Municipal council approves IT platform contract

Summary#

Montréal city council unanimously adopted its position on a proposed contract for ServiceNow enterprise service-management licences. It recommends that the agglomeration council approve the contract and related spending; that council makes the final decision at a later meeting. City staff say the goal is to bring the City’s fragmented IT support tools onto a central platform.

  • The recommended contract is with Les Solutions Victrix inc., through its agreement with Quebec’s Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology (MCN), for up to $4,288,539.78, taxes included, for licences and maintenance from September 30, 2026, to September 29, 2029.
  • The resolution also authorizes $86,231.25, taxes included, in MCN management fees, $477,146.25 for contingencies, and $5,000 for related fees. The total authorized spending is $4,856,917.28, taxes included.
  • The contract would be awarded without a separate call for tenders by Montréal, through the MCN agreement. City staff say Les Solutions Victrix was the lowest compliant bidder under that agreement.
  • The resolution authorizes the director responsible for workplace services and user support to sign documents related to the contract.

What it means for you#

  • City employees and IT teams: If the agglomeration council approves, the City would acquire and maintain licences for a centralized IT service-management platform. City staff say it is intended to handle IT incidents, requests, changes and related work. Staff also say training and a structured change plan will be needed.
  • Residents: The decision does not directly change residents’ rights, fees or access to City services. City staff identify improved interactions between residents and City employees as an expected benefit, not a guaranteed result.
  • Taxpayers: The authorized spending is to be paid from the IT service’s operating budget. City staff say the required credits were considered in that budget.

Money#

The resolution authorizes up to $4,856,917.28, taxes included; the materials contain conflicting figures for parts of this amount.

  • The resolution sets the licence amount at $4,288,539.78, the MCN management fee at $86,231.25, contingencies at $477,146.25 and related fees at $5,000.
  • The official title instead gives a total of $4,765,686.03 and an MCN fee of $91,231.25. City staff’s summary also gives those figures in its description, but its cost table matches the resolution’s amounts and total.
  • Licence costs are forecasts based on actual use. The contingency could fund additional licences if needed. City staff say the full amount would be charged to the IT service’s operating budget, with no effect on the City’s financial framework.

What is unclear#

  • The materials do not explain the conflicting amounts in the title and summary. This explainer follows the adopted resolution’s figures.
  • The resolution authorizes ServiceNow enterprise service-management licences. The staff summary also discusses an operations-management module, but the resolution does not list that module as part of the authorization.
  • The materials do not specify how many licences the City will use, how much of the contingency it will need, or the final yearly cost.

Case for#

  • City staff say the current mix of IT tools makes it harder to see and coordinate support work. A central platform could bring requests, incidents and technology assets together.
  • The MCN agreement pools public-sector purchasing. City staff say this allowed a volume-based discount, and identify Victrix as the lowest compliant bidder under the agreement.
  • Automation and a self-service portal could reduce some routine work, according to the staff summary. These are expected benefits, not assured results.

Case against#

  • The authorized amount is substantial, and the actual licence costs may change with use. The resolution also includes a contingency of about 11% of the licence amount.
  • City staff acknowledge that adopting the platform will affect IT teams’ work and require training and a change plan. The materials do not give a cost or schedule for that work.
  • The inconsistent figures and differing descriptions of the software make it harder to tell exactly what is covered by the approved spending.