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Multicultural suppliers given better access to procurement
Ottawa--The far-reaching Federal Accountability Act, unveiled by the federal government earlier this year, will ensure multicultural companies have better access to procurement opportunities, according to a federal press release.
The announcement was made in late April by Michael Fortier, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada. "Language and ethnicity, like size and location, should never exclude a business from competing for government contracts."
A week earlier, the Ministry also expanded the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises to give better access to small and multicultural companies.
Departments conducting federal procurement have also been asked to:
• include integrity provisions in contracts, to preclude corruption, collusion and the payment of contingency fees in the procurement process;
• promote fairness, openness and transparency in the bidding process through a new Policy on Managing Procurement, which is still being finalized;
• appoint a procurement auditor to review sourcing practices;
• provide accreditation and training for procurement officers;
• introduce a code of conduct for procurement.
Details are posted at www.pwgsc.gc.ca/sme
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