Members of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan should pay attention to the words of Alan Williams, retired ADM Materiel at DND. In his article in last Saturday’s Ottawa Citizen (Flying Solo, July 24, 2010) Alan Williams is highly critical of the federal government’s decision to acquire the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) for DND on a sole-source basis.
He notes that Canada’s involvement in development of the JSF does not compel the government to sole source it’s procurement and says that to do so is incredibly bad business. He criticizes the decision in terms of increased cost, reduced opportunities for Canadian industry and uncertainty as to the JSF is the best solution to meet Canada’s needs.
He also addresses the ethical dilemma that the government puts itself in by going the sole source route: “… Procurement demands not only the highest degree of integrity but also the appearance of the highest degree of integrity. Undertaking sole-source deals leaves the procurement process more vulnerable to fraud, bribery and payoffs, and leaves the federal government more susceptible to such charges.”
It seems to me that all of these issues apply equally to the planned sole-source development of Lansdowne Park by OSEG and the city. Council must pay attention and reconsider its decision to go ahead with this project in its present form.
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