Montreal extends fire dispatch system contract

Summary#

Montréal city council unanimously set its position for the agglomeration council: support using the second 12-month extension of the contract with DXC Technology Cie for maintenance, upkeep and support of the fire service’s intervention management system (Système de gestion des interventions, SGI). The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting. City staff say the goal is to keep the SGI operating while the new computer-aided dispatch system is brought into service.

  • The proposed extension covers November 28, 2026, to November 27, 2027.
  • The proposed additional spending is $3,070,691.10, taxes included, bringing the contract total to $55,392,982.79, taxes included.
  • The orientation includes authorizing the director of the City’s public safety and justice technology directorate to sign contract documents for the City.

What it means for you#

  • Fire service staff and the public: City staff say the SGI supports emergency call dispatch, operations coordination and communications. The decision concerns its maintenance and support; it does not itself introduce a new public service.
  • Taxpayers: The proposed extension would add spending to the existing contract. The total amount above is the contract’s accumulated total, not the cost of this extension alone.

Money#

The proposed additional spending is $3,070,691.10, taxes included; the materials give no separate cost estimate beyond that amount.

  • The proposed extension would raise the contract total to $55,392,982.79, taxes included.
  • The decision summary gives no breakdown of the amount or estimate of savings or other returns.

What is unclear#

  • The materials do not give a date for when the replacement dispatch system is expected to enter service.
  • They do not say whether the SGI extension’s scope or cost would change if the transition takes longer.
  • The extension is an option in the 2022 contract addendum; the materials do not describe a new tender for this extension.

Case for#

  • City staff say the extension would maintain the SGI during the transition to the new dispatch system.
  • Staff describe the SGI as supporting more than 2,700 personnel and over 130,000 interventions each year, making continuity of its maintenance and support important.

Case against#

  • One concern is continued reliance on DXC Technology Cie while the replacement system is being introduced; the materials do not explain what alternatives were considered for this period.
  • The extension adds more than $3 million in spending, but the materials do not break down the costs.