SNC-Lavalin signs agreement with new version of PWGSC

SNC-Lavalin has announced that it has an agreement with the Canadian government that will enable it to continue to bid on contracts and do work for the government, even though there are federal charges pending against the company.

On December 10 the engineering giant issued a statement confirming its administrative agreement with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). PSPC is the new name given to Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) by the Trudeau government.

Neil Bruce, president and chief executive officer of the Montreal company, thanked the government “for recognizing SNC-Lavalin’s significant efforts and dedication to continuous improvement in ethics and compliance, which have allowed us to meet the difficult criteria of the new Integrity Regime.”

He also said, “This agreement is a milestone that allows us to continue to be an important contributor to the Canadian economy. It protects the public, and is good for our employees, clients, investors and all of Canada.”

The agreement allows the firm to continue working on federal projects until the legal charges that were filed against the company are resolved. The charges were filed in February, but the company is contesting them.

SNC-Lavalin pointed out that it has fully cooperated with authorities in the last three years and is focused on ethical compliance. “The tone from the top is clear and unequivocal: there is zero tolerance for ethics violations,” said the press release.

The company’s concrete actions include introducing a whistleblowing policy, continuously updating the code of ethics and translating it into 11 languages, and introducing a policy on political contributions. To read the press release, click here.