The new Procurement Ombudsman of Canada’s four priorities
Press Release
Ottawa, Ontario – October 4, 2018 – The Federal Procurement Ombudsman Alexander Jeglic released his first annual report for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, which was tabled Parliament by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, on October 3.
The report summarizes the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman’s (OPO) activities from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, identifies issues in federal procurement and outlines the most common feedback received from suppliers and federal officials.
Key issues highlighted in the report include:
- the need to simplify the procurement process, e.g. rules and regulations; resources required to respond to solicitations
- the difficulty qualifying for, and using procurement tools such as standing offers and supply arrangements
The Procurement Ombudsman also highlighted the fact that the Office celebrated its 10th anniversary and that in the past decade, OPO responded to over 4,000 contacts, has completed 39 reviews of complaint, 19 procurement practice reviews of 30 federal organizations, and helped resolve disputes between federal official and suppliers in 31 cases.
In addition, Mr. Jeglic detailed his mandate’s four priorities:
- Transparency: to make more information available to Canadians, such as the public release of supplier complaint reports;
- Simplification: to simplify all information and tools produced by his Office;
- Growth in dispute resolution services: to strongly promote OPO’s Alternative Dispute Resolution services and obtain consent to participate in advance through contract language;
- Knowledge deepening and sharing: to perform deeper and more comprehensive analysis of procurement issues and help educate the procurement community on root causes of issues, and potential solutions.
Quotes
“As I begin my first year as the Procurement Ombudsman, I look forward to engaging with Canadian businesses and federal government officials to resolve issues and promote fairness, openness and transparency in the federal procurement process.”
Procurement Ombudsman Alexander Jeglic
Office of Procurement Ombudsman
Follow us on Twitter @OPO_Canada
Quick facts
- Office of the Procurement Ombudsman 2017-2018 Annual ReportTop 5 procurement-related issues:
- Solicitation
- Evaluation of bid
- Evaluation and selection plan
- Debriefing
- Planning and strategy
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Associated links
Contacts
Gilles Pineau, Manager of Communications
Office of the Procurement Ombudsman
Telephone: 613-947-9755
media@opo-boa.gc.ca
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