Modernizing Federal Procurement: A Path Forward For Canadian Tech

Key takeaways

• The Government of Canada must modernize procurement policies to support domestic technology vendors.
• Key reforms include raising thresholds, revising contract security requirements and aligning procurements with market practices.
• Allowing commercial terms with government wrappers would facilitate vendor participation and grow the domestic tech sector.

If the Government of Canada is serious about procuring more technology from Canadian vendors, it must modernize its procurement policies, practices, and procedures. The current framework creates unnecessary barriers that discourage domestic technology companies from competing for government contracts, undermining the government's stated goals, including the objectives reflected in the Government's recently launched Buy Canada Policy Framework. Seven reforms are urgently needed.