PACP – 2019 Contract – December 2, 2025

Key Messages

In June 2019, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) awarded a second contract to McKinsey & Co. through a competitive process to mobilize, implement and scale IRCC’s digital service transformation at a value of $16.4M.
With onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC was faced with an immediate need to further accelerate the development and implementation of digital products and services. For this reason, the contract was amended in 2021 (increasing value by an additional $8.5M) to help IRCC respond to these pandemic-driven pressures.
The engagements with McKinsey & Co., provided IRCC with the expertise to execute digital transformation, helped IRCC deliver digital solutions and improved processes, and most importantly, mobilized new operating models which has laid a foundation for IRCC’s full-scale modernization efforts in Digital Platform Modernization Phase 3 (DPM3).

Between 2018 and 2021 two contracts were awarded to McKinsey & Co. through competitive processes to help design and execute a service transformation strategy and roadmap.
Contract two ($24.8M, 2019–2021) was awarded within Public Services and Procurement Canada’s authority for McKinsey & Co. to help mobilize, implement and scale IRCC’s service transformation with a focus on operational improvements (i.e., lean), to initiate digital transformation (i.e., digital journey labs), and supporting functions (i.e., transformation office and digital talent engine).

This second contract to McKinsey & Co. started in June 2019 and continued until December 2021 (approximately 2.5 years, totaling $24.8M. Initial value was $16.4M, increased by $8.5M on March 2021). Through seven task authorizations, IRCC engaged McKinsey & Co. to:
- Build new organizational capabilities at IRCC by providing playbooks for lean and digital transformations and implementing those playbooks with IRCC employees, cultivating lean and agile skillsets and mindsets;
- Design and support the transformation of IRCC’s technology delivery and operating model to an iterative agile development cycle that can independently produce, test and release user-centric digital solutions quickly;
- Guide IRCC in launching and scaling transformation teams and functions, including six Digital Journey Labs, an Agile Centre of Excellence, a Lean Centre of Excellence, a Transformation Office, and a Digital Talent Engine; and
- Deliver improved operational processes and digital solutions that improve the client experience and officer productivity.

Without the services and expertise of a private sector firm like McKinsey & Co., improvements to IRCC’s service delivery would have continued, but at a much slower pace.
The engagements with McKinsey & Co. yielded tangible products like the online citizenship application, but most importantly cultivated new operating models, culture and mindsets that have enabled IRCC to accelerate service delivery improvements and lay the foundation for full-scale modernization under DPM3.
The new operating models, iterative ways of delivering, and transformational mindsets have helped IRCC to nimbly and quickly respond to the growing volumes across all business lines (e.g., through bulk processing), crises like the pandemic (e.g., enabling digital intake and remote work for Citizenship), and the invasion of Ukraine (e.g., quick iteration of existing tools), while meeting Canada’s immigration level targets (e.g., robot process automation integration to enable temporary resident to permanent resident).

McKinsey & Co. helped IRCC mobilize and launch a Transformation Office, six digital journey labs, one lean transformation in Delhi, a Lean Centre of Excellence, and a Digital Centre of Excellence.
Designed and guided the mobilization of new operating models for delivering technology and improved processes iteratively, resulting in faster service delivery improvements.
Designed and launched a Digital Talent Engine to recruit the IRCC employee talent required for service transformation across business, technology, design and agile functions.
Developed and maintained Digital strategy and roadmap, including strategic advice for scaling the digital journey labs and supporting DPM3 modernization.
Helped IRCC build and deploy improved processes and digital solutions. Some key examples:
- Moved Citizenship Grants from paper process to fully digital application;
- Simplified online website for temporary resident visa (TRV) clients and a minimum viable product for digital TRV applications;
- Redesigned and integrated bulk processing (Chinook) into Global Case Management System for processing efficiencies;
- A digital capture prototype to improve integrity and bolster identity;
- Coached and built IRCC’s capabilities for lean and digital transformation functions.

2026-04-01