PWGSC's Business Dispute Management Program

Who we are

Located in the Departmental Oversight Branch within the Operational Integrity Sector, the Business Dispute Management (BDM) program at Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is a neutral and confidential resource for contractors, other government departments, and PWGSC employees when they experience difficulties with a contract where PWGSC is the contracting authority.

What we do

We provide conflict prevention and alternative dispute resolution services to contractors, other government departments, and PWGSC employees by:

Liaising between you and others to support positive progress on difficult business matters
Assisting you to examine issues, explore and assess options for business dispute management
Facilitating meetings between individuals to help arrive at a mutually agreed upon resolution

How we can help you

Our conflict management practitioners offer a range of flexible services to help with the handling of issues that may arise during the administration of a contract.

Our services include:

Consultation
Conflict coaching
Facilitated discussion
Mediation
Arbitration
Awareness presentations
Skills training workshops

Please refer to Our Services for more information.

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Benefits of our services

Maintains integrity of the contracting process by providing a forum so you can address problems as early as possible
Increases opportunities for you to have a collaborative and productive discussion so you can find solutions that meet your needs
Enhances your capacity to resolve issues quickly and efficiently

You should contact us when

You are unsure of the next steps to take to address a contract dispute
You believe you would benefit from the assistance of a conflict management practitioner to help you prepare for a difficult conversation
You do not know who to contact for help to resolve a business dispute
You are seeking options other than more formal resolution approaches such as litigation

Our service standards

Our goal is to help you resolve business disputes quickly. We make every effort to respond to initial phone calls and e-mails within two business days.

Our staff

Our conflict management practitioners are qualified and experienced in interventions such as coaching, facilitation, and mediation. Trained in alternate dispute resolution techniques, our practitioners remain neutral when offering services and conflict management expertise to clients.

Confidentiality

We keep information shared during discussions private unless given permission to do otherwise.

What we cannot do

While our practitioners can help if you have a concern or complaint about the administration of a contract or other business matter, because we use a facilitative approach, we do not:

Render decisions to settle disputes
Change or set aside legislation, regulation, policy, guidance or administrative decisions
Provide legal advice or get involved in an issue that is before the courts or subject to a Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) review
Advocate on behalf of or represent any one involved in an issue
Act as substantive authorities or technical experts
Provide opinions on who is right or wrong

People we have helped

Some examples of people we have helped include:

A contractor concerned with the way PWGSC was administering his contract
A PWGSC client department differing with the contractor on the revised delivery date of a product or reception of incorrect merchandise
A PWGSC contracting authority concerned about the communications between a PWGSC client department and the contractor
A PWGSC contracting authority struggling to identify how to work with a frustrated client

Please refer to Our Work for examples of how we have provided support to clients.