Federal Government Procurement Guide, User Guide, Training Handbook, Instruction Manual. COLOR EDITION The Inner Circle: How it Works at Public Works consists of eight parts: -Part One: Public Service and Procurement Canada PSPC (formally PWGSC), with an employee base of nearly 13,000 people, plays a pivotal role in the provision of contracting for the purchase of goods and services to over 175 federal departments and agencies. Part One of this Guide provides an overview of PSPC's internal operations. -Part Two: Retired Civil ServantsA huge part of PSPC is contracting retired public servants through companies, agencies or individually. In this section, we explain why qualified ex-civil servants, the New 'Old' Workforce, are always in demand, and the benefits to the Government of Canada.-Part Three: The Circles of Government ContractingWinning federal government contracts can be laborious. This is made more difficult if you do not understand where you fit in the landscape; incredible time and effort could be lost with little possibility of any reward. Regardless of how good your product or price, you must be 'engaged' in the federal government procurement machine. We have identified outer, middle and inner circles which best describe where you fit as a client in the world of government procurement.-Part Four: Supply Methods for Federal Contracts We have identified 24 different supply arrangements offered by PSPC, identifying dollar limits, contract selection process, and contract award methods. This will assist you in defining which vehicles are appropriate for you and those you should target. -Part Five: 'Must-knows' - PSPC Bureaucracy and Procurement.Understanding the linkages between the bureaucracy and actual supply arrangements being offered is a must. Before even attempting to get a contract, you should understand the principles behind project authority versus technical authority, accountability frameworks, standing offers versus supply arrangements, security clearances, buyandsell.gc.ca, etcetera.-Part Six: Strategies to Winning Government ContractsIs an opportunity worth your time and effort to submit a bid? In this chapter, we provide 20 tips on how to evaluate the cost and rewards of a successful submission. We also discuss how to: (1) write your bid to increase your chances of success, (2) write proposals, (3) create project descriptions, and (4) design proper CVs. This chapter deals with how to evaluate a Request for Proposal (RFP) that could be targeted for a specific vendor. Winning a standing offer is just the beginning; difficulties arise in winning a contract under that standing offer. -Part Seven: Your Right to Challenge the SystemWhen things go wrong. We have attempted to summarize the limited processes and options available to you when you receive a negative response, or what we refer to as a 'regret letter' regarding a bid. If a situation arises where you lose a bid, disagree with the reasons provided, and totally disagree with the evaluators, you may find yourself with little choice but to go back to the drawing board. Or consider other choices which you may have.-Part Eight: Our Recommendations to Improve the SystemWe suggest 20 changes in the procurement process to increase fairness in the playing field, reduce favouritism, allow more Canadians to secure government contracts, and save tax payers millions of dollars.
About the Author: Brian Card has founded and managed several successful companies that have specialized in contracting with governments across Canada. Building hundreds of teams with the best consultants, he has won thousands of government contracts resulting in tens of millions of dollars in value. And ... on that journey, he made every mistake there is to make; winning many contracts he should have lost, and losing just as many he should have won. He has paid the price and learned the lessons of being caught between conflicting government officials and departments. At the behest of envious competitors and at the hands of bureaucrats, he has endured countless audits, suffered government intimidation, and been the subject of hours of unpleasant interrogation, including media assaults. Proud of the scars, he is now devoted to sharing some of the lessons learned throughout his journey. From a beginning at the far edge of the Outer Circle of government procurement, he has worked himself through the Middle Circle, finally arriving at the core of the Inner Circle - allowing him to win some of the most valuable, sensitive, and competitive procurement battles. Following a career spanning over 30 years, travelling from Halifax to Vancouver, building teams of consultants, and winning government contracts, he has written a procurement guide that collects the essential - hard to find - skills, tools, and paths to success in the competitive and lucrative procurement industry. Card hopes to help launch or accelerate the careers of a new generation of consultants, and to instil in them the confidence that they too can win opportunities to contract with governments across Canada. From his own experience, he is convinced that whether they are beginners trying to find out how to start or seasoned pros looking for new tools, or live near or far from the National Capital Region, this procurement guide will help them win more often.