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The federal government is rushing to hire pest control professionals who can deal with bedbugs that public servants bring home from the office, as the insects continue to pop up in government buildings around the national capital region.

According to a tender posted last Friday by Public Works and Government Services Canada, the feds are looking to issue up to five standing offers to pest management firms that can inspect and treat its workers’ homes and vehicles for bedbugs as needed, over the next five years.

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The budget for each standing offer? Up to $400,000.

The procurement will close Nov. 22, and the tender offers an explanation for the short turnaround time.

“There is an urgency … considering the health and safety risks associated with the bedbug situation in the national capital area.”

It called the situation “unforeseeable, as this is something that is not expected in an office setting.”