Jean-Benoît Pouliot
PartnerJean-Benoît Pouliot focuses his practice on administrative litigation and public law. He routinely deals with issues relating to public contract law, access to information, environmental law and municipal law.
In legal circles, Jean-Benoît is recognized for his cutting-edge expertise in public contract law. He has authored many articles and regularly provides professional training on the subject. He serves a clientele consisting mainly of public and municipal organizations and is involved at every stage of the contracting process, from contract strategy development to contract award.
Jean-Benoît has navigated complex litigations before ordinary courts and administrative tribunals. He has pleaded numerous applications for judicial review and injunctions. He was also called to speak before the Commission d’accès à l’information and the Tribunal administratif du Québec.
Clients value Jean-Benoît’s attentiveness, efficiency and sound judgment.
- Represented the Government Procurement Centre in several legal actions arising from a public call for tenders
- Represented the Union des municipalités du Québec before the Supreme Court of Canada in Montréal (City) v. Octane Stratégie inc., 2019 SCC 57
- Appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of the Québec Bar, which was acting as an intervenor in Lizotte v. Aviva Insurance Company of Canada, 2016 SCC 52
- Benchmark Litigation Canada – Future Star, 2023-2024
- Best Lawyers in Canada – Environmental Law, 2025
- Prize for Excellence, Gala des Maîtres du Jeune Barreau de Québec, 2017
- Co-author: “Rejection of a bid submitted in response to a public tender: The Court of Appeal of Québec modifies the analytical framework for classifying major irregularities”, September 12, 2024.
- Co-author: “Major reform of project delivery methods in the construction industry – Bill 62 opens the door to collaborative methods”, May 10, 2024.
- Co-author: “Projet de loi 12 : importantes modifications proposées au régime d’intégrité des entreprises évoluant dans le secteur public” [Bill 12: Significant changes proposed to the legislative framework governing the integrity regime of public enterprises], February 11, 2022.
- Co-author: Contrats des organismes publics – Manuel sur les meilleures stratégies [Municipal contracts: Manual of best strategies], 2nd Edition, Wolters Kluwer Canada, 2016; updated in 2022.
- Co-author: “Bill 61: Acceleration measures for certain public projects in order to restart Québec’s economy”, June 3, 2020.
- Co-author: “Is Confidential Information in Your Municipal Archives Provided by Contractors Actually Available to Anyone?”, July 30, 2019.
- Co-author: Contrats municipaux – Manuel sur les meilleures stratégies [Municipal contracts: Manual of best strategies], Wolters Kluwer, 2018.
- Co-author: “Proposal for the Codification of the Rules Governing Public Contracts in Québec”, March 8, 2018.
- Author: “Education Law: a Reminder That Courts Must Treat the Decisions of a School Board’s Council of Commissioners with Deference”, October 16, 2017.
- Author: “Penal Offences: a Minimum Fine Deemed Unconstitutional”, September 12, 2017.
- Author: “Hindering the Work of an Inspector Acting Pursuant to the Environment Quality Act and Fines for Non-Compliance”, July 13, 2017.
- Author: “Who Can Sign a Notice of Claim Under the Environment Quality Act?”, July 6, 2017.
- Co-author: “Will the Jordan Decision Have an Impact on Disciplinary Law?”, March 3, 2017.
- Co-author: “Time Limit for Publication of an Amendment to a Call for Tenders – Reflections on the Impact of Recent Legislative Amendments on Your Contractual Strategy”, September 28, 2016.
- Co-author: “Court Orders Suspending the Awarding or Performance of a Public Contract: a Risk Worth Considering?”, June 23, 2016.
- Co-author: “Information Technology: the Québec Government Changes its Procurement Rules“, November 25, 2015.
- Author: “Authorization From the AMF: a New Monetary Threshold Now Applies to Services Contracts”, November 16, 2015.
- Author: “Public Contracts: Can my Bid Be Rejected?”, August 7, 2015.
- Author: “The Superior Court Confirms the AMF’s Refusal to Grant Authorization to Enter into a Public Contract”, June 12, 2014.
- Author: “Are There Limits to the Power to Intervene of the Administrative Tribunal of Québec in Connection with an Order Issued Under the Environment Quality Act?”, May 14, 2014.
- Author: “Is There Such a Thing as Simultaneous Custody of Contaminated Land?”, April 22, 2014.
