Public Services and Procurement Canada
Results at a glance: 2020 to 2021 Departmental Results Report

What funds were used

Public Services and Procurement Canada’s actual spending (authorities used) for 2020 to 2021: $4,446,870,947.

Who was involved

Public Services and Procurement Canada’s actual full-time equivalents (FTE) for 2020 to 2021: 16,623.46.

Diversity and inclusion

In 2020 to 2021, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) continued to take concrete steps to support the increased participation of under-represented groups in federal procurement.

Incorporating lessons learned from the Black Businesses Procurement Pilot and other socio-economic experiments, PSPC developed a Social Procurement Policy and began work on a Social Procurement Program to leverage the government’s buying power to support socio-economic objectives.

Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC), formerly PSPC’s Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) worked with organizations representing a diverse supplier community and delivered education and assistance sessions to members. PAC also developed a plan to strengthen its outreach and engagement in support of broader efforts across the Government of Canada to increase the diversity of bidders on government contracts.

In collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada, the department continued to advance the Canadian Apprenticeship Service (CAS) which aims to increase the participation of tradeswomen in federal construction contracts.

PSPC also established a gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) community of practice, with representatives from all departmental branches and regions. The GBA+ community of practice will support PSPC’s GBA+ Centre of Expertise in ensuring that policies and programs make robust and meaningful use of GBA+ in their work.

Reconciliation

In support of Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, PSPC continues to work toward a target of at least 5% of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses, wider use of Indigenous Benefits Plans, which are a portion of the value of a contract that is set aside for Indigenous participation, and may include employment, training and sub-contracting opportunities to Indigenous people and businesses. The department also continues to provide employees with the knowledge and tools to engage appropriately with Indigenous partners.

In accordance with the Directive on Government Contracts, including Real Property Leases, in the Nunavut Settlement Area, the Canadian High Arctic Research Station solicitation included Inuit benefit criteria as a significant component of the bid evaluation methodology.

As a result, the successful contractor has committed to providing annual benefits to the local Inuit community, through labour hours, training and subcontracts.

As part of its response to COVID-19, PSPC awarded 36 contracts to 27 self-identified Indigenous businesses, collectively worth over $122 million including for logistics and air charter services, accommodation and cleaning services, IT professional services, medical and laboratory supplies, masks, hand sanitizer and thermometers.

In 2020, PSPC became a signatory to the Strategic Partnership Initiative (SPI) program authorities which has enabled the department to begin development of project agreements to build socio-economic capacity of Indigenous institutions and communities to participate in project, procurement and employment opportunities.

In 2020, the Translation Bureau increased the number of Indigenous language providers to over 100, which covers over 50 of the 90 Indigenous languages and dialects. In 2020 to 2021, the Translation Bureau was able to meet the demand for Indigenous interpretation.

Greening government

As a common service provider for procurement, PSPC seeks to provide clients with opportunities to reduce their environmental footprint. For example, PSPC increased the availability of green vehicles on its standing offers in 2020 to 2021 for regular and executive fleets. The department also engaged with industry to gather information with respect to procuring electric buses and electric medium and heavy trucks, and established a working group to support the upcoming renewal of its standing offer for electrical vehicle charging stations.

In support of the government’s priority to fight climate change, PSPC continues to take several steps to reduce its carbon footprint including establishing clean energy contracts with provinces, adopting measures to reduce waste, and supporting the conversion of government fleets to zero-emission vehicles. For example, the department has been able to utilize clean electricity in 91.4% of the Crown-owned building portfolio in 2020 to 2021, which is up from the starting point of 80% in 2018 to 2019.

PSPC also continues to progress towards a carbon neutral portfolio by 2050, with aspirations to reach this by 2030. To that end, the department is not only implementing various clean technologies in building operations but also incorporating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction into departmental decision-making. In 2020 to 2021, PSPC reported a 57.6% reduction in GHG emissions of the Crown-owned building portfolio (excludes housing) compared to the 2005 to 2006 baseline. PSPC’s reduction in GHG emissions can be attributed to actions improving the energy efficiency of its buildings, provincial and territorial electricity grids improvements, and procurement of renewable energy credits.

