Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) will enable the elimination of subscription fees for federal opportunities on the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS) as of April 1, 2005. Currently, the annual subscription fee is equivalent to $21.95 monthly - eliminating this fee for federal opportunities underlines the Government's commitment to supporting small business and entrepreneurship in Canada. The Government will ensure that GETS continues to strongly promote the growth of Canadian companies by increasing their awareness of government contracting opportunities and making it easier for them to do business with the Government of Canada.

A supplier community with greater access to business opportunities, which may help them improve and gain experience, strongly supports PWGSC's Smart Buying initiative, which is a key element in the Minister's vision for the department's transformation to strengthen the delivery of government services and streamline the department while showing a day-to-day respect for Canadian taxpayers.

Facilitating suppliers' access to GETS will also encourage them to take advantage of technology and do business electronically. Statistics show that over 80 percent of MERX customers belong to organizations with a workforce of fewer than 50 employees.

In addition to federal opportunities, GETS also carries opportunities from provincial and municipal governments. The business opportunities for suppliers are considerable - PWGSC alone buys approximately $10 billion each year, putting in place roughly 60,000 contractual documents.

Openness, integrity and transparency are also critical to the Minister's vision of PWGSC. GETS will continue to support these principles in the government's procurement system.

While a version of the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS) was introduced in June 2004 that featured reduced monthly subscription fees, decreases in other costs and new features for users, the Government is now building on those improvements significantly by eliminating the subscription fees altogether for federal opportunities. This will significantly enhance access to business opportunities for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized businesses.

The Government of Canada continues to strongly encourage the participation of the provinces and territories in GETS, so that suppliers are offered a simplified process for accessing the broadest possible range of business opportunities.

What is GETS?

GETS is the federal government's vehicle for advertising of government procurement opportunities subject to the trade agreements and PWGSC's open bidding objectives.

The federal procurement opportunities advertised on GETS include most goods and services over $25,000, construction over $100,000 and printing over $10,000.

GETS is a key component in the Electronic Supply Chain Program which will provide a framework for the electronic procurement and purchasing of goods and services for the GoC.

GETS is an important part of the Government's overall vision to develop Canada as a world leader in electronic commerce.

GETS supports the federal sustainable development priority as it encourages moving procurement from a paper-based to an expanded electronic service. Together with the Government of Canada Marketplace, it is a key component of the federal Electronic Supply Chain Program.

News Release