OTTAWA – The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, and the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, announced today the awarding of a contract to Weir Canada Inc. for the operation of the Naval Engineering Test Establishment (NETE), headquartered in Montreal.
“This facility, along with NETE’s detachments in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ottawa, provide the Canadian Navy with the testing they need to ensure that their equipment is of the highest quality,” said Minister MacKay. “This contract demonstrates that the Government is committed to providing the Canadian Forces with the best possible equipment, as laid out in the Canada First Defence Strategy.”
PWGSC worked closely with DND on a competitive procurement for this contract, valued at $600 million for 15 years. The first contract will be for four years, including options for additional years. If all options for renewal are exercised, 200 jobs will be maintained in Canada, especially Halifax, Ottawa, Victoria and in LaSalle, Quebec.
“Once again, the Government of Canada is drawing on the expertise of Canadian companies to deliver top-of-the-line services to our men and women in uniform,” said Minister Paradis. “We are committed to providing the Canadian Forces with the equipment and services they need, while delivering the transparency and accountability Canadians expect.”
The NETE comprises chemical, electronics and photography laboratories, environmental test facilities and computer system testing facilities. NETE is available for use by other federal and provincial government departments and Crown corporations, by defence agencies from other allied nations and, under specific conditions, by industry.
NETE contributes to the generation and sustainment of effective, combat-capable maritime forces and also contributes to Canada’s inter-departmental and international commitments, directly supporting multiple North Atlantic Treaty Organization committees and projects.
NETE is primarily staffed by a high-technology sector workforce, comprising engineers of various disciplines, computer and naval systems specialists, technologists and specialized manual workers.
