The contract I could find is not a "set-aside", that is, for aboriginal companies. It was to act as a contract manager for Public Works and Government Services Canada, which was looking for someone to take over management of the RCMP pension fund. Here are some extracts from the MERX entry describing the opportunity:

INTRODUCTION

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has the responsibility for the management and accounting of the RCMP Superannuation Act (RCMPSA) pension funds through the National Compensation Policy Centre (NCPC). The NCPC must ensure that the pension funds are properly controlled from both the accounting and management perspectives. The NCPC Pension and Benefits Policy Section is responsible for both the administration of the funds and the pension benefits policy. The NCPC Pension Funds Accounting Group is responsible for the accounting of the RCMP pension funds.

The Pension Reform legislation, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act (PSPIBA), passed in September 1999, created a new fund where members’ contributions are invested in the marketplace via the Pension Investment Board (PIB).

ACTIVITIES:

Some of the activities are listed below, the complete list is included in the Request for Proposal document.

1. Liaise with the various contracting authorities in order to determine the most suitable contracting vehicle (sole source, limited tender, ACAN, open tender, Standing Offer, Supply Arrangement, etc.) and to provide to the contracting authority the names of firms capable of meeting the NCPC contracting requirement.

2. Manage amendments to three major contracts (Pension Data Repository (PDR) development (approximately $3,000,000), historical data cleanup (approximately $3,000,000), and pension administration outsourcing (approximately $19,000,000) for which the contracting authority is PWGSC.

3. Develop and maintain an electronic manual of NCPC contracting procedures identifying all the steps necessary in the procurement process; as well as maintaining an up-to-date list of all individuals that have a part to play in the contracting process - such a document needs to address the different contracting approaches and would be expected to be in the range of 25 - 30 pages;

DELIVERABLES:

Some of the deliverables of work are listed below, the complete list is included in the Request for Proposal document.

1. Liaison with the various contracting authorities,

2. Management of contract amendments;

3. Development, maintenance and management of Quattro spreadsheets

PERIOD OF CONTRACT:

The period of any resulting contract shall be from the date of Contract Award to December 31, 2003 with an option for an additonal one year period (January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004).

There is presently a resource working on this requirement from a previous competitive contract issued by CAC to "Abotech Inc", who will be allowed to bid on this solicitation.

Only one (1) resource is required for this assignment. It is expected that one (1) contract may be issued as a result of this solicitation.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

Some of the Mandatory requirements of this requirement are listed below; the complete evaluation criteria is included in the Request for Proposal document.

1. The proposed resource must have at least five (5) years of experience, acquired within the last ten (10) years, in conducting work related to procurement of professional services for the Canadian Federal Government.

2. The proposed resource must have, or be able to obtain, Canadian federal government security clearance at a minimum level of ‘Enhanced Reliability’.

3. The proposed resource must be fluent in English (oral and written).

Some interesting bits.

First, the work seems legit and looks appropriate for David Smith, given his background in PWGSC.

Second, the work could be executed from a home office; no special equipment or extra staff required.

Third, the work has nothing to do with aboriginals, or with computer consulting, but rather is an exercise in contract management. On the other hand, since the contract to be managed would in turn require finding a firm who can manage the pension fund and the computerized pension fund system, managing such a contract would require specialized knowledge.

When Abotech accessed the documentation for the contract in October 2002, it was emailed to Anne Ethier's email address (at Videotron), though David Smith was listed as the requesting individual.

Abotech was awarded the work on December 12, 2002, for $143,594, with the contract end date of December 31, 2003.

I can't find any more information, including whether the contract was completed, renewed, or if a firm to manage the pension fund was subsequently selected and is being managed by Abotech.

As I said before, this contract looks fine. But then, maybe not...

The problem described in the original Globe and Mail story was with sole-sourced projects. Presumably a sole-sourced project doesn't get listed in MERX, which is system designed to solicit bids.

So we have evidence of only one contract won by Abotech that was competitively bid. And even then, Abotech had the inside track:

There is presently a resource working on this requirement from a previous competitive contract issued by CAC to "Abotech Inc", who will be allowed to bid on this solicitation.

Funny this is, I can't find that previous competitive contract in the Awards section of the database -- "Abotech" simply doesn't show up anywhere else.

The MERX records go way back -- I've seen records for 1994. If Abotech won a "previous competitive contract", I would have thought I could find it in there.

How many contracts did Abotech get from the federal government, and from PWGSC in particular? Why is there evidence of only one competitive contract award in MERX? Why can't I find the other contract mentioned in passing in the one MERX contract I was able to find? Are virtually all of Abotech's contracts sole-sourced? Did they all come from the same place, perhaps even the same procurement official? Were any of them set-asides?

Is there another database where I can find this information?

Lots of questions, still short on answers.

Index of Abotech posts:

Another Liberal scandal brewing
Abotech Scandal Update
Abotech Scandal Update #2: MP David Smith's six-figure company is run out of his home
Hiding behind the Ethics Commissioner
Abotech Scandal Update #3: Now Abotech is an aerospace company?
Abotech Scandal Update #4: The nature of the work performed -- "Other"
Liberals: David Smith might have done something wrong. Really!
David Smith, Jaguar Solutions, ASM Informatique, and Government Contracts
David Smith, Jaguar Solutions, ASM Informatique -- close, literally
The press confirms David Smith works out of his home
Could David Smith's kids be running Abotech?
David Smith, Abotech, and Nursing
The Abotech Affair: The Link between Indian Affairs and Public Works
Abotech: One competitive contract awarded
Major developments in the Abotech affair (and a major correction)
David Smith is as aboriginal as my Polish grandmother
David Smith's extended Liberal Party bio
On the question of who manages Abotech and subcontractors
The Smith-Brazeau connection -- Deeper than I ever imagined