SAAQclic fiasco: AMP accuses SAAQ of several shortcomings
Posted January 13, 2026 11:36 am.
Another blow has struck the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ): the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) has accused it of several shortcomings related to its management of the SAAQclic project, which “contradict the responsible management of public funds and undermine the principles of integrity, transparency, and fair competition.”
Among the shortcomings, the AMP cites:
- Deficient planning in several respects, particularly regarding needs assessment, market analysis, and cost estimation;
- Irregularities in the training and work of the Selection Committee;
- The modification of essential elements of the framework contract, which changed the nature and cost of the work;
- The splitting of requirements to avoid complying with accountability obligations.
Therefore, the AMP is ordering the SAAQ to “have a real-time audit conducted by its internal auditors on the framework agreement and related contracts, and to inform the AMP of the results every six months.”
The SAAQ must also advise the AMP of “the direction it intends to take regarding deliveries that were not made but were stipulated in the framework agreement.”
The launch of the SAAQclic platform in February 2023 experienced significant glitches and caused long lines at service points.
The SAAQ’s digital transformation is expected to cost taxpayers at least $1.1 billion, $500 million more than anticipated, according to calculations by the Auditor General of Quebec.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
