Triennial Procurement Strategy

Fiscal Years 2011-2012 to 2013-2014

About Canadian Heritage

The Department of Canadian Heritage (the Department) and Canada’s major national cultural institutions play a vital role in the cultural, civic and economic life of Canadians. We work together to support culture, the arts, heritage, official languages, citizenship and participation, Aboriginal, youth, and sport initiatives.

The Department of Canadian Heritage is responsible for policies and the delivery of programs that help all Canadians participate in their shared cultural and civic life. The Department’s legislative mandate is set out in the Department of Canadian Heritage Act and in other statutes for which the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages is responsible, which presents a wide-ranging list of responsibilities for the Minister under the heading of “Canadian identity and values, cultural development, and heritage.”

The Department of Canadian Heritage is specifically responsible for formulating and implementing cultural policies related to copyright, foreign investment and broadcasting, as well as policies related to arts, culture, heritage, official languages, sport, state ceremonial and protocol, and Canadian symbols. The Department’s main program activities are the funding of community and third-party organizations to promote the benefits of culture, identity, and sport for Canadians.

The Canadian Heritage Portfolio consists of the Department, including two special operating agencies, the Canadian Conservation Institute and the Canadian Heritage Information Network, as well as: five departmental agencies, ten Crown corporations, one administrative tribunal, and four organizations active in human resources which report to Parliament through the Minister.

Strategic Procurement’s relative importance is best illustrated when recognizing how strategic procurement can influence the bottom-line.

About PCH Procurement

The Contracting and Materiel Management Directorate (CMMD) has functional responsibility for procurement requirements across PCH and focuses on managing assets and procurement activities in accordance with a suite of Treasury Board policy instruments and government-wide procurement initiatives. Please note that it does not process procurement requirements for the five departmental Agencies, the ten Crown corporations and the one Administrative tribunal.

CMMD’s objective is twofold and reflects the four principles of Modern Comptrollership (integrated performance information, sound risk management, rigorous stewardship, and values and ethics):

to manage materiel in a sustainable and financially responsible manner that supports cost-effective and efficient delivery of departmental programs, and
to acquire goods and services in a manner that enhances access, competition and fairness and results in best value or, if appropriate, the optimal balance of overall benefits to the Crown and the Canadian people.

These objectives set the foundation of our procurement principles.

Canadian Heritage uses approved methods of soliciting bids and awarding contracts as outlined under the Government Contracts Regulations, the Treasury Board’s Contracting Policy as well as applicable trade agreements:

MERX (the government’s electronic bidding system);
Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements;
Traditional competitive method in which at least three firms are directly invited to submit proposals;
Non-competitively (sole source);
The Acquisition Card (credit card).

PCH’s contracting delegation is similar to that of most departments:

Canadian Heritage	($000s)
	Electronic Bidding		Competitive		Non-Competitive
	Entry	Amend- ments	Entry	Amend- ments	Entry	Amend- ments
Service Contract	2,000	1,000	400	200	100	50
Good Contract	-	-	-	-	25	25
Construction Contract	400	200	400	200	40	40

Over these amounts, contractual requirements are processed through Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). We also have the option to request approval from the Treasury Board.

Since fiscal year 2008-09, PCH contracted on average $50M worth of goods and services annually in support of its programs and initiatives. These procurement transactions were managed through various purchasing tools (services contracts, purchase orders, acquisition cards, Standing Offers, Supply Arrangements, etc).

All contracting transactions are recorded and processed through an automated system (SAP) and requirements in excess of $10K are processed centrally by the CMMD. As noted previously, the latter has functional responsibility for contracting within PCH.

In reviewing PCH expenditures since fiscal year 2008-09, the top commodity groups against which contracting activities were undertaken included: engineering services, information technology consultants, business services, maintenance of computer equipment, computer equipment, accounting and audit services.

Our Procurement Strategy

In the context of the Public Service Renewal initiative launched in the 14th annual report to the Prime Minister, the Clerk of the Privy Council identified the integration of business planning as part of its priorities for the short and medium term. As part of PCH’s integrated business planning exercise, the following ongoing requirements have been identified for Fiscal Years 2011-2012 to 2013-2014:

Building maintenance and operation services: $6.2M
Informatics technology consulting services: $3.1M
Evaluation services: $2.2M
Informatics technology equipment (ever greening): $2.0M
Translation requirements: $1.4M
Audit services: $1.4M
Acquisition and analysis of various cultural industry data: $1.2M
Scientific equipment for laboratories to replace old equipment and to incorporate new technologies: $850K
Media issues management and monitoring services: $750K
Warehousing services: $600K
Printing Services: $275K
Other various requirements: web transformation, virtual exhibits, software, research, reports and surveys, etc.

It should be noted that PCH makes no formal commitment toward such expenses and that these amounts are strictly for forecasting purposes.

The value and complexity of our procurement requirements vary, ranging from the purchase of office supplies to million dollar contracts for services related to building maintenance, informatics technology consulting and program evaluations.

As identified in PCH’s Investment Plan, the Department will take part in project specific activities as they relate to:

Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations;
The Grants and Contributions Modernization Initiative; and,
The Department’s InfoCentre Corporate Project.

The Department is also involved in many special events, such as:

International Expositions
Royal Visits
Olympics and Paralympics Games
Pan-Am / Para Pan-Am Games
Bicentennial of the War of 1812 celebrations
150th Anniversary of the Confederation celebrations,
State Funerals

For the large majority of the goods and services PCH procures, we will use procurement tools such as:

Through the use of Electronic Bidding, we also set up some acquisition tools (i.e. standing offers, supply arrangements) to fulfill some departmental-specific requirements. Some of these include acquisition tools for:

Translation, Revision and Editing Services;
Evaluation Services;
Creative Writing Services; and,
Creative Design Services.

Additional Information

As usual, a list of contracts awarded in the past by PCH can be found through the Department’s Contracts Disclosure reports which are published on our website.

Public Works and Government Service Canada’s website provides additional information on how to do business with the Government of Canada. Various contracting mechanisms exist and are discussed in greater details on this page.

Please consult the Government’s Electronic Tendering System for current and upcoming PCH Electronic Bidding requirements.

Any additional request related to PCH’s procurement process may be addressed to:

Canadian Heritage
Contracting and Materiel Management Directorate
15 Eddy Street, 15-9-G
Gatineau, Québec
K1A 0M5