Overview
The Province of Nova Scotia, Procurement Services (NSPS), was seeking procurement training specific to the challenges faced by the public sector, grounded in Canadian law and best practices. NSPS was also seeking training that was flexible enough to root the procurement process in the fundamentals of Atlantic Canadian policies as well as the harmonized terms and conditions, and help advance the collaborative procurement principles of the Council of Atlantic Premiers.
Discovering there was no pre-existing program that would meet these requirements, and without any budget for the development of such a program, Nova Scotia Procurement Services initiated a creative procurement process in the fall of 2010 which resulted in the development of an innovative and adaptable Public Sector Procurement Program (the PSPP).
Results
NECI was identified as the successful proponent for a program delivery partner in the fall of 2010, and immediately began working on adapting and customizing its already partially-developed public sector program to meet the objectives of the NSPS project. With the assistance of NSPS and Gordon Kyle and Associates Inc., the Public Sector Procurement Program (Atlantic version) was launched in January 2011.
For more information on the Program Click Here
Upon successful completion of all three levels of the Program (75% pass rate), graduates receive a Public Sector Procurement Professional certificate, and are invited to participate (at no cost) in the online Community of Practice that is restricted to only program graduates.
Initial offerings of the program delivered in the spring of 2011 received an overall evaluation rating of 4.8 out of 5.0. There have been consistent evaluation comments about the high quality of the material, the instruction and the practical value of the program to participants.
As of June 24, 2011, the program had its first graduating class comprised of 16 procurement practitioners at various stages of their career, from Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland. These graduates come from a wide range of public sector organizations, including provincial governments, school boards, municipalities and health care organizations. All have found the program extremely comprehensive, relevant and timely.
Keith Gills, NS Public Service Commission commented in March 2011:
“One of the better government training programs that I have been involved in. Great facilitation, wide array of information.”
By improving consistency and effectiveness of public sector procurement in Atlantic Canada, the program is maximizing the value of public sector spending and enhancing relationships with the vendor community. Specific measures can be captured in the future, as the program is rolled out, through such means as procurement audit reports, employee engagement and retention rates, measured reduction in procurement litigation and challenges, vendor satisfaction and other evaluation initiatives.
Program Transferability for all Public Sector Audiences
The PSPP training is now available to all public sector organizations in Canada. Although originally adapted to meet the unique needs of Atlantic Canada, NECI has developed a non-Atlantic version of the Program that is entirely appropriate for every public sector organization in Canada. Through the use of customized case studies, appendices incorporating organizational and regional policies, templates, legislation and directives, the Program can also be easily adapted for in-house delivery to other organizations.
