Designing a Computerized Dispatch Control System for Gaz Metropolitain Inc. of Montreal to Obtain Maximum Value

In April of 1981, Gaz Metropolitain Inc. of Montreal retained the consulting firm of Coggan Douserv Associates Limited to design, specify and call tenders on a computerized gas dispatch control system. An integral part of the design mandate was to obtain the maximum possible value in the system which was eventually purchased. Executing a technically accurate design while at the same time seeking maximum value involved the following steps: 1. Matching the owner´s needs with the available technology. This involved clearly defining the owner´s needs while at the same time confering with various suppliers to determine what represented the best combination of new, yet proven, technology. 2. Designing by modules. This involved defining the system in terms of modules for which the performance could be well described and for which unit prices could be obtained. 3. Fvaluating supplier´s proposals. This involved establishing criteria and their order of importance and weight and then comparing supplier´s proposals factor by factor to the ideal. This paper describes the details involved in the three steps mentioned above.