Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and honourable members of this standing committee, and thank you for having me here today.
My name is Lorenzo Ieraci and I am the director general of the office of small and medium enterprises at Public Services and Procurement Canada. Joining me today is Louis-Martin Parent, director for the national capital region.
Today I would like to focus my remarks on two areas. First, I will provide an overview of the office of small and medium enterprises, OSME, and how we work to assist smaller companies in federal procurement. Second, I will highlight how we are supporting the broader efforts of Public Services and Procurement Canada and the Government of Canada to acquire the equipment and supplies our front-line health care workers need in the fight against COVID-19.
Mr. Chair, let me begin by providing a brief overview of OSME. OSME was created in 2005 to specifically address the needs and perspectives of smaller businesses selling to the Government of Canada. Our organization has a network of six regional offices stretching from Victoria to Halifax. In addition to our regional offices, we also have a toll-free national information line, which companies can call if they have questions or need assistance.
Our dedicated team helps companies in a number of ways. First, we raise awareness of the fact that our organization exists and is a resource available to them for assistance. Second, we educate companies on the federal procurement process and on where to find information or opportunities. Third, we provide direct assistance to those interested in participating in federal procurement. In addition, we seek to advocate on behalf of smaller companies both within Public Services and Procurement Canada and, to the extent possible, with other federal organizations. Our goal is to identify and reduce barriers that smaller businesses can face when doing business with the Government of Canada.
Mr. Chair, OSME also encourages Canadian companies from traditionally underrepresented groups and helps them participate in federal procurement. To do so, we work with external stakeholders, partners and associations to reach their respective constituencies. We want to ensure that they are aware of OSME and the services we offer, so that the federal government can benefit from the great diversity of Canada’s business community.
We do all this through activities such as free seminars, webinars and one-on-one meetings. In essence, we try to make it as easy as possible for smaller businesses to reach us so that we can answer their questions and help them on their journey through federal procurement. In addition, we make information available through our website, buyandsell.gc.ca. This website provides information on federal procurement, as well as most tenders or solicitations undertaken by PSPC and other federal departments and agencies.
Moreover, OSME works with provincial and territorial counterparts to explore opportunities for collaboration. As a result, our department has signed agreements with 11 provinces and territories in support of the Canadian collaborative procurement initiative. The objective of this initiative is to allow provinces and territories to use our department's procurement instruments when it is to their benefit. During this pandemic, we have worked to make procurement instruments that may assist provinces and territories available to them. As you can see, OSME offers a lot of information, tools and resources to help Canadian companies, particularly smaller ones, to participate in federal procurement.
Mr. Chair, I would now like to briefly highlight how OSME is supporting the government’s efforts in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 12, 2020, Public Services and Procurement Canada issued a call for action on the buyandsell.gc.ca website. The response has been enthusiastic. We have received more than 26,000 forms through our website, including roughly 16,500 from Canadians and Canadian companies.
In addition to communicating via email with Canadians and Canadian companies that have submitted forms, OSME has been working to reach out to speak to those who submitted forms. This is allowing us to obtain additional information on the goods or services that these companies are offering. We are capturing this information to help our procurement team assess and triage the information received. We also want to ensure that these companies are aware of our services. In essence, we want to encourage them to consider doing business with the federal government as we move through this pandemic and emerge from it. After all, the Government of Canada buys roughly 25 billion dollars' worth of goods and services annually, and there will be opportunities for many of these companies to do business with the Government of Canada moving forward.
Mr. Chair, even though OSME does not actually procure or issue contracts directly to companies, we are nonetheless engaged and working diligently to do our part during the pandemic. Although we have had to shift our focus in a temporary but complementary way, OSME’s mission remains the same. We want to help smaller companies do business with the Government of Canada and represent their views and interests within federal procurement.
In closing, Mr. Chair, I note that OSME is appearing alongside the procurement ombudsman and his office. As Mr. Jeglic identified, OSME and the office of the procurement ombudsman have had a positive and mutually respectful working relationship for years.
While always being mindful of the fact that the ombudsman and his office need to maintain a level of independence, we still collaborate when mutually beneficial. This is particularly the case when informing companies about the services that both our organizations offer to them. As we move through this pandemic, OSME will continue to remain focused on helping smaller companies do business with the Government of Canada.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today.