The Office of the Procurement Ombud (OPO) published a report summarizing the results of its procurement practice reviews conducted between 2018 and 2023.
During the course of these 5 years, OPO reviewed 631 competitive files across 17 federal departments to assess procurement practices related to evaluation criteria and selection plans, solicitation processes, and evaluation of bids and contract award.
The reviews aimed to determine how well these practices upheld the principles of fairness, openness and transparency and their consistency with applicable laws, regulations and procurement policies.
Consistently reviewing multiple departments against the same lines of enquiry revealed systemic issues in federal procurement. Notable issues included shortcomings in evaluation criteria, bid evaluations and contract award decisions, as well as the complexity of the processes. Most concerning, however, were deficient documentation practices across multiple departments. These issues jeopardize the fairness of federal procurement and the Government of Canada's commitment to open and transparent government.
To address these issues, the Ombud made 92 recommendations to the 17 departments reviewed, all of which were accepted. In addition, OPO is currently undergoing a consultation process with federal buyers and procurement experts to identify the top five foundational changes that are needed in federal procurement.
