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Military procurement chief wants defence firms to stop overpromising, underdelivering

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Politics

The top procurement official at the Department of National Defence (DND)┬аsays he would like to see defence companies focus more┬аon delivering what they have promised and less on trying to win the next contract.

Some companies have come in for scrutiny as they have struggled to make good on their promises

Troy Crosby, assistant deputy minister of materiel at the Department of National Defence, participates in an interview in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

The top procurement official at the Department of National Defence (DND)┬аsays he would like to see defence companies focus more┬аon delivering what they have promised and less on trying to win the next contract.

Assistant deputy minister of materiel Troy Crosby says he respects that companies are in the business of trying to make money, but┬аthey also need to meet their commitments to the federal government, the military and Canadians.

Defence companies like Airbus and Sikorsky Helicopters have come in for scrutiny recently as they have struggled to make good on their promises to deliver search-and-rescue airplanes and maritime patrol helicopters.

In both cases, the companies have been accused of overpromising to win multibillion-dollar contracts before falling short on fulfilling those pledges тАФ to the detriment of the Canadian military and taxpayers.

Crosby says DND is adopting new ways to determine whether companies can actually meet their commitments when bidding on contracts.

But he says he also wants companies to be more forthright in explaining what they can deliver and when.

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