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BC Timber Sales
An independent organization within the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range, BC Timber Sales (BCTS) develops and markets Crown timber for auction, establishing market prices and obtaining value from the sale of the Crown asset on behalf of the public. In 2006/07, BCTS managed about 20%, or 16 million cubic metres of B.C.'s allowable annual cut. Contracts are often high value and highly complex.
A Learning Logjam
BCTS has some 675 staff in 12 business units and 33 locations across the province, with a broad mix of experience and training. It needed both to standardize its procurement and contract management training across all units, and to accelerate training for the new staff who were being hired to replace those retiring. BCTS staff were among the first to enrol in the government's Procurement and Contract Management Program (PCMP) when it was launched. All staff had to complete Level 1, and by March 31, 2008, 123 had gone on to complete Level 2. But BCTS needed more - and more specific - training.
Innovative Thinking Leads To Dedicated Sessions
The PCMP offers a standardized curriculum across the B.C. government, and, for qualified learners, the courses are funded by the Public Sector Learning Fund. BCTS funded additional sessions from its own budget and worked with NECI to address particular BCTS needs. The core curriculum remained the same, but for these dedicated sessions, the PCMP instructors familiarized themselves with BCTS-specific forms, issues and discussions to help learners focus a portion of their course time on what is unique to BCTS procurement and contract management.
Results
BCTS has purchased twenty five dedicated sessions so far, with plans to purchase 8 this fiscal year. Post-course evaluation scores from BCTS learners, from the regular and dedicated sessions, are consistently in the 4.3 to 4.5 range (out of 5.0).