The views and recommendations contained on this page are those of the participants at the OSME consultations. These opinions are not necessarily those of the Government of Canada.
| Theme |
Concern |
Suggestion |
| 1. Regional considerations are not taken into account |
A. Procurement decisions are too concentrated and centralized |
i. Build better procurement tools appropriate for regions
ii. Provide more training for local procurement officers
iii. Reduce lengthy delays in receiving payments
|
| B. Procurement is not regional enough |
iv. Create "explicit opportunities" for regional participation
v. Regional office should deal and advocate SMEs regional concerns
|
| C. Regional profile procurement is opaque (transparency) |
vi. Share data about actual outcomes (bid winners)
vii. Conduct an independent audit of government procurement
|
| 2. Limited SME access to government business |
D. MERX is too costly and complicated |
viii. Replace or eliminate MERX
|
| E. Requirements (e.g., SOs, RFPs) are too complicated |
ix. Simplify standing offers
|
| F. Criteria discriminate against small firms (transparency) |
x. Create targets for small business participation in procurement
|
| G. Scale of contracts is too large |
xi. Require or encourage subcontracting
xii. Maintain Regional Standing Offers
|
| 3. One size fits all" approach |
H. Lack of a commodity-specific approach |
xiii. Change system's architecture (e.g., methods of supply)
|
| I. Mandatory Standing Offer are sometimes inappropriate |
xiv. Decentralize buying decisions & administration to regions and/or other departments
|
| 4. Socio-economic considerations are not taken into account |
J. There is no baseline for the effect of procurement on Canadian society/economy |
xv. Build a model to connect procurement with other government priorities
xvi. Define the current state of procurement and track change
|
| K. Government should not be run like a business, must consider more than economic savings |
xvii. Define value in the context of all government priorities
xviii. Tie procurement changes to overall economic competitiveness
|
| L. Government should support innovation through procurement |
xix. Build a mechanism to encourage innovation through procurement
xx. Build a single entry point for high tech providers to inform buyers about new products
|
| 5. Insufficient regard for supplier performance |
M. The current tools to encourage good performance do not work |
xxi. Stop the use of bid bonds
xxii. Award contracts based on value not only price
|
| N. Poorly performing suppliers are not punished for bad work (transparency) |
xxiii. Create a "Supplier Code of Conduct"
xxiv. Build a mechanism to publicize simple and useful information about supplier performance (e.g., client satisfaction report)
|
| 6. Communication |
O. Lack of communication between PWGSC, buyers & suppliers |
xxv. Continue to hold workshops and engage SMEs
xxvi. Communicate frequently both internally and externally
|
