The School of Public Policy Releases Brief on Canada's Military Procurement Process: A flawed system placing burden on Government & Industry

CALGARY, April 2, 2015 /CNW/ - Flaws in Canada's military procurement processes are a perennial burden on both government and industry. Despite significant investments in the Canadian Forces during its combat mission in Afghanistan, and a willingness to invest in new capabilities, the Department of National Defence (DND), Public Works, Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and Industry Canada - have been unable to bring a number of major projects to fruition. The release of the Defence Procurement Strategy this year signaled Ottawa's inclination toward change. 

A policy brief released today by The School of Public Policy and author Dr. Craig Stone, reveals that while the DPS is a good start, more focused solutions are required.

According to the brief, "The defence market has too few buyers and sellers to be truly competitive, especially in Canada. Government must share information with industry at every step, clearly and comprehensively, if Canadian firms are to win contracts fairly, keeping the economic benefits at home."

Are there solutions? Yes. To start, government has to be transparent about how far into the future lifecycle costs run, or stop trying to establish them altogether; a separate procurement organization should be established outside of the DND and PWGSC to make better use of the people with the skills to run complex military procurement projects and a sweeping, end-to-end review of procurement to identify current practices that work and others in need of improvement.

How to reform the process remains a significant and unresolved challenge although the recent release of a Defence Procurement Strategy (DPS) indicates an effort is underway.

The paper can be downloaded at http://www.policyschool.ucalgary.ca/?q=research

SOURCE The School of Public Policy - University of Calgary

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