For immediate release
GATINEAU, Quebec, May 7, 2009 – The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, is pleased to present the results of the industry consultations on the proposed Government Enterprise Network Services (GENS). The consultations provided an opportunity for the Government to share its thinking about the telecommunications domain and to solicit industry feedback on its proposed approach.
“Canada’s small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of our economy,” said Minister Paradis. “This Government is committed to working with them to ensure they continue to be key providers to the federal government.”
This process, conducted in consultation with Treasury Board Secretariat, began in December 2008 and was completed in February 2009. Each consultation session provided an opportunity for government officials to share information with industry representatives. It also provided an opportunity for individual firms and industry associations to present, to a panel of government officials, their recommendations and possible alternatives to improve the Government’s proposed approach.
As the consultations report outlines, the proceedings were very constructive -- a broad range of IT industry representatives participated, including small, medium, and large firms, as well as associations, the majority of which support the concept behind the Government of Canada’s IT Shared Services, the strategic direction of this initiative. Industry feedback included suggestions to address concerns related to the potential size and duration of the contract and to clarify that general IT professional services will not be included in GENS. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) has listened to industry and has taken advantage of the ideas offered during the consultations process, to develop an improved service delivery approach.
“A balanced approach, for us, is the right approach,” said Charles Duffett, a senior vice-president and chief information officer with the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA). “Public Works and Government Services Canada has indicated that they do not intend to bundle professional services and based on the recent consultations, we believe they truly do understand the value of small and medium enterprises. Most large companies have already done what GENS was planning to do years ago. It just makes sense.”
As a next step, PWGSC will proceed with the release of a draft solicitation of interest and qualification for additional industry comments to complete the validation of the recommended changes.
“We think this issue is a very important one — we should be supporting organizations like Public Works and Government Services Canada in achieving their shared services objectives, sooner rather than later,” said Linda Oliver, Vice-President, Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). “ITAC believes there is room for all businesses to do business with government, and we do advocate on behalf of all businesses: medium, small and large.”
“Through the release of its consultations results on GENS and its plan to move forward, PWGSC is providing the right leadership and will have a positive impact on the IT sector for the Government of Canada, SMEs and large companies in the IT sector and Canadian taxpayers,” said Jeff Lynt, Chair of CABiNET, an association representing a group of SMEs in the IT professional services sector.
PWGSC is committed to ensuring that subsequent industry consultations are meaningful and will continue to engage representatives from small, medium and large IT enterprises to seek their views on procurement strategies for the delivery of IT shared services initiatives.
For more information about the consultations report findings, please consult PWGSC’s Web site.
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