Fiscal Year 2012-2013

May 30, 2012

Introduction

Public Works and Government Services Canada's (PWGSC) mandate is to provide common services for federal departments, agencies and boards. PWGSC ensures optimum value and enables other government departments and agencies to provide their programs and services to Canadians.

From fiscal years 2007-2008 through 2010-2011, PWGSC spent an average of $3 billion annually on a wide range of goods and services to support its own operations.

PWGSC's sound financial stewardship and governance régime ensures its procurement activities are managed effectively and continuously adhere to the principles of access, fairness, transparency and best value for Canadians.

Fair, Open and Transparent

Like any other department that procures goods and services to meet its own corporate objectives, PWGSC strategically manages procurement spending, risks and efficiencies through an established departmental procurement governance structure. This structure is complemented by a framework to ensure that contracting and materiel management activities at PWGSC are conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner resulting in value for money and sound stewardship of public funds.

PWGSC demonstrates leadership in effective procurement management as well as in greening government through the integration of environmental performance into its procurement decision-making processes. This helps PWGSC and the government of Canada achieve environmental benefits, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the improvement of energy efficiency.

At PWGSC, fairness, openness, transparency and process integrity are also supported through the Department's Fairness Monitoring Program, which provides independent assurance that PWGSC's procurement activities are conducted in a fair, open and transparent manner. The Department also manages risks related to procurement through the use of robust risk assessment processes and tools.

As the government's main buyer of goods and services, PWGSC plays a key role by helping federal departments and agencies define their requirements or scope of work, and obtain what they need at the best value while enhancing access, competition and fairness.

Buyandsell.gc.ca

PWGSC's Buyandsell.gc.ca website is a key resource dedicated to federal government procurement. Buyandsell.gc.ca is the central procurement resource for federal government buyers and industry suppliers. The user-friendly site includes lists of pre-qualified government suppliers and information on standing offers and supply arrangements.

The site provides valuable information for businesses that want to supply goods and services to the government and includes:

• A clear and simple breakdown of the various steps to doing business with the Government of Canada;
• A link to register in the Supplier Registration Information (SRI) system;
• Access to commodity codes and lists;
• Information on promoting your business;
• Access to opportunities on Government Tendering Sites;
• Information on useful seminars on the procurement process; and
• Other useful links.

PWGSC Procurement Activity

The following commodities and sub-commodity groups represent the majority of PWGSC procurement:

• Real Property, Construction and Engineering Services;
• Professional Services – comprised of Advisory Services, IT Professional Services and Temporary Help Services;
• Information Technology Goods – including Software and Maintenance, IT Hardware and Telecommunications and Voice Equipment;
• Logistics – comprised of Shipping, Freight and Logistics Services;
• Utilities and Telecommunication Services – including Energy, Telecommunications and Water and Sewage;
• Administrative Products, Equipment and Supplies – including Furniture and Office Equipment and Supplies.

PWGSC Procurement Planning

Every year as part of its business planning cycle, PWGSC produces a Procurement Plan to identify and assess projected procurement activities and provide strategic information on the purchases the department makes to fulfill its mandate and meet its operational requirements.

As a result of improved procurement planning, the Department has been able to better plan its purchases and standardize its requirements in high spending areas such as IT equipment and services. These strategies, combined with others such as volume discounts and maximizing the use of consolidated procurement tools, have generated ongoing procurement efficiencies at PWGSC.

The Procurement Plan information shown here only covers procurement for PWGSC as a department. It does not include procurements made by PWGSC's Acquisitions Branch as a common service provider for other government departments.

PWGSC Projected Major Procurement Activities

The PWGSC procurement planning process requires that all branches and regional offices identify their projected major procurement activities.  The list includes PWGSC's projected major procurement activities for fiscal year 2012-2013.  In adherence with the principles of access and transparency, the list aims to provide potential suppliers a view of PWGSC's planned procurement activities in order for them to be prepared to respond to the demand.

Important points on the list of projected major procurement activities:

• The list only includes planned procurement activities that are estimated at over $1M;
• The list includes contracts for which PWGSC is a client, including government-wide contracts;
• The list only includes new procurement activities and excludes expenditures towards established procurements (i.e. multi-year contracts);
• The list does not include procurements made by the department's Acquisitions Branch as a common service provider on behalf of other government departments;
• All planned procurement activities on the list are subject to change or cancellation;
• All details regarding the procurement activities on the list will ONLY be available once the solicitation is formally released.

Please view PWGSC's Annex A: Projected Major Procurement Activities Table.

Is the list helpful? Let us know!

In its ongoing effort to engage and provide access and information to the supplier community, PWGSC would like your views on whether this list of projected procurement activities will help you provide procurement solutions to PWGSC.

NOTE:  The contact below is for you to provide your comments on how we can improve the list of procurement activities to better assist you in planning and providing procurement solutions to PWGSC.  We will not respond to requests for additional information on a specific procurement activity included in the list. Details relating to a specific procurement activity will only be available once the solicitation is formally released.

Please send your comments to: michel.ruest@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.

Additional Information

Statistics on purchases and contracts conducted by departments and agencies are also available publicly as part of the Government of Canada's annual Purchasing Activity Report. This report is used to provide statistical analysis of the processes and tools through which government contracting is conducted. To view the 2010 Purchasing Activity Report, please visit the following web pages:

• 2010 Purchasing Activity Report
• Purchasing Activity Report 2010 - Departmental Details

For additional information on the Government of Canada's and PWGSC's procurement activities, please visit:

• Buyandsell.gc.ca is the main location to find information about doing business with the Government of Canada.