Government of Canada Procurement Made Easier

It's not often that "simple" and "government procurement" are uttered in the same breath, but Buyandsell.gc.ca is aiming to do just that. For any Canadian organization or company that in the past has struggled to understand how to sell to the Government of Canada, help is just a click away.

Whether you're a government buyer searching for details on how to buy software or a small business looking to sell furniture, the new site is your place to start. Buyandsell.gc.ca is the Government of Canada's new, user-friendly procurement Web site. It was created to be the main location for government buyers and industry suppliers to find the information they need for doing business.

"Buyandsell.gc.ca is a big first leap forward in the provision of more modern procurement services," says Shereen Benzvy Miller Director General of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME). "Over the next months and years, Buyandsell.gc.ca will add more information and services based on feedback from stakeholders."

The development team at the department of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) worked with industry purchasing specialists and government buyers to create a procurement Web site that directly addresses the ongoing challenges buyers and suppliers face.

Government of Canada procurement is complex: it is a process governed by laws, trade agreements, policies and guidelines. The federal government is the single largest buyer in Canada, procuring over $25 billion worth of everything from apples to zinc with different rules for each good or service.   Buyandsell.gc.ca was developed to be a simple, user-friendly guide through the complexity.

Prior to Buyandsell.gc.ca, Canadian suppliers and buyers had difficulty understanding how to do business and struggled in the face of too many independent Web sites for procurement-related information. Significant time was spent trying to find procurement instruments and tools. Inconsistent features and functionality led to user frustration.

To begin to solve these challenges and to build a procurement Web site developed to meet the needs of buyers and suppliers, PWGSC began by conducting extensive cross-country consultations, including talking to hundreds of businesses and government workers. By developing a procurement Web site to meet the needs of industry suppliers and government buyers, based on their advice, PWGSC believes they will be successful in meeting the needs of its users. Positive reviews are already coming in.

"The site has done a nice job of pulling information from across the government to demystify many aspects of being a supplier," says a veteran proposal manager and managing director of The Proposal Centre, Keith Parker, after viewing the site. "I look forward to its continued evolution."

"Buyandsell.gc.ca is a big step forward in helping smaller firms get a shot at government procurement," says Corinne Pohlmann, Vice-President for National Affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. "Government procurement can be a challenging proposition for small and medium-sized businesses and this website can help reduce the confusion and increase the opportunities available to entrepreneurs."

The site was designed to be simple to use, to give the user choice and to guide users through the steps for doing business.

To makes things simple, the site reduces the number of mouse clicks needed to find information, it incorporates modern-web practices such as a top-requested resources panel and the content is expressed succinctly and in plain language.

On Buyandsell.gc.ca, the user has choice when finding information. If they prefer to search using keywords, scroll an index, navigate a menu or examine a map of the site, all of the options will lead to the information they need.

If you are a new business or an experience supplier, the site will guide you through the steps for doing business, such as finding a contact, registering as a supplier or locating a business seminar to attend.

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, along with the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for the Greater Toronto Area, and the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism launched the site at the end of September along side a new program aiming to commercialize innovative products.

The two programs were launched simultaneously because information about the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP) is posted on buyandsell.gc.ca/innovation. The CICP is a $40 million initiative to help kick-start Canadian businesses by testing their innovative products and services within the Government of Canada before taking them to the marketplace.

"Today's new initiatives are among the important measures introduced by our Government to ensure Canadian small and medium-sized businesses can grow and prosper," said Minister Moore at the launch of the site at the MaRS Centre for Innovation in the University of Toronto.

Consultations continue with government buyers and suppliers throughout Canada and are building demand for the next phase of procurement modernization.

"Bring on the next phase of development", says Norma Goldsmith, an information specialist and new small business vendor.

"Search and retrieval capabilities should operate so that the only concern is using the information found," says Goldsmith, President of Focus on Information. "The new site is a good start and I'm looking forward to the next steps."

PWGSC wants users to visit Buyandsell.gc.ca to learn more about service improvements for government buyers and industry suppliers across the country. PWGSC is also counting on its users to continue to help shape the future of the new site by emailing their feedback to achatsetventes.buyandsell@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca. With user guidance and ongoing input, PWGSC can ensure that it continues in the right direction.