Federal Accountability Act
The new position of Procurement Ombudsman was created by amendments to the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act enacted pursuant to the Federal Accountability Act which received Royal Assent on December 12, 2006. It is but one of several elements of the government's comprehensive plan to strengthen the fairness, openness and transparency of federal procurement. Others include:
- a legislated commitment to fairness, openness and transparency in the procurement process;
- including specific integrity provisions in contracts to preclude corruption, collusion, and the payment of contingency fees in the procurement process;
- introducing a Code of Conduct for Procurement;
- providing accreditation and training for procurement officers; and
- removing barriers to access for smaller vendors and vendors in all regions of Canada.
Procurement Ombudsman Regulations
While the Federal Accountability Act establishes the Procurement Ombudsman's authority and activities, the Regulations provide certain additional specifics as the manner by which that authority is exercised.
To develop the Regulations, Public Works and Government Services Canada engaged in a consultative process involving approximately 50 departments. Input from these departments was reflected in the development of the Regulations.
The Regulations were pre-published in The Canada Gazette, Part I on December 22, 2007, and at the request of industry associations the time frame for comments was extended to February 1, 2008.
A number of comments were received from industry associations, government departments and the Procurement Ombudsman Designate. The Regulations finally came into effect on May 5, 2008.
To know more about the Regulations we invite you to consult our website.
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