The Canadian province of Quebec has partnered with one of the country's leading firms in risk management and contractor compliance to develop a platform that aims to help local suppliers bid for Plan Nord contracts.
Plan Nord is a provincial initiative to invest about $1.3 billion in infrastructure and other projects over the next five years in hopes of attracting $50 billion in public and private investment by 2035.
The online platform will contain all the information and tools suppliers need to bid for contracts in projects estimated to attract $50bn in public and private investment by 2035.The online platform, to be developed by Cognibox, will contain all the information and tools suppliers need to bid for such contracts, the government said in a statement.
Part of the Quebec's commitment around Plan Nord was to set up the Soci?(C)t?(C) du Plan Nord to deliver the plan and maximize the economic potential of the investment, particularly for local communities in the territory.
This office will also ensure that local and regional businesses and Quebec companies are aware of the opportunities surrounding the initiative.
The online marketplace will provide information on tenders for public and private sectors related to Plan Nord projects; a directory of public and private buyers' policies with the status of their project development, and their specific needs for products and services; buyers' qualification process to enable suppliers to bid for contracts, as well as news, studies, reports and a calendar of upcoming events among other tools.
We believe Cognibox was chosen based on its strong experience in designing and delivering contract management solutions for complex supply chains and projects. The company will use this expertise to build a system designed to meet the specific objectives of Plan Nord, explains Anne-Sophie T?(C)treault, senior expert, HSSEQ Compliance and Risk Management Processes at Cognibox.
"This platform will make it much easier for companies in the province to become involved in the development of this important territory through this streamlined access to information and by simplifying the bidding process," Anne-Sophie T?(C)treault, senior expert, HSSEQ Compliance and Risk Management Processes at Cognibox said in a statement.
Set by then-premier Jean Charest in 2011, Plan Nord called for $80 billion in public and private investment over 25 years. After four years of trial and error, the current Liberal government dusted off Plan Nord and re-launched it in April 2015.