OTTAWA, ON, May 29, 2024 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening the management, oversight, and integrity of government procurement.
The Government of Canada is committed to spending Canadians' tax dollars wisely and responsibly. This includes ensuring that the government's procurement processes are effective and well-managed.
On March 20, 2024, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat released an update to the Manager's Guide: Key Considerations When Procuring Professional Services and signaled its intent to embed certain elements of the Guide within TBS Mandatory Procedures to strengthen the accountability of managers.
Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, provided an update on the commitment by announcing new mandatory procedures as part of the Directive on the Management of Procurement.
The procedures provide an additional check and balance for public service managers to ensure that they are clear about their responsibilities and accountabilities when undertaking professional services procurement activities related to oversight, conflict of interest and integrity provisions in the directive.
Some of the measures include validating that alternative approaches have been considered before deciding to contract for professional services. As well, in addition to ensuring statements of work are detailed and complete, managers must provide a signed confirmation acknowledging their responsibilities in managing the contract, confirming they do not have a conflict of interest, that they have not directed which resources should be working under the contract, and that the contractor did not assist in or have unfair access to the solicitation process.
The government has robust rules in place for the management of contracts. These mandatory procedures will further improve and strengthen procurement practices.
Departments are putting in place their own departmental procedures and reporting structures required to meet the new requirements before the mandatory procedures take full effect on September 30, 2024.
"Canadians deserve to know how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent, and that they are being spent prudently. To foster public trust, public service leaders must ensure sound procurement and management practices across government. These new mandatory procedures will reinforce accountabilities, adopt a whole of government approach for procurement and put in place safeguards to prevent situations of conflicts of interest."
- The Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board
- The new mandatory procedures are part of the government's Budget 2024 commitment to take action to enforce and uphold the highest standards of procurement to ensure sound stewardship of public funds.
- The procedures make mandatory certain elements of the Manager's Guide: Key Considerations When Procuring Professional Services under the Directive on the Management of Procurement.
- Directive on the Management of Procurement
- Manager's Guide: Key Considerations when procuring professional services
- Budget 2024
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SOURCE Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Contacts (media): Myah Tomasi, Press Secretary, Office of the President of the Treasury Board of Canada, [email protected], (343) 543-7210; Media Relations: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Telephone: 613-369-9400, Toll-free: 1-855-TBS-9-SCT (1-855-827-9728), Email: [email protected]
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