Results at a glance

Table 1: Purchase of goods and services

Key priorities for 2020 to 2021 (as stated in the 2020 to 2021 Departmental Plan)	Achievements for 2020 to 2021
Advance initiatives to modernize procurement and ensure value for money, such as increasing the diversity of bidders on government contracts and developing better vendor performance management tools to incentivize suppliers to deliver high-quality goods and services.	Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) continued modernizing procurement practices to reduce barriers for the participation of under-represented groups in federal procurement and to ensure that federal procurement achieves value for money. In 2020 to 2021, the department launched a Black Businesses Procurement Pilot to expand bidding opportunities for small Black-owned or operated businesses across Canada for various goods and services. The department also completed a two-year pilot to assess the use of socio-economic criteria in procurement. The findings demonstrated that socio-economic procurement is a promising tool to increase the number of contracts awarded to underrepresented groups, create community benefits and provide employment and skills training opportunities for underrepresented suppliers. In addition, PSPC sought feedback from industry on proposed performance evaluation tools in preparation for piloting its new vendor performance management regime.
Make purchasing simpler and easier to access through the phased deployment of the cloud-based Electronic Procurement Solution (EPS) within PSPC.	The phased deployment of the Electronic Procurement Solution (EPS) progressed, with significant advancement in the onboarding of suppliers and government buyers onto the platform. The EPS makes procurement processes simpler and more efficient, and allows businesses to access opportunities by moving everything online and going paperless. The EPS was successfully used to buy personal protective equipment such as masks, gowns and gloves as part of PSPC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participate in the development of a proposal for the new Canadian Apprenticeship Service.	PSPC is supporting Employment and Social Development Canada as it creates a new Canadian Apprenticeship Service which aims to help apprentices in construction and manufacturing trades connect with opportunities at small and medium-sized employers, with additional incentives for employers who hire apprentices from under-represented groups, including women, racialized Canadians, and persons with disabilities.
Explore measures that support the conversion of government fleets to zero-emission vehicles.	The department increased the availability of green vehicles on standing offers for regular and executive fleets, engaged industry to explore options for electric buses and electric medium and heavy trucks and started work on the renewal of its standing offer for charging stations.
In support of reconciliation, work towards increasing the participation of Indigenous peoples in federal procurement, and have at least 5 per cent of federal contracts awarded to businesses managed and led by Indigenous peoples.	PSPC continued to work towards increased participation of businesses owned or led by Indigenous peoples in procurement processes. The department, in collaboration with Indigenous Services Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, began conducting broader consultations and engagements with Indigenous partners to advance this work, which has provided feedback on key policy and implementation elements to achieve the target of at least 5% of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses. In addition, in 2020 to 2021, extensive engagement took place to ensure optimal Indigenous participation in requests for proposals for large contracts, such as the North Warning System Sustainment. As part of its COVID-19 response, PSPC awarded 36 contracts to 27 self-identified Indigenous businesses, collectively worth approximately $122 million for a various goods and services.
Advance key procurements in support of Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, including the competitive process to replace the fighter aircraft fleet, and explore options for the creation of Defence Procurement Canada.	PSPC has made important progress in advancing key defence procurements. Significant milestones included the release of the Request for Proposals and receipt of bids for the replacement of Canada's CF-18 fighter jets, as well as the start of production on the Armoured Combat Support Vehicles.
Work with partners to deliver much-needed vessels to the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard, as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), while creating jobs and generating economic growth for Canada.	The department has continued to prioritize the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), and worked with partners to ensure that key projects advanced over the course of the year. The delivery of the third and final Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel was a key milestone, as it marked the completion of the first class of large ships built under the NSS. In addition, delivery of the first Arctic and offshore patrol ship represented the first delivery under the NSS combat package. NSS contracts are estimated to contribute approximately $20 billion ($1.82 billion annually) to Canada’s gross domestic product, and create or maintain over 16,930 jobs annually, through the marine industry and its Canadian suppliers and consumer spending, between 2012 and 2022.

