Public Services and Procurement Canada
Internal Services: Planned results—2023 to 2024 Departmental Plan
Document navigation for "2023 to 2024 Departmental Plan"
Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:
- management and oversight services
- communications services
- legal services
- human resources management services
- financial management services
- information management services
- information technology services
- real property management services
- materiel management services
- acquisition management services
Planning highlights
In this section
There are a number of planning highlights that display the delivery of internal services.
Communications services
The department is continuing to enhance the way it engages with Canadians and its employees through the use of new technologies and approaches. This includes audience-tailored communication activities such as enhanced media relations, storytelling, increased use of multimedia content, and amplified social media content. These and other activities will be deployed internally and externally to communicate and support the work and achievements of the department. In 2023 to 2024, PSPC’s Internet and intranet platforms will be modernized in order to meet government web requirements, and to support a user-centric, accessible and task-based approach to the provision of information and services. The department will also seek additional opportunities to enhance openness and transparency, proactively publishing information wherever possible.
Human resources management services
With respect to diversity and inclusion, PSPC will pursue the implementation of its evergreen 2022 to 2025 Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan by focusing on changing the work culture and fostering an environment that is supportive and inclusive of diversity. It includes initiatives such as the implementation of diverse talent recruitment strategies to support inclusive hiring of equity-seeking groups. It also includes the development of programs that address systemic barriers in talent management and ensure that leadership development activities lead to increased retention rates and advancement opportunities for equity-seeking groups. The department will strengthen its engagement with its diversity networks and the departmental Task Force on Anti-Racism, Workplace Culture and Equity, including continuing active dialogue to better understand barriers and seeking input into policies and programs.
PSPC will also implement its first Accessibility Plan, which establishes the department’s accessibility goals and targets for 2023 to 2025 and brings together far-reaching initiatives, practices and strategies. This plan aims at making PSPC fully accessible and inclusive to its employees and to Canadians.
PSPC is developing and implementing its Official Languages Departmental Action Plan. The plan aims to foster a workplace that is inclusive, diverse and conducive to the use of both official languages, and respectful of the language rights of Canadians, PSPC employees and employees of the federal departments and agencies it serves.
PSPC will continue to provide mental health and well-being tools, services, resources and learning opportunities for managers and employees through virtual and in-person consultations, including accessibility services and resources. The department will continue to promote its mental health, well-being and inclusion strategy and accessibility onboarding toolkit, which are founded on addressing employees’ needs for a healthy, respectful, inclusive and supportive work environment that promotes employee engagement. PSPC will also renew and expand its Listening Ear Peer Support Program and actively recruit volunteers with lived experience representing equity-seeking groups.
Established in 2017, PSPC’s Office of the Ombud for Mental Health and Employee Well-being is an independent entity reporting directly to the deputy minister. In 2023 to 2024, the office will continue to offer a safe and confidential space to all employees, at all levels, and across the country, and co-develop options in order to address their specific workplace issues. It will also hold activities to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion among PSPC’s employees; to support an environment which promotes a safe space to discuss and learn about different experiences, views, beliefs and cultures; and to reduce various barriers related to government hiring. The office abides by the strict standards of practice established by the International Ombuds Association, including the independence, confidentiality, impartiality and informality of professional services delivered. The office will continue to support and align its services and initiatives with PSPC’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.
Management and oversight services
PSPC will optimize its security program throughout the department by continuing to deliver on the new 3-year Departmental Security Plan which supports the delivery of security projects up to fiscal year 2025. These projects support risk mitigation activities as well as program maturity activities to strengthen the foundation of security at PSPC. The security risks identified by PSPC will be mitigated by the security controls listed in the Government of Canada Policy on Government Security and in PSPC policies. These controls aim at safeguarding people, information, services and assets and allow the department to manage security risks. Departmental corporate security services support the implementation of an evolving hybrid workspace through security services and oversight.
PSPC recently established its Enterprise Strategic Project Management Office (ESPMO), an internal horizontal organization that aims to strengthen project management through standardization, centralization of reporting and early warning system implementation to decrease risks and increase benefits realization on PSPC projects. In 2023 to 2024, ESPMO will finalize a strategic plan for project management which will identify the priorities of PSPC’s project management community for the next 3 years.
Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses
The following text describe how PSPC plans to support the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses annually.
Part 1: High-level planning summary and key highlights
PSPC is committed to economic reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and will contribute to improved socio-economic outcomes by increasing opportunities for First Nations, Inuit and Métis businesses through the federal procurement process.
The Treasury Board (TB) published the new Mandatory Procedures on Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses as part of the TB Directive on the Management of Procurement in April 2022, giving departments until the end of the fiscal year 2024 to 2025 to meet or exceed the 5% target. The mandatory procedures establish policy and reporting requirements for departments.
As part of its efforts to increase the participation of Indigenous businesses in federal procurement, PSPC has increased outreach to industry and Indigenous‑owned and led businesses and entrepreneurs. Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC) and PSPC’s regional offices support small and medium sized enterprises in the federal procurement process, specifically targeting those groups who are underrepresented in the federal supply chains such as Indigenous people and businesses.
