Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted its position to award K2 Geospatial inc. a three-year, direct-award contract for JMap licences and support, for up to $286,162.36, taxes included. This is an orientation for the agglomeration council, which makes the final decision at a later meeting. City staff say the goal is to maintain and update the City’s geographic-information platform.
- The proposed contract runs from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028. It includes support and maintenance, access to JMap updates and new versions, and new Oracle Spatial Connector licences.
- The City’s information technology director for business solutions and land management is authorized to sign related documents for the City if the contract proceeds.
- The contract is a direct award to K2 Geospatial, identified as the exclusive supplier. The materials do not describe a call for tenders.
What it means for you#
- Residents: The decision does not directly change residents’ rights, fees, or services. City staff say JMap supports municipal work such as snow clearing and water management, and the sharing of geographic data.
- Municipal staff and JMap users: The contract would provide support, bug fixes, and access to updates and new versions. City staff say more than 3,000 people use JMap Pro.
- City and agglomeration: The City’s position is to award the contract, but the agglomeration council makes the final decision later.
Money#
The proposed maximum cost is $286,162.36, taxes included; the materials do not give a cost estimate for the City’s share of the contract.
- $22,995.00, taxes included, is for new licences. The decision summary says this is $20,997.50 net of tax rebates and would be charged to the City’s capital plan, with financing from borrowing bylaws RCG 22-006 and 22-007.
- $263,167.36, taxes included, is for maintenance over three years. The summary says this is $240,306.88 net of tax rebates and would be paid from the IT department’s operating budget.
- For mixed City expenses, 48.7% of the capital expense is assigned to the agglomeration under the City’s mixed-expense rules. The summary says operating-budget credits were considered in setting the agglomeration’s share of mixed administrative expenses.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not say how the agglomeration and local portions of the contract’s total cost divide between the two borrowing bylaws and operating budgets.
- The summary says the support estimate was $229,569.58, taxes included, while the maintenance portion of the proposed contract is $263,167.36. It explains that new licences add $22,995 and that price increases are higher than the 2% assumed in the estimate, but does not fully explain the remaining difference.
- The materials do not set out service-response deadlines or other performance measures.
Case for#
- The contract would maintain support for a platform the City already uses across many applications and municipal operations.
- It includes bug fixes, updates, new versions, and support for administering JMap, which could help the City keep those applications working and updated.
- City staff identify K2 Geospatial as the platform’s owner and the exclusive supplier, which supports using a direct award rather than a competitive call for tenders.
Case against#
- The direct award means the materials provide no competing bids or comparison with another supplier’s price.
- Maintenance costs rise over the contract period: the listed annual amounts before tax increase from $69,875.01 in 2026 to $81,447.19 in 2028.
- The summary says the contract price is above the initial estimate, but does not fully account for the difference.