Table 2: Payments and accounting

Key Priorities for 2020 to 2021 (as stated in the 2020 to 2021 Departmental Plan)	Achievements for 2020 to 2021
Continue progress towards the elimination of the backlog of outstanding pay issues for public servants as a result of the Phoenix Pay System.	In 2020 to 2021, PSPC achieved considerable progress in eliminating the backlog of outstanding pay issues for public servants. The department reduced the number of financial transactions waiting to be processed at the Public Service Pay Centre from 166,000 to 94,000, a reduction of 72,000 transactions. The department also improved its performance in meeting service standards and implemented new collective agreements.
Deliver client-centric services that improve engagement with pension plan members and leverage industry proven best practices, so that more than 904,000 active and retired members of pension plans administered by PSPC can readily access pension information, and receive timely and accurate pension payments.	All service standards for service delivery to plan members were met during the year. Pension payments are subject to a rigid verification and quality assurance process that ensures they are made accurately. As one of Canada’s largest pension administrators serving more than 908,000 active and retired members, PSPC issued over 5 million pension payments valued at $13.92 billion in 2020 to 2021. In response to the global pandemic, the Pension Program implemented a solution that allows calls to be routed directly to pension experts working remotely at home.

Table 3: Property and infrastructure

Key Priorities for 2020 to 2021 (as stated in the 2020 to 2021 Departmental Plan)	Achievements for 2020 to 2021
Advance sustainability, climate resiliency, and the green agenda for federal real property and infrastructure assets by integrating sustainable development, the use of clean energy, energy reduction, and greenhouse gas reduction into the decision-making, planning and delivery of real property projects.	In alignment with the Greening Government Strategy, PSPC completed the Roadmap to Low-Carbon Operations in the National Capital Region (NCR) which presents a pathway to achieve net-zero carbon operations for the Government of Canada. The department also completed a feasibility analysis report for reducing plastics in the workplace and developed a strategy to incorporate climate change vulnerability assessments into asset management planning. Work continued on fulfilling the department’s commitments under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change on clean electricity consumption for government operations by 2025. PSPC continued to work with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in developing a strategy to procure 100% clean electricity where available by 2022. For example, PSPC developed procurement tools for new clean electricity in Alberta including the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits and worked directly with provinces and energy suppliers in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as a first purchaser of clean electricity.
Continue to improve crossings in the National Capital Region (NCR) in order to reduce congestion, improve fluidity and increase transportation options throughout the NCR.	PSPC collaborated with National Capital Commission (NCC) for a long-term integrated interprovincial crossing plan with the governments of Quebec and Ontario, the cities of Gatineau and Ottawa and Indigenous partners. This plan considers all means of transportation, including light rail, public transit, vehicles, trucks, cyclists and pedestrian requirements. It will also improve crossings and fluidity in the NCR and reduce congestion.
Advance the Government of Canada’s commitment to revitalizing federal science and technology laboratories by advancing the design of new laboratory and research facilities based on integrated science plan requirements, finalizing the selection of sites and launching procurement activities for projects across Canada that will support science excellence, innovation and evidence-based decision-making across the federal government.	PSPC progressed on the Government of Canada’s commitment to revitalize federal science and technology laboratories. The design of new laboratory and research facilities began with the implementation of a request for proposal (RFP) process for medium-term (up to 3 years) management support services and a new governance structure to allow all science-based departments and agencies to collaborate on decision-making. In 2020 to 2021, PSPC engaged with stakeholders for the Phase 1 site selection in the National Capital Region. A National Master Standing Offer was launched to simplify the procurement of scientific equipment through the identification of shared equipment inventories and security requirements across the science hubs. These items will support science excellence, innovation and evidence-based decision-making. Contracts were awarded for architectural and engineering and construction management services, which led to the start of construction on the TerraCanada Mississauga and TerraCanada Hamilton projects.
Continue to advance the pace of office modernization (fit-up) by delivering an innovative and future-oriented workplace that changes the way we work and supports a world-class public service equipped to serve Canada and Canadians.	The Office Long Term Plan (OLTP), which captures PSPC’s strategy for office buildings, was approved in 2020 to 2021 and improved the office planning portfolio. PSPC continued to advance its OLTP, which contains notional targets designed to right-size, recapitalize and modernize the Government of Canada’s office portfolio over a 25-year planning horizon. It also responds to a growing desire for flexibility and agility in the provision of office space, enabling a hybrid work environment that fosters innovation, collaboration and productivity in a new post-pandemic reality.
Advance major construction activities on the historic restoration of the Centre Block and launch an international design competition for the redevelopment of Crown properties facing Parliament Hill along Wellington and Sparks Streets (Block 2), while ensuring accessibility, sustainability and security are held at the forefront of the broader transformation of the Parliamentary Precinct into an integrated campus.	Major construction activities on the historic restoration of the Centre Block continued to advance through consultation and outreach with internal and international organizations and governments specializing in heritage rehabilitation, sustainable development and the management and operation of parliamentary real property. The design competition brief, which outlined the project requirements and competition framework, was completed for Block 2. A Request for Qualification process was completed that prequalified 12 proponents, which led to the launch of the Block 2 Architectural Design Competition.
Continue to work with Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada, National Indigenous Organizations and the Algonquin Nation to open the short-term use of 100 Wellington Street and to transform this iconic space into a National Indigenous Peoples’ Space.	Indigenous Peoples have continued to be engaged in the Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct, and will continue to play a lead role in transforming 100 Wellington Street into the Indigenous Peoples’ Space. PSPC continued to provide support to the department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNA), National Indigenous Organizations (NIOs) and the Algonquin Nation on various aspects of the project over the year, including: engagement with the Algonquin Nation on the development of an agreement to advance their participation in the project including the short-term use of 119 Sparks Street maintenance of 100 Wellington Street
Continue to develop and implement a prompt payment regime for federal construction projects through the development of regulations and the naming of an Adjudicator Authority.	PSPC continued to advance the development of prompt payment regulations to help ensure a full implementation of the prompt payment regime. Regulatory drafting instructions and a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement were completed, and the regulatory package was provided to Justice Canada for assessment and formal drafting.

