Question Period Note: Procurement modernization

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is working to modernize and simplify procurement.

• As part of my mandate commitment, Public Services and Procurement Canada is modernizing procurement practices in order to streamline contracting processes and make procurement easier, faster, and more accessible for suppliers, particularly those from underrepresented groups
  • As part of these larger modernization efforts, we are leveraging procurement to increase supplier diversity and help address important socio-economic and environmental issues
  • Budget 2021 proposed $87.4 million over 5 years, and $18.6 million ongoing, to modernize federal procurement and to create opportunities for specific communities such as Indigenous Peoples, women, LGBTQ2+ Canadians, racialized Canadians, and young people

More specifically, procurement modernization includes some of the following initiatives:

• The Contract Modernization initiative aims to streamline contracting policies and directives by modernizing the structure of government contracts and by simplifying the contracting process
• The Vendor Performance Management Policy will establish a standardized approach for assessing vendor performance and informing future bid evaluations
• This policy will strengthen Canada’s relationship with its suppliers, which will result in an enhanced stewardship of resources for Canadians
• The Electronic Procurement Solution provides easy, web-based access to procurement services that, once fully deployed, will make procurement simpler, faster and easier for suppliers to find and bid on opportunities
  • This solution will also improve the management of procurement spending, increase efficiency and allow access to better procurement data

Procurement modernization aims to achieve a world-class, accessible procurement system that drives value for money while delivering better results for Canadians. The Minister’s 2021 Mandate Letter highlighted the importance of continuing the modernization of procurement practices so they support Canada’s economic policy goals, including balanced procurement opportunities with Canada’s trading partners, provide value for money, are open and transparent and require suppliers of goods and services to apply the highest ethical and sustainability standards across their supply chains.

Procurement modernization is an ongoing priority that seeks to transform procurement practices so that they are simpler, less administratively burdensome, deploy modern comptrollership, encourage greater competition and include practices that support government priorities while strengthening a risk-based approach for procurement decisions.

In addition, procurement modernization represents a significant change that includes adapting to modern, enabling technology while also incorporating new ways of working. This represents a shift for the professional procurement workforce in the capacity, skills and knowledge required to deliver procurement services.

Another key element in procurement modernization is using technology more effectively. In March 2020 Public Services and Procurement Canada soft launched Canada Buys, our new electronic procurement system (announced in Budget 2018, at a cost of $196.8 million over 5 years).

Finally, Public Services and Procurement Canada also established, in 2018, the Accessible Procurement Resource Centre (APRC) to support government buyers in integrating accessibility criteria into their procurement requirements for goods and services. Ongoing work includes ensuring that the procurement process is accessible and that barriers to the participation of persons with disabilities in the procurement process are removed or reduced.

Procurement modernization includes the following initiatives:

• Contract modernization
• Vendor Performance Management Policy
• Ethical Procurement Policy
• Accessible Procurement Resource Centre
• Accessible Procurement Resource Centre (2018)

Electronic Procurement Solution (EPS)

In March 2020, PSPC soft launched Canada Buys, which is the new electronic procurement system (announced in Budget 2018, at a cost of $196.8 million over 5 years).

It provides easy, web-based access to procurement services that, once fully deployed, will make procurement simpler, faster and easier for suppliers to find and bid on opportunities.

This solution will also improve the management of procurement spending, increase efficiency and allow access to better procurement data.

Accessible Procurement Resource Centre (APRC)

In 2018, the Accessible Procurement Resource Centre (APRC) was established.

Ongoing work includes ensuring that the procurement process is accessible and that barriers to the participation of persons with disabilities in the procurement process are removed or reduced.

PSPC will develop learning materials for procurement specialists, establish a federal community of practice to scale up accessible procurement across the Government of Canada and launch a series of learning activities, including an Accessible Procurement Boot Camp, for the federal procurement community.

Recent actions for the APRC include:

• Piloting the new GBA Plus Equitable Procurement learning module that includes accessibility considerations and scenarios
• Launched the interdepartmental Agents of Change for Accessible Procurement community of practice in January 2022
• Redesigned the APRC website to provide steps and accessibility resources when planning a procurement
• Developing a micro-learning video on Steps to Consider Accessibility in Procurement

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