Government of Canada awards contract for electronic procurement solution

Key milestone achieved in procurement modernization                    

GATINEAU, QC, July 5, 2018 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to improving the way it does business, including finding ways to make procurement processes simpler, more accessible and less administratively burdensome for suppliers. Moving federal procurement online is critical to changing the way government and suppliers interact to buy and sell goods and services, which total approximately $25 billion annually.

Public Services and Procurement Canada announced today it has awarded an $80.3 million contract to Infosys Public Services, Inc. to implement and manage an electronic procurement solution. The contract is for five years, with options to extend up to an additional seven years. This contract award follows the government's Budget 2018 commitment to modernize the procurement function by allocating $196.8 million over five years to establish an e-platform for simpler, better procurement.

The electronic procurement solution will be a modern cloud-based platform that will automate and streamline procurement. It will be user-friendly and will make it easier and faster for suppliers, including Canadian-owned small and medium enterprises, to do business with the government and provide the goods and services needed to deliver for Canadians.

The electronic procurement solution will also support other procurement modernization initiatives. For example, it will enable the government to gather and share vendor performance information, so that departments can get the best value for Canadian taxpayers. It will also support social procurement by giving the government a tool to track and monitor participation by businesses owned by under-represented groups in federal procurement. To ensure a smooth transition, the electronic procurement solution will be gradually implemented within Public Services and Procurement Canada. Based on this experience, the government will determine whether to expand the solution to other federal departments and agencies.

The Government of Canada is applying lessons learned from other information technology projects in developing and implementing the electronic procurement solution. This includes applying rigorous testing and effective governance, engaging users and seeking independent advice throughout the process. This will help ensure the solution is appropriately implemented and effectively meeting its objectives.

Quote

"As one of the largest buyers of goods and services in the country, the Government of Canada is committed to continually improving its procurement tools and processes. Today's announcement marks a key milestone in our efforts to modernize federal procurement. The electronic procurement solution will help make federal procurement more accessible to Canadian companies, including small and medium enterprises operated by under-represented groups."

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough
Minister of Public Services and Procurement

Quick facts

• Current federal procurement systems are outdated, do not align with standard industry best practices and rely heavily on paper forms.
• Public Services and Procurement Canada consulted extensively with industry during the procurement process.
• As part of the industry engagement for this procurement, a Letter of Interest, a Request for Information, a draft Request for Proposal and a final Request for Proposal were posted on Buyandsell.gc.ca.

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SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada