New Coaching Service to Increase Diversity in Federal Suppliers
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) recently launched a new procurement assistance coaching service to increase supplier diversity in federal procurement. Businesses that are majority-owned by Indigenous persons, LGBTQ2S+ persons, persons with disabilities, persons from racialized communities or women, can access personalized coaching sessions if they have previously experienced limited success in the federal bidding and contract award process.
The coaching service is part of PSPC’s Supplier Diversity Action Plan, and in particular, their commitment to provide support to diverse suppliers beyond existing outreach services.
Key Features
Coaching Service
Participants will work with a procurement specialist from Procurement Assistance Canada’s regional offices to improve those areas where they require assistance, and receive access to resources such as:
- One-on-one coaching
- Participant-focused assistance in identified areas where additional support is required
- How to find the best bidding opportunities, how to structure compliant bids, and how to create a bidding “template”
- A participant guide that offers bidding resources and tools
Interested businesses are required to complete an online application and commit to attending the required sessions. Sessions will, for the most part, be offered by video or by telephone.
As of the publication of this bulletin, PSPC has identified capacity to provide services for up to 30 businesses.
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible for the program, interested participants must:
- Be at least 51% owned or managed by Indigenous persons, LGBTQ2S+ persons, persons with disabilities, persons from racialized communities, or women
- Have previously bid on federal government opportunities with limited success (e.g. three or fewer contracts in the past three years)
- Have a Procurement Business Number (PBN)
- Intend to bid on future federal tender opportunities
The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Alessandra Puopolo, Summer Student.
