Creating Respectful Workplaces
Every worker deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued at work both physically and psychologically.Employers must take proactive steps to prevent and address workplace harassment, including having a workplace harassment prevention policy, providing training, establishing reporting procedures, and ensuring concerns are addressed appropriately. While workplace harassment can occur between co-workers, supervisors, and employees, many Nova Scotia […]
Reconciliation in Action at OPBA
September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a time to honour Survivors of residential schools, remember the children who never returned home, and reflect on the ongoing journey toward reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. As an association serving public procurement professionals across Canada, OPBA recognizes that reconciliation is an ongoing […]
Procurement Jeopardy – August
Last Month’s Category: Procurement Dictionary As a reminder, last month’s question was:Which of the following best describes the legal process where one party to an agreement is replaced by another party, with the consent of all parties involved, transferring both the rights and obligations under the contract while releasing the original party from future responsibility? The correct […]
Diary of a Procurement Professional: The Day Everyone Became an Expert
By Victoria Mirlocca, Manager, Procurement Services, City of Mississauga I opened my inbox to find seventeen new emails about a procurement process that, apparently, everyone now has an opinion on. There were comments on the evaluation criteria, terms and conditions, timelines and the process itself. Tuesday, 8:14 a.m.I opened my inbox to find seventeen new emails […]
City of Toronto Offers Low-Interest Loans for Energy Upgrades
As environmental responsibility continues to grow in the building sector, energy efficient retrofits of old and outdated HVAC systems are at the forefront of discussions. The need for energy efficiency in existing homes has never been more important, but for many owners, the biggest challenge is finding a way to pay for upgrades. According to the Canada […]
Building Public Trust Through Modern Procurement: The City of London’s Transformation
By: Vakul Arora- MCIPS (Chartered), CSCMP, SCMP Senior Manager, Procurement and Supply, City of London The City of London is reshaping procurement as a core public trust function-one that protects public funds, enables timely service delivery, strengthens institutional confidence, and creates measurable civic value. Over the past year, the City is undertaking one of the most significant […]
Procurement Through a Project Manager’s Lens
By Katie Walton, Purchasing Agent, City of Barrie As procurement professionals, we are often responsible for a procurement from start to finish, from identifying the needs of the department and running the solicitation to monitoring performance once the contract is awarded. When multiple procurements and competing stakeholder deadlines are added to the mix, it is easy […]
Understanding Indemnity
By Robin Friefield-Hudson, City of Mississauga What Is Indemnity? Indemnity is a legal or financial commitment by one party to compensate another party for specified losses, damages, liabilities, or costs. In practical terms, it is a risk-transfer mechanism: the party best positioned to control or manage a particular risk agrees to bear the financial […]
LOCAL CO-OPERATIVE PURCHASING – A NEW ERA
By Dave Stewart, The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board and Stephanie Ryynanen, Lakehead District School Board As public procurement continues to navigate the post Covid world, we are faced with more challenges than ever before. Between an ever-changing political landscape that shapes government policy reactions, to the rise of AI, nothing is […]
Beyond the Boilerplate: Why Procurement Belongs in Scope Writing
By Joseph Adekale, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) As public procurement professionals, we have all been there. A business unit (BU) submits a requisition with a scope of work that reads like a tech manual, a wish list, or a single page of vague bullet points. When we ask to get involved earlier in the drafting process, […]