Indigenous procurement process: Committee of the Whole—July 8, 2020
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Context
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has been procuring medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), and is working to increase the participation of Indigenous businesses in federal procurement.
Suggested response
- The Government of Canada is committed to increasing the participation of Indigenous businesses in federal procurement
- We are working with Indigenous Services Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat to create more opportunities for Indigenous businesses to succeed and grow, by creating a new target to have 5% of federal contracts awarded to businesses managed and led by Indigenous Peoples
- As we move forward, we will continue to look to increase business opportunities for companies managed and led by Indigenous Peoples
If pressed on Indigenous participation in federal procurement for COVID-19:
- to date our focus has been on putting PPE in the hands of frontline health employees as quickly as possible
- as part of these efforts, we have awarded a number of contracts to Indigenous businesses worth millions of dollars
- last week PSPC launched a request for proposal (RFP) for the purchase of 25 million disposable non-medical face coverings, this RFP is strictly limited to Indigenous businesses
- As we move forward, my department will continue to work with other federal organizations and Indigenous groups to increase the participation of Indigenous businesses in federal procurement
Background
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PSPC has awarded 12 contracts to 11 self-identified Indigenous businesses, collectively worth nearly $40 million including for logistics and air charter services, accommodation and cleaning services, information technology (IT) professional services, masks and thermometers.
PSPC is working actively with Indigenous groups to increase their participation in federal procurement more broadly. This includes ongoing work with the Indigenous Business COVID-19 Taskforce, which brings together numerous Indigenous groups, including the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), National Aboriginal Capital Corporation Association (NACCA), Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada. The taskforce seeks to identify and mobilize Indigenous businesses to provide medical equipment and supplies, including by creating a database of Indigenous businesses. Indigenous Services Canada is the lead department federally, with PSPC supporting the taskforce’s work. PSPC will seek to leverage the database, once it has been made available by the taskforce, to increase the participation of Indigenous businesses in federal procurement.
In addition, PSPC works in close collaboration with the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (CANDO), a national Indigenous organization involved in community economic development. The partnership is focused on helping the council and its economic development officers support Indigenous businesses across Canada by providing information, focused access, and services from the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises.
The Minister’s Supply Council includes the CCAB. This council provides the minister with ideas for strengthening and streamlining the government’s efforts to support essential services organizations in accessing supplies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the Minister’s Supplier Advisory Committee contributes to understanding and addressing barriers that smaller businesses face in federal procurement, including those faced by Indigenous-owned businesses. The Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Suppliers Council (CAMSC), represented by its President Cassandra Dorrington, has been an active and contributing member since the Supplier Advisory Committee’s first meeting in 2013.
Over the last 2 fiscal years, PSPC under its own delegation, has awarded 465 contracts (including call ups and amendments) on average per year, valued at $18.3 million annually to Indigenous suppliers, which represent 3% of PSPC’s total awarded procurement (based on value under its own delegation). During that same timeframe, PSPC, as a common service provider, has awarded 867 contracts (including call ups and amendments) on average per year, valued at $323 million annually to Indigenous suppliers, which represents 1.9% of its total awarded procurement (based on value).
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