., Silo Inc. and AGREPPRO Inc. (a recruitment and placement agency for professionals), were subject to another integrity audit and were registered with RENA.

Calls to eliminate private placement agencies from health network

A contract awarded in June 2023 by the Centre d'acquisitions gouvernementales (CAG) for independent nursing and assistance workers raised a flag for auditors.

The six-month contract included three, six-month renewal options through 2025. Its total value was $700 million.

Following the AMP decision, the six suppliers have 60 days in principle to cease execution of their current contracts in the public network.

The management of 24/7 Expertise plans to challenge the AMP decision.

"In the last few hours, the AMP informed us of its intention to register our company with RENA," company managers said by email to Radio-Canada.

Rjean Leclerc, president of the Fdration de la sant et des services sociaux (FSSS-CSN), said the private sector's lack of integrity in the public health and social services network is well known and documented.

"We must quickly eliminate all private agencies from the public network, recover the colossal sums which finance their profits in order to reinvest in our public establishments to attract and retain staff," he added.

In January, another $1-billion call for tenders aimed at recruiting nurses, orderlies and other healthcare personnel from private agencies was temporarily suspended by the AMP.

The Health Ministry wants to gradually eliminate the use of private worker placement agencies by the fall of 2026.

During the study of budget appropriations for health on Tuesday, Health Minister Christian Dub reported that maximum rateshave been in effectsince this week.

"No need to tell you that there are people who are not happy," Dub said.

"Private agencies challenged us in the call for tenders, did everything to delay the process, a legal process which was very complex," he said, answering Qubec Solidaire health critic Vincent Marissal.

In the meantime, contracts are awarded to meet theneeds.

In January, La Presse published an investigation on collusion between private agencies.