Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted its position on a proposed direct-award contract for Info-Tech Research Group inc. The decision would buy one year of licences for IT research and advisory services through the Centre d’acquisitions gouvernementales (CAG), from July 31, 2026, to July 31, 2027. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting.
- The proposed contract is for an “Intro” membership with two seats, at a maximum cost of $126,995.62, taxes included.
- The membership provides the City’s IT Service with analyst calls, research, project plans, tools, benchmarking and training.
- The contract would be awarded directly through Info-Tech’s agreement with the CAG, not through a call for tenders.
- The City’s IT architecture and technology director would be authorized to sign contract documents for the City.
What it means for you#
- City IT staff: If the contract proceeds, they would have access to the membership’s research and advisory services. The materials do not say which staff would use the two seats.
- Residents: This decision does not directly change residents’ services, fees or rights. City staff say the services are intended to support the City’s internal IT work; improved services are a stated aim, not a guaranteed result.
- City and agglomeration budgets: The proposed expense is assigned to the IT Service’s operating budget. The materials say the required budget credits were considered in setting mixed general-administration expenses charged to the agglomeration budget.
Money#
The proposed maximum expense is $126,995.62, taxes included; the decision summary gives $115,963.93 net of taxes.
- The amount covers one year of the “Intro” membership with two seats. The City would award the contract directly through the CAG arrangement.
- A prior subscription for July 2025 to July 2026 was listed at $110,454.99 before taxes. The materials do not provide a like-for-like comparison of the two amounts.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not show how the City measured the results of the current subscription or compared the price with other options.
- They do not say which staff would use the two seats or how access would be shared across IT teams.
- The city council’s adopted position is not itself the final contract award.
Case for#
- City staff say the membership gives the IT Service access to specialized expertise and resources for work such as security, data architecture, artificial intelligence and technology selection.
- The package includes unlimited calls with analysts, more than 450 project plans, a library of more than 10,000 resources, benchmarking for about 50 IT processes and a training platform.
- Using the CAG arrangement allows the City to buy through terms negotiated by the CAG.
Case against#
- One concern is that the City would commit up to $126,995.62 without a call for tenders; the materials do not provide price comparisons with other providers.
- The decision summary describes expected benefits, but gives no measured results showing whether the current subscription delivered them or whether the proposed membership is worth its cost.