Patricia Carpentier earned the title “Queen of Gloves”
Patricia Carpentier, an Acting Supply Team Leader in Montréal, has been working at Public Services and Procurement Canada for more than 13 years. She had no prior knowledge of personal protective equipment before 2020, but she learned quickly.
During the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, Patricia did double duty: a federal government procurement officer finding the necessities of life for the newcomers during the day and a Red Cross volunteer in her spare time.
“I was also volunteering at the welcome centre,” she said. “So whenever a plane was coming in with refugees, we would welcome them with food and a welcome speech.”
This gives some idea of why Patricia was motivated to get involved in helping with COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement: an effort that won her the grand title “Queen of Gloves” from her big boss, Assistant Deputy Minister Arianne Reza.
A well-deserved title, given that the Montréal-based procurement specialist has been responsible for procuring many millions of pairs of medical gloves since March, and is still working on many more. “I thought it was funny,” she said. “And from the Assistant Deputy Minister!”
“Everybody in the Quebec Region knows that I love special projects,” she added. “I enjoy the dynamics and working under pressure. I like to get up in the morning and I like to work.”
She also likes to run and cycle to relax ahead of her work day, and more recently has returned to her favourite hobby, Brazilian dancing.
Benefits of small teams
Being part of a relatively small team, and being in direct contact with the executives leading it, has been hugely satisfying, added Patricia, who joined the Pandemic Response Sector (PRS) on March 22, while self-isolating after a winter vacation.
“It gave me an opportunity to work with people from Ottawa and from different backgrounds. I had direct and regular contact with the Assistant Deputy Minister, who before this probably didn’t even know who I was, which is totally normal given my regular job as a regional procurement specialist.”
The hours were long for all team members, especially during the first few months.
“I’d never bought medical supplies before so I had a lot to learn,” said Patricia. “Also I still had some regular Quebec Region files to work on.”
Patricia, one of 10 or so team members from the height of the PPE procurement effort to stay on in the PRS, has spent much of her time sourcing hand sanitizer and nitrile gloves. This includes managing a complex Request for Proposal for the purchase of the gloves, for which she had to select suppliers from more than 100 bids. More recently, she has been tasked with sourcing dry ice for the COVID-19 vaccine effort.
Patricia says she has bonded with members of the team: “It’s been a lot of work, but we’ve also had a lot of fun together. I hope that one day, when this is all over, we can all get together and have a big party.”
For more stories like this one, check out The faces behind the masks.