OGGO Committee News Release
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Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent des opérations gouvernementales et des prévisions budgétaires |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
In Pursuit of Balance: Assisting Small and Medium Enterprises in Accessing Federal Procurement
Ottawa, June 17, 2009 -
The federal government must take more care in how it conducts business with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), according to a report from the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates tabled in the House of Commons today by Chair Derek Lee, M.P.
The Committee held five hearings on the subject of the ability of SMEs to access federal procurement contracts. What began as a study on the bundling of information technology contracts became a study on the circumstances of SMEs as they try to do business with the federal government. Given that SMEs represent almost half of Canada’s gross domestic product, the Committee believes that the federal government must do everything it can to ensure robust engagement by SMEs in their dealings with the government.
“It is vital to the success of our economy to ensure SMEs are being allowed access to federal procurement contracts”, says Chair Derek Lee, “I see the benefits of ‘bundling,’ but the government also has to find ways to make room for small and medium-sized businesses. Tell me when your department designs its procurement you will resist the urge to turn everything into a Wal-Mart globalized supply chain.”
The Committee established five goals it believes the government should pursue when developing policies that could affect the ability of SMEs to access federal contracts:
- Improve the procurement process for SMEs to facilitate their awareness of and access to federal contracts.
- Coordinate federal programs for SMEs.
- Ensure access by SMEs when smaller procurement contracts are bundled into larger contracts.
- Ensure that government dealings with SMEs reflects fairness instead of reserving a certain mathematical percentage of contracts, or “setting-asides”, for SMEs.
- Allow for innovation and quality to be key selection criteria.
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