(December 14, 2022, St. John’s) – Barry Petten, PC Official Opposition House Leader and MHA for Conception Bay South, is concerned by another sole-bid contract with a company that has deep ties to the Premier, and what this means for public procurement in Newfoundland and Labrador.

HealthHub Patient Engagement Solutions, a company connected to Liberal donors Brendan Paddick and John Risley, has been awarded a five-year sole-bid contract at the Corner Brook Acute Care Hospital.

“A pattern is well underway from this Liberal Government on sole-bid contracts. It begs the question: where are the other bidders for this work? Why are some companies unwilling to bid on work they are qualified to do? How does this affect the contracts awarded and ensure the people of our province are getting the best value for their money?” said Petten.

“This follows the sole-bid contract that was awarded for the new prison, and the recent revelation that the Fonemed contract was also sole-bid. The continued awarding of sole-bid contracts puts taxpayer money at risk. In the case of the sole-bid contract for the prison, political connections raise even further concerns.”

Petten says the Premier claims his “ethical walls” are protecting him, but they aren’t protecting the public purse from sole-bid contracts.

“In this case, the contract was awarded for televisions and entertainment systems at the Corner Brook hospital. It raises questions why large service providers, like Bell and Rogers, didn’t even submit a bid for the project,” said Petten.

“Competition is key in public procurement and ensuring best value for the money spent. Something is not right when again and again we see these sole-bid contracts awarded. It appears the business community is losing confidence in the fairness of contract awards under the Furey Liberal government.”

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Contacts:

David Maher

Director of Strategic Communications

(cell) 709-725-0984

DavidMaher@gov.nl.ca