Montreal adds security firm to 'grey list' after guards allegedly slack off on the job

Montreal has added yet another company to its controversial "grey list," giving officials the power to break ties with the firm or ignore contract bids even if they are the lowest.

The security company, Société générale de surveillance et d'investigations (SGSI), was placed on the list for, in particular, the "lack of professionalism" of its agents, the city's executive committee announced on Friday.

The company did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

According to the evaluation report submitted by the Lachine borough, where the company was hired to provide security services in several municipal buildings, the three main issues are:

• Non-compliance with the schedule (absences, delays and early departures of agents).
• Significant turnover of agents.
• Lack of agents involved in their work (no intervention when necessary, agents isolated or occupied with their cell phones).

"We had to make several reminders about tardiness, early departures and even an unjustified absence," the performance report states.

Grey list is not an end-all for businesses

The grey list does not prevent Montreal from doing business with companies.

For example, Les Pavages D'Amour has been on the list since 2017 when a $5-million snow-removal contract with the Sud-Ouest borough was cancelled for lagging performance.

However, it has won seven contracts since then.

The company also has several multi-year contracts with the city that predate 2017 and those contracts have not been affected by the listing.

On Jan. 28, the city's official opposition tabled a motion for a more "strict and transparent" grey list, but the motion did not earn the needed votes for approval.

According to the text of the motion, "more than a dozen contracts were awarded to companies on the list of firms with unsatisfactory performance, so that six of the nine companies on this grey list won at least one contract with Montreal."