Table 4: Government-wide support

Key Priorities for 2020 to 2021 (as stated in the 2020 to 2021 Departmental Plan)	Achievements for 2020 to 2021
Continue to provide quality remote interpretation services and adapt to the rapid pace of digital transformation in linguistic services, including experimentation with artificial intelligence and other technologies to support the work of translators and interpreters allowing them to focus their expertise on quality, work on enhancing the capacity to translate and interpret Indigenous languages, as well as in sign language interpretation.	In 2020 to 2021, PSPC continued to provide translation and interpretation services to the Parliament of Canada and the Government of Canada in official, foreign, Indigenous and sign languages during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The provision of these linguistic services was crucial in the delivery of national communications to all Canadians. Demand for remote interpretation has significantly increased due to widespread telework. In response, PSPC implemented a number of measures to protect the health and safety of interpreters, by formalizing its contract to include remote interpretation working conditions, and developing guidelines to establish optimal conditions to allow interpreters to provide high-quality service in a safe environment. PSPC began the implementation of its new platform for end-to-end translation services, called GClingua. In parallel, PSPC has also been experimenting with various artificial intelligence tools that aim to bring efficiencies throughout the workflow, with a continued focus on quality. Moreover, PSPC implemented video remote sign language interpretation, ensuring accessible communications for deaf, deafened, and hard-of-hearing Canadians, especially during the Prime Minister’s press conferences. Over the last year, the Bureau provided sign language interpretation services to more than 400 public health news conferences and other pandemic-related briefings. PSPC translated various communications for the Public Health Agency of Canada related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indigenous languages and increased the number of Indigenous language providers to over 100, which covers over 50 of the 90 Indigenous languages and dialects.
Continue to explore and implement new and innovative ways to further safeguard the integrity of the federal procurement and real property system.	PSPC quickly reoriented its activities to provide verification services to support the urgent need for goods and services, while protecting the integrity of procurement process for equipment and supplies needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. PSPC established mechanisms to identify new and emerging risks associated with procurement and real property transactions in the context of the pandemic response, emergencies and in the context of sensitive and high-profile procurements. PSPC implemented monitoring and mitigation strategies for those risks.
Support the transition to a more digital government to improve the delivery of government services and enhance the capacity to use modern tools and methodologies.	In 2020 to 2021, PSPC continued to advance modern technologies to improve the department’s service delivery performance. PSPC delivered common information technology solutions across departments and agencies that use corporate administrative shared systems such as GCcase, GCdocs, GCinterop and GCshare and the Next Generation Travel Program.
Continue to transform the Contract Security and Controlled Goods Programs to respond to an evolving external threat environment, and develop a more client-focussed delivery approach to safeguard sensitive and strategic government information and assets accessed by the private sector.	PSPC’s Contract Security Program (CSP) developed and delivered online training webinars to build the capacity of Company Security Officers in understanding screening requests, launched the IT offsite inspection process and engaged with industry to explore ways to simplify requirements. The PSPC Controlled Goods Program (CGP) increased the use of risk-based decision-making to deliver targeted program enhancements with a focus on process improvements and risk mitigation. For example, an enhanced process was implemented to mitigate the risks associated with conducting security assessments of individuals seeking an exemption from the program, i.e., temporary workers, international students and foreign visitors. As well, increased outreach to designated officials was conducted to ensure that high-risk officers, directors and employees were referred to the program for a secondary security assessment.