- Author: Contrats des organismes publics : l’évaluation qualitative des offres [Contracting by public bodies: Qualitative assessment of tenders], Wolters Kluwer, 2013.
- Author: L’évaluation qualitative des offres : vers une meilleure gestion des deniers publics? [Qualitative assessment of tenders: Towards better management of public money?], master’s thesis, Faculté des études supérieures of Université Laval, 2012.
- Speaker: Développements récents en contrats publics [Recent developments in public procurement], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, January 26, 2023.
- Co-speaker: Les principales exclusions et la gestion des réclamations en matière de risques environnementaux [Major exclusions and claims management with regard to environmental risks], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, October 4, 2022.
- Speaker: Que retenir des décisions récentes de l’Autorité des marchés publics? [Key takeaways following recent decisions by the Autorité des marchés publics (Québec’s public procurement regulating body)], as part of the 17th annual seminar of the COMAQ, September 15, 2022.
- Co-speaker: Contrats publics : tout sur le projet de loi 12 encadrant l’achat québécois [Public contracts: What you need to know about Bill 12 regarding Québec-sourced procurement], Langlois Knowledge, webinar, June 15, 2022.
- Speaker: Conclure des contrats publics au Québec : tendances et astuce [Public contracting in Québec: trends and tips], Association des conseillers juridiques d’entreprise, Québec Chapter, webinar, September 15, 2021.
- Co-speaker: Conclure des contrats publics au Québec : tendances et astuces [Public contracting in Québec: trends and tips], as part of the event Accéder aux marchés publics québécois et s’établir dans la ville de Québec [Access to Québec’s public procurement contracts with European investors], organized by Langlois Lawyers in collaboration with Québec International, webinar, November 26, 2020.
- Co-speaker: Premières décisions de l’Autorité des marchés publics et les plus récents développements jurisprudentiels [Autorité des marchés publics Québec: First Rulings and Most Recent Developments Relating to Case-Law], Langlois Knowledge, Québec City, February 5, 2020, and Montréal, November 25, 2019.
- Speaker: Démystifier l’appel d’offres avec discussion et négociation [Demystifying calls for tenders through discussion and negotiation], Colloque Contrats municipaux : un cadre juridique en mouvance qui commande un raffinement des stratégies contractuelles, Montréal, November 29, 2018.
- Speaker: Les meilleures pratiques contractuelles : quelques sujets de réflexion [Best contractual practices: a few things to consider], workshop for the Groupe des Approvisionneurs des Services Publics et Parapublics, Montréal, November 28, 2018.
- Co-speaker: Dix mythes entourant les obligations légales des municipalités en matière de contrats de collecte sélective [Ten myths surrounding the legal obligations of municipalities regarding contracts for selective waste collection], Congrès annuel de l'Association des directeurs généraux des municipalités du Québec (ADGMQ), Rimouski, June 7, 2018.
- Co-speaker: Mythes et réalités sur les devis municipaux et le processus d’appel d’offres [Myths and reality regarding plans and estimates for municipal works and the call-for-tenders process], Journée technique de l’Association des organismes municipaux de gestion des matières résiduelles, Nicolet, May 30, 2018.
- Speaker: Ce qu’il faut savoir sur les jugements récents en matière de contrats publics [What you need to know about recent judgments on public contract matters], as part of a half-day workshop on public contracts, Québec Bar, Québec City, April 19, 2018.
- Speaker: Discussions avec les soumissionnaires : nouvelle tendance pour interroger le marché [Discussions with bidders: new market analysis trends], workshop for the Groupe des Approvisionneurs des Services Publics et Parapublics, Montréal, November 29, 2017.
- Speaker: La règle du plus bas soumissionnaire critiquée [A critique of the lowest-bidder rule], as part of the 9th Rendez-vous de l’acier : le ciel est la seule limite de l'acier (semi-annual gathering of steel construction industry stakeholders), Montréal, October 23, 2017.
- Speaker: Dialogue compétitif : règles pour interroger le marché [Competitive dialogue: rules for sounding the market], as part of the 4th Edition of the Colloque francophone des services des finances des universités canadiennes, Trois-Rivières, October 17, 2017.
- Speaker: Autonomie des municipalités : à quoi s’attendre en matière d’octroi des contrats? [Autonomy of municipalities: what to expect where awarding contracts is concerned], as part of the 3rd edition of the event Les Affaires, Contrats publics : octroi et gestion en mode collaboration, innovation et solution!, Montréal, October 11, 2017.
