Delayed Amazon-like federal procurement system projected to go live in 2019
An online platform intended to speed up and simplify federal procurement is almost two years behind schedule, but now has a planned launch in 2019 following $197-million promised in the latest budget. The funding identified in the Feb. 27 budget is allocated over five years and when the new platform does go live, industry insiders […]
Feds move to do full PS staff survey yearly, not every three years
A comprehensive examination of how public servants feel about their workplaces will now be done yearly, instead of every three years, a move welcomed by union representatives, who say there needs to be meaningful action with the yearly results. According to a November memo prepared for Treasury Board secretary Yaprak Baltacioglu and obtained under the […]
Disputed new federal printer-buying system to be in place by summer: Shared Services
A disputed new Shared Services Canada procurement program reducing the number of eligible suppliers for printers and printing services to federal departments should be in operation by the summer, according to the department. Critics say the new procurement process will completely shut out small- and medium-sized suppliers. Twenty-nine suppliers of printers, photocopiers, and related services started […]
Printer suppliers protest Shared Services’ new procurement plan
A new Shared Services Canada procurement program consolidating the number of pre-approved suppliers for printers and printing services will completely shut out small- and medium-sized suppliers, leaving a handful of deep-pocketed multinationals competing for $60- to $100-million worth of contracts each year from the federal government, say members of a coalition formed in opposition to the […]
Unions applaud scrapping Phoenix pay system, but want more support for its current victims
The government’s plan to move away from the failing Phoenix payroll system is encouraging, say union reps, but the budget missed the mark when it comes to helping the thousands of public servants currently facing financial hardships. In its third financial plan, the Liberal government highlighted the continued failings of the two-year-old payroll system, stating […]
Federal departments resume purchasing own printers, other hardware in wake of changes to mandate of Shared Services Canada
Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough has not received a single request from any federal department or agency to perform select digital operations internally or seek out a provider other than Shared Services Canada since legislation was enacted last spring allowing them to partially opt-out of using the centralizing IT service, The Hill Times […]
DFAIT-CIDA merger has led to a foreign ministry dominated by development staff
It is always enjoyable to stay in touch with former foreign ministry colleagues in my “retryment.” Like “Godwin’s Law” of the internet, or any discussion of United States politics that leads to Donald Trump, it is inevitable when two or more former employees from the Department Now Known As Global Affairs gather together, the talk inevitably […]
Unions representing 85 per cent of public servants demand Phoenix damages in joint letter to PM
Unions making up the vast majority of the federal public service presented a list of demands to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a letter released publicly Friday morning to mark the second anniversary of the botched Phoenix payroll system launch. Representatives of 17 federal public service unions making up of more than 225,000 employees signed […]
Innovation procurement programs looking to lure home-grown products
Yad Garcha, CEO of Bionic Power, understands why most small business owners are wary of doing business with the federal government, calling the process bureaucratic, but for him government procurement was always the end goal. The Vancouver-based Bionic Power was recently awarded a contract for $1.1-million for its Knee Based Energy Harvester through the Build in […]
On political activities, the Public Service Commission deserves to be challenged
OTTAWA—Political parties have already begun recruiting candidates and campaign workers for the next federal election in 2019. Many candidates could be drawn from the federal public service, as there you find people who understand government and know how to get policies adopted. There are also public servants who want to volunteer in the democratic process. […]
