Author: Graham Allen It is often said, “… working in public procurement is akin to being in a fish bowl with the cat watching.” This is an indication of the level of transparency and accountability required by public procurement professionals. A key aspect to keeping the cat away is a strong foundational procurement document that […]
Navigating the public procurement process can be challenging enough then add in Buying Groups, GPO’s or group purchasing organization, collaborative procurement initiatives, purchasing networks, collaborative sourcing partners, they go by so many names. They can be government agencies, not for profit organizations, or private companies. Some are membership based, national, regional, or sector specific. How […]
Author: Helen Doucette “Accept the bid from ABC Company” said the VP of Finance to the Director of Procurement. “I cannot” replied the Director. “Why not” asked the VP. “According to the Competitive Bidding Law of Canada, we can only accept compliant bids. ABC’s was late and deemed non-compliant. To accept the bid would put […]
Author: Graham Allen In the second of two parts of “Navigation the Five Steps of the Procurement Journey” we’ll be covering posting, evaluation, award and close out. Step 3 Posting Once the procurement document is developed and approved it is posted online for bidders to respond. The posting time is determined primarily by the procurement’s […]
Author: Graham Allen There are many similarities and differences between public and private procurement. However, the greatest overlap is the procurement life cycle or as some refer to it as the Procurement Journey. This two-part series discusses the five steps of the procurement journey beginning with concept and development and continuing with posting, evaluation and […]
Author: Larry Berglund As part of the assessment on the ability of a supply chain department to deliver value effectively, is its ability to do so efficiently. Efficiency is realized through many factors: the talent of its staff and the training budget; the governance policies and reporting structures; the budget for resources including equipment; the […]
Author: Liz Busch Despite how well we plan our procurement projects, your contractor’s performance may not be what you were expecting. Some government organizations have clear measures and expectations, and systematic approaches to managing contractor performance. As an example, a Google search gives you these results: The City of Toronto’s Contractor Performance Evaluation Form (construction […]
As a company that provides education in public procurement, this is perhaps the most common question that arises. While there are many similarities, the nuances of public legislation and free trade requirements create a procurement environment that is more regulated, demands a greater level of transparency, and requires vigilance to stay on top of the constantly […]
Author: Liz Busch Public sector entities rely on the expertise and hard work of their contractors to successfully deliver on their mandates. Therefore, the relationships between the public sector and vendors are vital to the smooth operation of any government organization. But how can government employees ensure these positive vendor relationships while still maintaining control […]
Author: Larry Berglund Negotiation competencies are a must in procurement. Whether in the private or public sector, you are always negotiating. Some of the challenges to expect include: The Day you meet Goliath It’s inevitable that you will be involved in doing a deal with an oligopolistic market leader. Characterized as one of a few […]
Author: Liz Busch Trade agreement obligations for government procurement projects are not easy to understand, which makes it difficult to determine compliancy. This becomes more complex when more than one trade agreement applies, as the procurement must comply with all. This article will address two trade agreements – the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and […]
Author: Larry Berglund Talent Hiring and retaining staff with supply chain competencies is a growing issue for procurement in Canada. Not only have many people left the field, but those who remain are being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d to the limit. The expectations of organizations to deliver value for money is approaching unrealistic levels. Material and labour shortages […]
Author: Liz Busch How well you manage the scope of your contracts can significantly enhance your chance of success, or spell disaster. Poorly written and managed scopes-of-work can result in few quality submissions to your solicitation, difficulties finalizing the contract with your frontrunner, disputes on whether the deliverables were met, vendor complaints, and even litigation. […]
Author: Larry Berglund Of all our interpersonal skills we can improve, negotiation is one of the best to focus on for supply chain professionals in the public sector. Procurement in the public sector can be characterized as being reliant on public tendering. While public tendering is a commonly used tool for attaining prices, there […]
author: Larry Berglund Want to make a deep-rooted difference in your career? Step 1: Adopt a social procurement strategy for your organization. Step 2: Implement it! What is Social Procurement? Social procurement was a nascent idea which resonated with supply chain professionals across the public sector. Rather than focusing on and defending the lowest cost […]
By Liz Busch Many of the public sector’s contracts for ongoing needs are multi-year, with options to renew or extend. These contract renewals offer a significant opportunity to negotiate cost savings, improve on terms and extract optimum value from long-term contracts. Changing suppliers for ongoing contractual needs can be difficult, which makes adding options to […]
By The Procurement School Without effective communication, relationships with your procurement partners can quickly become stagnant. This and undoubtedly negatively impact your team’s vendor performance management strategy and outcome. To nurture a supplier relationship that optimizes outcomes for both parties, performance management should be an ongoing and continuous process. Relevant feedback delivered when the supplier […]
The procurement of IT components and services comes with its own unique set of challenges and responsibilities. This encompasses cyber security and other IT services, hardware, and software products. One must aim to meet all business requirements and maximize the value of spend. Below we offer best practices for mitigating the many different areas of […]
By The Procurement School A Statement of Work (SOW), also referred to as Statement of Requirements (SOR), is a detailed description of the goods and/or services to be supplied under a contract. The job of the document is to clearly stipulate all services and deliverables required to fulfill a contract by defining the tasks or […]
The era of whistleblowing and the need for transparency and supportive legislation in public procurement By The Procurement School Whistleblowers can change the world. And the world needs changing. As dramatic as it may sound, real change requires brave actions and loud voices. However, unveiling corruption and fraud can come with repercussions and grave consequences, […]
It is often said that the best defence is a good offence. This proactive thinking is prevalent throughout our public procurement training, emphasizing the importance of carving out adequate time to do effective procurement planning. Part of that planning should include considering strategies for selection of the ‘best value’ supplier – which will vary depending […]
It is easy for procurement professionals to understand that the best indicator of how a contractor will do in the future is how they have performed in the past, but very few are working with a credible, objective and fact-based system for collecting and utilizing this information on a regular basis. And given the specific […]
Author: Debby Shapero ProppWhether you are contracting to licence or acquire custom software, hardware, or related services, IT procurement creates unique challenges and is often associated with high costs, complexity, and a relatively high rate of failure. Improperly informed IT decisions can be costly. These challenges can be daunting even to the most seasoned practitioners. […]
In the last issue of The Legal Edge, we reported on the pivotal Supreme Court of Canada decision in Bhasin v. Hrynew, 2014 SCC 71, which expanded the organizing principle of the duty of good faith to include a “duty to act honestly” in general contractual dealings. While acting honestly and making sure that you […]