Helping Small Business Find Opportunities with the Government of Canada
The Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), Michael Fortier, hosted a meet and greet luncheon on October 9, 2007 in Richmond where he met with a diverse audience of small and medium enterprises to encourage them to do business with the federal government. In attendance from APEGBC was Peter Mitchell, P.Eng., Associate Director, Professional Practice, and Executive Director Glenn Martin from the Consulting Engineers of BC (CEBC).
In hopes of sparking the interest of BC-based small and medium sized business enterprises, Minister Fortier personally invited attendees to register themselves in SELECT -- an electronic database of approved suppliers providing construction, architectural and engineering services as well as related maintenance and consulting services. With PWGSC issuing about $14 billion in government contracts each year, Minister Fortier emphasized that potential opportunities for small and medium sized business should not be overlooked, even with a strong economy.
SELECT features an algorithm that rotates registrants for bid opportunities, thereby assuring that every organization has access and opportunity to government contracts, says Rocky Domingo, P.Eng., Regional Director of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME). Domingo says that the process to register in the internet-based SELECT database is free, easy, and takes approximately 25 minutes. Registrants must supplement their online application with some supporting documentation in their respective fields of expertise. Domingo notes that many engineering firms already maintain this paperwork for marketing purposes. “Registration is not onerous,” says Mr. Domingo,“ and, in the end, you’ll likely get a call.”
For contracts of $50,000 or less, the SELECT database identifies only one consultant for a project manager to negotiate with; this expedites the process for both the client and consultant. For projects between $50,000 to $84,000, at least three registrants are invited to bid. And projects in excess of $84,000 are advertised on MERX™ -- a service that Minister Fortier equated with eBay (www.merx.com). MERX™ is an electronic tendering service that offers free, easy access to federal government contracting opportunities.
”It’s important for the membership of APEGBC to know that PWGSC has been contracting out work to engineers and architects for decades,” says Domingo. “But lately, we’ve received no bids on some tender calls.” For example, last year PWGSC did not receive any bids whatsoever on a $300K standing offer for engineering consulting services in the West Kootenays. And another tender for the Kootenays is shortly forthcoming. “If no bids are received, PWGSC is forced to tender these contracts in major urban areas, which is not very efficient for the government or the client,” says Domingo. Domingo is planning to visit APEGBC’s branches outside of the lower mainland in 2008 to make members aware of the opportunities that exist with PWGSC through MERX™.
”Our Minister is very interested in small and medium enterprises, and one of his priorities is to ensure they can actively participate in government contracts,” says Domingo. “We rely on the private sector to deliver our design, construction and maintenance projects, in both good and bad times,” he notes.
Domingo also notes that OSME, in addition to being a great overall resource for companies interested in government business opportunities, has the ability to make positive recommendations to change procurement policy, processes and the overall system, and is always open to businesses’ thoughts and questions on how government procurement can be improved.
To register with SELECT, visit https://select.pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca.
Visit the MERX™ to find out about government procurement opportunities: www.merx.com
For more information on doing business with the government, contact:
Elpidio (Rocky) Domingo, P.Eng., Pacific Regional Director at 604-775-6859 rocky.domingo@pwgsc.gc.ca
or
Badrudin Moosa, CGA, at 604-666-8228,
badrudin.moosa@pwgsc.gc.ca