For example, between October 2022 and March 2023, PAC led or co-led a number of national and regional Indigenous business information sessions that focussed on Indigenous businesses, communities and associations. Held virtually, in-person or in hybrid formats, these sessions bring Indigenous businesses, communities and associations together to raise awareness of the Government of Canada’s 5% target for Indigenous participation in federal procurement, highlight Indigenous procurement opportunities, and provide information on federal capacity support programs and services. In addition, as part of these sessions, PSPC encouraged Indigenous businesses to register in the Indigenous Services Canada’s (ISC) Indigenous Business Directory (IBD). PAC is also using various communications strategies, including direct messaging to Indigenous businesses and participation at key partner events, to highlight the benefits of registering in the IBD.
PAC also provides workshops on the federal procurement process generally, and provides one-on-one coaching for small business owners and entrepreneurs to ensure that they are ‘bid ready’. Internally at PSPC, collaboration is ongoing to share the experiences of small businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly by identifying barriers to participation in federal procurement, and working throughout the procurement domain to find solutions.
PSPC will also continue to develop tools and guidance to support the procurement community in their work to increase participation by Indigenous entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities. This includes guidance specifically to support meeting the 5% mandate, increasing subcontracting opportunities through Indigenous participation plans, and leveraging the accomplishments and opportunities set forth in the procurement obligations within modern treaties.
TBS and ISC are leading the development of reporting processes and procedures. PSPC is supporting this work to ensure that it fulfills its reporting obligations as a department and supports the reporting of other federal departments in its role as a common services provider. The department is also working to improve its data and reporting guidance, and to strengthen data integrity and verification. These efforts are directly supported by the implementation and continuous improvement of the PSPC electronic procurement solution (EPS), which will make it easier for suppliers, including Indigenous businesses, to do business with the Government of Canada.
Reporting under the mandatory procedures will take place in different phases. For departments in phase 1, which includes PSPC, reporting is due in fall 2023. The results of phase 1 departments for the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year in terms of the 5% mandate will be available publicly in spring 2024 when ISC releases its final reports.
In addition, PSPC is required to identify procurement requirements to ISC with the potential to have the most impact on PSPC’s target for contracting with Indigenous businesses. PSPC’s preliminary strategy for fiscal year 2022 to 2023 included an ambitious approach to provide targeted opportunities for low dollar value procurements to Indigenous suppliers. PSPC plans to focus more closely on higher dollar value procurement in 2023 to 2024. The department will continue to provide information on these opportunities to ISC, monitor opportunities to favour Indigenous suppliers and, where possible, encourage sub-contracting to these suppliers by non-Indigenous contract holders.
Part 2: Information on the application of deputy-head approved exceptions
Exceptions will only be considered where it would be impossible to offer contracts to Indigenous suppliers and where these opportunities could not be included in the calculation of planning objectives. No exceptions are being sought at the time of the drafting of this plan.
Part 3: 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 targets
| 5% reporting field description | 2021 to 2022 Actual percentage achieved | 2022 to 2023 Forecasted percentage target | 2023 to 2024 Planned percentage target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses | N/A | 2.1%table 1 note 1 | 5%table 1 note 2 |
Table 1 Notes
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The following context and constraints apply to targets:
- these figures reflect contracts awarded for PSPC as a department, and do not include contracts awarded by PSPC on behalf of other government departments and agencies as a common service provider of procurement services
- these figures do not take into account transactions with suppliers recognized exclusively under comprehensive land claim agreements (modern treaties)
- efforts are ongoing to isolate the associated data to account for this item
- these figures do not take into account subcontracts with Indigenous suppliers
- efforts are ongoing to isolate the associated data to account for this item as well
Part 4: Other measures internal to Public Services and Procurement Canada
PSPC will continue focusing on awareness, guidance and reporting to support the success of the 5% minimum mandate for Indigenous businesses. Additional efforts will include:
- delivering outreach and educational services through PSPC’s senior designated official for the management of procurement, and through its coordinator for procurement with Indigenous businesses
- these efforts will continue in the coming years in order to create a PSPC culture that understands how to better work with Indigenous businesses and the people that own them
- working to align a number of departmental governance bodies to ensure that there is a focus on advancing this initiative through a culture of understanding and reconciliation
- stimulating more Indigenous sources of supply by using PSPC procurement tools and approaches to seek out yet untapped Indigenous suppliers and work with ISC to have these suppliers validated and registered on the IBD
| 2023 to 2024 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) | 2023 to 2024 planned spending | 2024 to 2025 planned spending | 2025 to 2026 planned spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 279,731,031 | 279,731,031 | 264,490,871 | 268,056,036 |
The variance in net planned spending is mainly related to fluctuations in funding requirements for information technology projects, such as the Government of Canada Trusted Platform (GCTP) and the digital convergence project.
Financial, human resources and performance information for PSPC’s program inventory is available on Government of Canada InfoBase.
| 2023 to 2024 planned full-time equivalents | 2024 to 2025 planned full-time equivalents | 2025 to 2026 planned full-time equivalents |
|---|---|---|
| 3,259 | 3,237 | 3,233 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for PSPC’s program inventory is available on Government of Canada Infobase.