- Speaker: Projet de loi 108 : à quoi s’attendre de l’Autorité des marchés publics? [Bill 108: what to expect from the Autorité des marchés publics], workshop for the Groupe des Approvisionneurs des Services publics et Parapublics, Montréal, April 26, 2017.
- Co-speaker: Terrains contaminés : les enjeux [Contaminated Land: the Stakes Involved for the Owner, Seller, Purchaser, Promoter and Mortgage Lender], as part of the workshop series Huit nuances en droit des affaires, Langlois Knowledge, Québec City, February 28, 2017, and Montréal, March 1, 2017.
- Speaker: La règle du plus bas soumissionnaire critiquée : revue des outils disponibles et des nouvelles tendances [Critique of the lowest-bidder rule: overview of available tools and new tendencies], Association des économistes de la construction du Québec, Québec City, December 6, 2016, and Montréal, February 7, 2017.
- Co-speaker: La définition du besoin en matière de contrats publics : étude de cas et aspects pratiques [The definition of need in public-contract matters: case study and practical aspects], Colloque Contrats des organismes publics : formation pratique sur les meilleures stratégies, organized by Wolters Kluwer, Montréal, December 8, 2016.
- Speaker: L’appel d’offres qualitatif : un outil à démystifier [Demystifying qualitative calls for tenders], CCSR, Drummondville, May 11, 2016.
- Co-speaker: Pré-qualification et conditions générales : les clés du succès sur le chantier [Pre-qualification and terms and conditions: The keys to success on the construction site], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, March 10, 2016.
- Co-speaker: L’entrepreneur général face aux clauses de pénalités dans les contrats publics : ce qu’il faut savoir [Penalty clauses in public contracts: what general contractors need to know], as part of the 19th annual convention of the Québec General Contractors Corporation, Mont-Tremblant, February 25, 2016.
- Co-speaker: Préqualification des entrepreneurs et quelques clauses essentielles : la clé du succès [Prequalification of contractors and certain essential clauses: the keys to success], Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, February 25, 2016.
- Speaker: Ce que vous devez absolument savoir sur la jurisprudence de 2015 en matière d’approvisionnement public [What you need to know about the 2015 case law on public procurement], as part of a workshop for the Groupe des Approvisionneurs des Services Publics et Parapublics, Montréal, January 26, 2016.
- Co-speaker: Les terrains contaminés [Contaminated land], Colloque droit des assurances 2015, Langlois Knowledge, Montréal, May 22, 2015.
- Speaker: La règle du plus bas soumissionnaire critiquée : quelles sont les options disponibles pour le donneur d’ouvrage? [Critique of the lowest-bidder rule: what other options are available to sponsors of public projects?], as part of a workshop for the Groupe des Approvisionneurs des Services Publics et Parapublics, Montréal, February 25, 2015.
- Speaker: Sanction des manquements : une LQE avec du mordant? [Sanctions for breach: does the LQA have any teeth?], Conférence régionale Capitale-Nationale/Chaudière-Appalaches du Réseau Environnement : la Loi sur la qualité de l’environnement (LQE), d’hier à demain, Québec City, February 5, 2015.
- Speaker: Ce que vous devez absolument savoir sur la jurisprudence de 2014 en matière d’approvisionnement public [What you need to know about the 2014 case law on public procurement], as part of a workshop for the Approvisionneurs des Services Publics et Parapublics, Montréal, January 28, 2015.
- Speaker: L'appel d'offres qualitatif : comment définir les critères et le seuil de qualité recherché? [Qualitative calls for tenders: how to define the criteria and desired quality threshold?], Colloque La préparation et la rédaction d’appels d’offres municipaux, Montréal, December 11, 2014.
- Speaker: L’évaluation qualitative des offres [Qualitative assessment of bids], Colloque La Loi sur les contrats des organismes publics après 5 ans : un bilan, Montréal and Québec City, June 10 and 11, 2014.
- Speaker: Un propriétaire averti [A Smart Owner], Langlois Knowledge, Québec City, April 10, 2014, and Montréal, April 15, 2014.
- Quoted: “Vers plus de contrats pour les PME d’ici” [More contracts expected for Québec-based small and medium-sized businesses], Les Affaires, article by Philippe Jean Poirier, October 12, 2022.
LL.M., Université Laval, 2012
LL.B., Civil Law, International profile, Université Laval, 2009