Evidence of meeting #37 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Then you'd provide an evaluation, so then we'll be able to match.
You said you're going to do X, Y, and Z. Did you do X, Y, and Z?
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
December 1st, 2016 / 9:15 a.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Thank you very much.
One of the things I'd like to express is that I had some hopes, as Mr. Badawey did, that this would have a much grander application some day down the road, that for every project that we build, whether it's Public Works or Infrastructure, or whatever it might be, someday we could get there and assess community benefits.
What I'm hearing today is that there are certain legislative obstacles or potential tools that we just don't have because we're not far enough along in this as a practice to really make that a reality anytime really soon.
For example, does Public Works have a tool to assess community benefits today?
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
No, we do not. We're developing one for the purpose of implementation here.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
When you get the information in the form of a report, will this bill actually help you develop a tool to find out what's useful so we can do this at some point in the future more effectively?
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Absolutely, without any doubt, I would say. Once we have that inventory or répertoire, a database of that information, then we'll have to see. They said they're going to do this, and these were the community benefits that were realized or not realized.
Then, I believe, that information will be beneficial to parliamentarians in determining whether that is sufficient or whether there are other things, other focuses, they would like to see. Then we can signal that back to the supplier community as well.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
You mentioned there is currently a prohibition on using this as rated criteria today. Could you explain that to me?
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Without getting too technical, and I'm not overly technical—
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
The trade agreements put in form a frame to really have unfettered access to the respective markets, so there are a very limited number of offsets allowed. The minority community is one, for example, the aboriginal community. There's the aboriginal set-aside, so PSPC right now has the ability—and we do it with a number of different procurements across a range of different things—to direct a procurement to indigenous people and companies, or we do a set-aside. For example, we would say 15% of a contract has to go there.
But aside from that community, we're very much restricted in terms of doing offsets. The trade agreements envision, from a framework perspective, that if you were to allow that criteria to be put in, that you have to be from New Brunswick to get this particular contract, in addition to the domestic agreement on internal trade and our foreign trade agreements...so they restrict that.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Today, it's not possible to have this as part of the scored system on an open bid. Is that correct?
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
That's correct.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
You touched on some information you were seeking from us on what kinds of projects you think it might best apply to. Some of our witnesses talked about appropriate thresholds, anywhere from $5 million to $40 million, depending on who you asked.
Is there any assessment within the department as to what would be an appropriate scale of project to apply this framework to?
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
We haven't developed that yet.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
As a follow-up question, would this bill help you to identify which scope of projects would be most appropriate to use this sort of analytical framework for? Let's say, if you get information about the $5-million projects and you find that threshold doesn't really make a difference but on the $40-million ones it certainly does, is this bill going to help you assess what projects are most appropriate to use a community benefits assessment for?
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
I would say so, yes.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Just quickly, as I wrap up, you mentioned in your remarks that there was a standard clause to be developed to be included in RFPs. Do you know the timeline for the development of that clause?
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
It's as soon as the bill is passed. When it takes effect, we'll be ready. We haven't drafted it. I've personally met with our legal services to ensure we can do that and what the best way of doing it is. They're starting to think about it. It's the same way in which the criteria and those things will be developed over the coming period.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Finally, the one thing that I find a bit difficult in the bill is the reporting timeline. I think the reporting mechanism is essential, and it's a key part to this, but 15 days seems aggressive. Do you think that an extension would be warranted?
Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector, Public Services and Procurement Canada
If the opportunity presents itself to make some changes with respect to proposed subsection 20.1(4), 15 days is really tight at the end of the fiscal year. The department would suggest something along the lines of the Access to Information Act, perhaps 90 days. That's not artificial, but it would bring it in line with other types of things.
