Business

The City proceeds by calls for tenders by invitation for the performance of work or the provision of insurance, equipment, materials or services, other than professional services, of an estimated value of between $35,000 and $105 699.99 (apart from exceptions provided for in the Act).

The City proceeds by calls for tenders by invitation for the provision of professional services of an estimated value of between $50,000 and $105 699.99 (apart from exceptions provided for in the Act).

When the value of the contract is estimated at $105 700 or more, the City proceeds by public calls for tenders that are published and disseminated through the government-approved electronic tendering system (known as Système électronique d’appel d’offres, or SEAO).

The tender documents describe the conditions of the agreement, with regards to both the administrative and technical aspects, so that the bids may be evaluated according to the same criteria. Sealed bids must arrive at the reception desk of City Hall, 55 Argyle Avenue, Saint-Lambert, J4P 2H3, before the date and time specified in the calls for tender.

This procedure is adopted in compliance with section 573.3.1.3 of the Cities and Towns Act, which states that cities must adopt a procedure concerning the receipt and examination of complaints filed during the awarding of a contract further to a public call for tenders or the awarding of a contract entered into by mutual agreement with a sole supplier involving an expenditure equal to or greater than the minimum threshold for a public call for tenders, i.e. $101,100.

Any complaint must be sent electronically to the designated manager at plainteapprovisionnement@saint-lambert.ca.

To comply with the new provisions in the Cities and Towns Act, municipalities are required to publish a list of contracts involving an expenditure of at least $25,000 entered into since April 1, 2011. This list is updated a minimum of once a month.

The information contained in this list will remain published for a minimum of three years from the date of publication of the total and final amount of the expenditure for the execution of the contract.

The list will indicate the object of the contract, the names of the tenderers, the amount of the tenders, the price estimated by the City, the identification of conforming tenders, the name of the person to whom the contract has been awarded, the price of the contract at the time it was awarded, and, where applicable, the total expenditure that would be incurred if renewal options were exercised.

This list can be consulted on the Système électronique d'appel d'offres (SÉAO) site.

To comply with the new provisions of the Cities and Towns Act, municipalities are obliged to publish on their website by no later than January 31 of each year “the list of all contracts involving an expenditure exceeding $2,000 entered into in the last full fiscal year preceding that date with the same contracting party if those contracts involve a total expenditure exceeding $25,000. This list shall indicate, for each contract, the name of the contracting party, the amount of the consideration and the object of the contract.”

For reasons of transparency and sound municipal management, the 2017 list also includes the October, November and December 2016 contracts, since the previous list, in accordance with the former provisions of the Cities and Towns Act, covered the period from October 2015 to September 2016.

This by-law is adopted in accordance with section 573.3.1.1.2 of the Cities and Towns Act (RLRQ chapter C-19), which states that “every municipality must adopt a by-law on contract management.

Adopted by City Council on February 20, 2019, the Contract Management By-law replaces the City’s Contract management policy, which was adopted on December 20, 2010. It aims to ensure transparency and to improve the management of municipal contracts awarded by the City. Accordingly, through its by-law, the City establishes measures to:

• ensure compliance with any applicable anti-bid-rigging legislation;
• ensure compliance with the Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Act and the Code of Conduct for Lobbyists adopted under that Act;
• prevent intimidation, influence peddling and corruption;
• prevent conflict of interest situations;
• prevent any other situation likely to compromise the impartiality or objectivity of the call for tenders process and the management of the resulting contract;
• govern the making of decisions authorizing the amendment of a contract;
• promote a fair rotation among prospective contracting parties for contracts involving an expenditure of at least $25,000 but below the expenditure threshold for a contract that may be awarded further to a public call for tenders.

This by-law also prescribes the rules governing the making of contracts involving an expenditure of at least $25,000 but below the expenditure threshold for a contract that may be awarded further to a public call for tenders, which may vary according to determined categories of contracts.

These measures seek to promote transparency in the awarding of municipal contracts according to the rules concerning the granting of such contracts as provided by the legislation governing the operation of municipal organizations.

Under the law, all municipal by-laws concerning contract management, including the delegation of authority, must be made accessible. To this end, you may consult the following by-laws (in French):

• By-law delegating to public servants and employees the power to authorize expenditures and to enter into contracts in the name of the City (2022-207) [Translation]: As its title indicates, this by-law is to delegate to public servants and employees of the City the power to authorize expenditures and to enter into contracts in the name of the City. This by-law establishes the nature of the expenditures that may be authorized and sets the maximum amount of these expenditures.

You need a certificate of authorization for the following commercial activities:

• construction, installation, replacement, or alteration of a public notice, sign, or billboard
• installation of a temporary building for commercial or industrial purposes
• installation of a café-terrace.

Please refer to the Territorial development page to know all the provisions of the urban planning by-laws in force on the territory of the Ville de Saint-Lambert.

In Saint-Lambert, all businesses must possess a certificate of occupancy, regardless of whether or not they operate out of a storefront. Therefore, whether you have a home-based business or a shop in the centre of town, you must be registered with the municipality and comply with all applicable regulations. To obtain a certificate of occupancy, simply fill out the form below and bring it into the Urban Planning, Permits and Inspection Department.

Home-based businesses

In addition to a certificate of occupancy for a place of business, home-based businesses are governed by section 10.3 of the zoning by-law. This by-law sets out the standards and conditions to be respected for this specific use. The City defines a home-based business as a professional, artistic, craft or service activity carried out within a home by its occupant.

Door-to-door sales and any other form of solicitation are regulated on Saint-Lambert territory. Anyone wishing to engage in these types of activities must obtain prior written permission from the City.

Near the downtown core, there are designated sticker parking areas for businesses. For details on how to purchase a commercial sticker (sector C) for yourself or for one of your employees, visit the Streets and parking page.