NECI

Government Procurement and Contract Management in Canada : Nova Scotia

neci — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:00:55 +0000

We continue our series this week on how information and privacy commissioners have dealt with major procurements in Nova Scotia. As always we welcome your comments.

For further information on this subject see our posting of October 18, General Transparency Requirements

Freedom of Information & Major Procurements: NS

Other articles in this series: Government Procurement and Contract Management in Canada

Government Procurement and Contract Management in Canada

neci — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:57:42 +0000

Over the next few weeks we will explore Government Procurement in Canada. Freedom of Information statutes shed light on the operations of government by allowing anyone to access government records.

What about major procurements that result in long-term contracts with million-dollar payments to vendors? Can competing bidders, affected employees and unions, and the media get copies of signed contracts, the Request for Proposals (RFP) responses, and the internal government business case?

When battles over major procurements arise, organizations usually claim two exemptions under the freedom of information laws. A government body may resist disclosure by saying that it will cripple future bidding processes, and thus be harmful to its long-term financial or economic interests. A winning vendor may try to limit disclosure of confidential information that could be exploited by a competitor.

Over the next few weeks we will show how information and privacy commissioners have dealt with major procurements in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia. As always we welcome your comments.

For further information on this subject see our posting of October 18, General Transparency Requirements

Freedom of Information and Major Procurements: Ontario

Best Practices: Prequalification and Standing Supplier Lists

neci — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:00:15 +0000

Organizations generally approach prequalification by using one of a number of types of documents: a request for supplier information (Request for Information [RFI]), or Request for Expressions of Interest [RFEI], or a request for supplier qualifications (RFQ, or Prequalification by Written Approval). Organizations generally use RFIs and RFEIs to gauge supplier availability and interest, and RFQs when they anticipate lots of interest, and need to screen many suppliers to create a short list of qualified proponents for a full RFP.

In this discussion we will look at prequalification of bidders as part of a larger process, to build and maintain standing supplier lists.

View Best Practices: Prequalification and Standing Supplier Lists

Other articles in this series: Best Practices, Business Rules or Just Good Ideas, Doing It Right: Getting Quality for Your Money, Best Practices: Fairness Monitors Part 1, Functions of a Fairness Monitor Part 2

Defining Best Practices in Public Procurement and Contract Management Fairness Monitors – Part 2

neci — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:26:27 +0000

What does a fairness monitor actually do? The three main functions are:

To give fairness-related advice to government during each stage of the procurement, to ensure that RFP procedures are established that meet recognized fairness standards, and to ensure that any problems or questions are dealt with satisfactorily. For example, a key function is advising on standards for disclosure of conflicts of interest, and then helping resolve conflicts for proponents or for government staff.
To provide independent scrutiny of the RFP process to verify that the prescribed processes are actually followed.
To document the actual procurement process with independent written report(s), and to provide a written professional opinion about the quality of the actual processes.

View Functions of a Fairness Monitor – Part 2

Other articles in this series: Best Practices, Business Rules or Just Good Ideas, Doing It Right: Getting Quality for Your Money, Best Practices: Fairness Monitors Part 1

Defining Best Practices in Public Procurement and Contract Management : Fairness Monitors – Part 1

neci — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:38:53 +0000

This week we continue our series on Best Practices in Procurement and discuss the use of Fairness Monitors for major procurements in Canada. Many factors prompt governments to engage a fairness monitor. Typically, the procurement is higher value (e.g., more than $5 million) and complex, and it has a high public profile. There may also be concerns about proponent grievances if commercial secrets are at stake, or if the competition is particularly fierce. With the help of a 2004 case Democracy Watch v. Canada (Attorney General), [2004] F.C.J. No. 1195, we summarize best and worst practices for working with fairness monitors.

As always we welcome your expertise.

View Fairness Monitors – Part 1

Best Practices, Business Rules or Just Good Ideas

Doing it Right: Getting Quality for Your Money