Wednesday, November 18, 2020
On Monday, the government announced it is creating a new centralized procurement agency called Supply Ontario—a move promised since their initial days in office. It is believed the agency will eventually assume responsibility for all greater public sector procurement, including the Ontario Public Service (OPS) and the broader public sector, through which it funds hospitals, schools, and more.
The agency will begin with personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement to support the fight against the pandemic, with subsequent procurement areas to be added in the future.
The impact on AMAPCEO’s OPS members working in procurement is currently unknown. This policy change resembles yet is distinct from the government’s creation of its Ontario Health agency. Changes at both entities (Supply and Ontario Health) will occur over a number of years. In the words of President Dave Bulmer, “this is a massive endeavour the government will soon learn is far more complex than stocking the shelves at Canadian Tire.”
AMAPCEO is discussing this issue with the OPS Employer at AMAPCEO’s Central Employee Relations Committee (ACERC) table and at affected ministerial level (AMERC) tables (Ministries of Government & Consumer Services and Health) in order to gather more information.
We will update OPS members working in procurement once more information is available.