Table 5: Procurement Ombudsman

Key Priorities for 2020 to 2021 (as stated in the 2020 to 2021 Departmental Plan)	Achievements for 2020 to 2021
Review the procurement practices of federal organizations to promote fairness, openness and transparency.	In 2020 to 2021, the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman (OPO) completed two reviews launched in 2019 to 2020 and launched an additional six procurement reviews that will be completed within OPO’s legislated timeline. The reports are available on the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman website.
Review complaints from Canadian suppliers and make recommendations for the improvement of federal procurement practices.	In 2020 to 2021, OPO received a total of four complaints that met the criteria set forth in the Procurement Ombudsman Regulations to launch an investigation. Of the 4 cases, 1 complaint resulted in a formal investigation, and in the other 3 instances, OPO’s involvement led to the resolution of the issues such that an investigation was no longer required. In addition, OPO completed 2 investigations launched in 2019 to 2020 in accordance with OPO’s legislated timelines set forth in the Procurement Ombudsman Regulations.
Provide low-cost alternative dispute resolution services which offer an opportunity for suppliers and federal organizations to come together in a neutral setting with the purpose of finding solutions, preserving business relationships and avoiding costly litigation.	In 2020 to 2021, OPO received a total of 9 requests for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services. In 1 case, both parties to the contract agreed to use OPO’s ADR services and their issues were formally resolved with a settlement agreement. In 3 cases, the federal department declined to participate in the ADR process. In another 2 cases, the nature of the request for ADR services did not meet the Procurement Ombudsman Regulations and could not be considered any further. In the 3 remaining cases, they were received late in fiscal year 2020 to 2021. The provision of ADR services has been carried forward into 2021 to 2022 and will be reported on in the next fiscal year.
Share procurement-related information amongst federal organizations and Canadian suppliers to promote simplification and transparency in the federal procurement process.	In 2020 to 2021, OPO completed 2 research studies on current topics in federal procurement, entitled Chief Procurement Officer and Force Majeure, which are available on OPO’s website. Additionally, in March 2021, OPO hosted its third annual Diversifying the Federal Supply Chain Summit (virtually) to connect underrepresented Canadian business owners with representatives from the Government of Canada, supplier councils, and other organizations who can help them access federal contracting opportunities. As a result, OPO had over 800 virtual participants from across Canada.

For more information on Public Services and Procurement Canada’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.