Public buyers
Questions from public buyers
Short answers for procurement leads and program leads at any level of government. If your question is not here, call 613-315-7390 or write to marco@getprocurement.ca.
Who can hire you?
Public-sector buyers at every level: federal departments and agencies, Crown corporations, provinces and territories, and municipalities. The people we usually work with are procurement leads and the program leads who own the requirement. This site does not name client organizations.
Is the work only for large IT systems?
No. The practice can run a procurement for any commodity or service, including information technology, professional services, construction, and goods. One published file was a legacy G7 financial system. The scope is not limited to that kind of file, and it is not limited to information technology.
Do you replace our procurement unit, or Public Services and Procurement Canada?
No. The practice does not become the contracting authority and does not sign the contract. It does the operational procurement work. In a federal department, authority may sit with your own procurement group or with Public Services and Procurement Canada. A Crown corporation, a province, a territory, or a municipality keeps its own contracting authority. You make the decisions.
What do you actually produce?
Strategic planning, the documents for a complex procurement, statements of work, evaluation grids, and Treasury Board submissions. Also agile procurement design, and governance documents such as a framework and a user guide. The published standard is that statements of work, evaluation grids, and TB submissions are drafted to withstand CITT scrutiny.
What does it mean to withstand CITT scrutiny?
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal hears complaints about covered federal procurements. A file can be defended when the requirement, the evaluation, and the recommendation agree with each other and with what bidders were told. One published result was a vendor selection with zero trade challenges. That is the result on that file. It is not a promise that no future complaint will be filed.
What do you mean by agile procurement?
Iterative procurements that deliver results in weeks, not years, used when a waterfall cycle is the wrong tool. On a recruiting platform for 300k+ users, the practice implemented one of the first true Agile contracting models in federal history, with 100% compliance in record time. For a major department, it drafted the complete Agile Procurement Framework and User Guide, and acquisition was standardized across the organization. Agile still needs a written method an evaluator and a tribunal can follow.
What clearance do you hold?
Two team members hold federal security clearances, one at Top Secret. Do not send classified material in a first email.
Do you work in French?
Yes. Services are offered in English and French. Read the French page.
Can you be on our file if you are also helping a bidder?
We never work for both sides of the same procurement. Name the buyer and the solicitation before work starts.
How are fees set?
Every engagement is priced by quote, based on scope. Tell us what you need and we will send a quote.
How do we start?
Email marco@getprocurement.ca or call 613-315-7390. Say which organization you are, what you are buying, and when you need a decision. Do not include classified information.