Correctional Service Canada national procurement plan, fiscal year 2011-2012

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is the federal government agency responsible for administering sentences of a term of two years or more, as imposed by the courts. CSC is responsible for managing institutions of various security levels and supervising offenders under conditional release in the community.

The delivery of these diverse and complex programs requires a continuous and reliable supply of goods and services to meet operational needs. From uniform and equipment needs, vehicles, services for physicians and IT specialists to construction of expanded institutions, CSC processes thousands of transactions each year, ranging from low dollar value contracts to high dollar value, complex procurement projects.

The objective of this CSC National Procurement Plan is to provide industry and the public information regarding the anticipated CSC contracting activities for fiscal year 2011-2012, including a list of planned major procurement requirements.

CSC Procurement Function

CSC has a strong and well established procurement function capable of meeting routine requests as well as high risk project oriented requirements in a timely and efficient manner. As a result of legislative changes such as the Truth in Sentencing Act, CSC has prepared for new procurement including the required construction to manage population growth, as well as preparing to expand our capacity to deliver education, correctional programs and interventions, employment skills, development training, and community supervision to manage the growing needs of professional services.

The National Headquarters (NHQ) Contracting and Materiel Services (CMS) unit, located in Ottawa, is responsible for procurement requirements in the National Capital Region as well as national initiatives such as department-wide contracts and standing offers. NHQ CMS is also responsible for policy, reporting and contract quality assurance functions. Finally, NHQ CMS provides interpretation and promulgation of current and new policies, development of guidelines, the creation of standard contracts, as well as liaising with Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

Each region has its own regional procurement unit, with offices located in Moncton, Kingston, Laval, Saskatoon and Abbotsford within the Regional Headquarters (RHQ). Procurement within CSC is decentralized, with each region having the same contracting authorities in order to foster effective, efficient and economical procurement that contributes to program delivery and achieving CSC objectives.

Most contracting activities are carried out by the procurement units, although budget managers with delegated contracting approval authority may conduct low dollar value (under $10,000) routine goods and service acquisitions, as well as call-ups against standing offer agreements. Where requirements exceed CSC's delegated authority, CSC utilizes PWGSC in its role as a common service provider of contracting services.

CSC Procurement Activity

CSC is relatively consistent in the type of goods and services it procures. The following list represents the major commodity areas for CSC contracting:

• Fleet – comprising of cars, trucks, garbage trucks, ATVs, forklifts etc;
• Professional Services – including management consulting, human resources, audit, research, instructors and social development programs, and investigative services;
• IT Equipment and Services – including the hardware, software and specialized services which support CSC's many systems including the Offender Management System and Integrated Finance and Materiel Management System;
• Communication Equipment and Services – to provide radios and other communication infrastructure;
• Protection Equipment – including weapons, ammunition, etc;
• Food Services – including kitchen equipment, food, and beverages;
• Health Services – including nurses, psychological and psychiatric services, as well as dental and other general medical practitioner services;
• Chaplaincy Services – including religious support from all denominations and religions;
• Elder Services – for the provision of support and guidance to Aboriginal inmates;
• Protection Services – including commissionaires and guards for various support functions; and
• Uniforms – including fabrics, shirts, gloves, boots and body armour.

In conducting its purchasing activities, CSC is guided by the principles of operational readiness, fairness, accessibility and transparency and incorporates (where possible) broader government objectives such as encouraging aboriginal business development and green procurement. Amongst other policies and regulations, CSC is subject to the Government Contract Regulations, Treasury Board Contracting Policy and Canada's national and international trade agreements. CSC also demonstrates significant participation on government initiatives related to the advancement and improvement of procurement.

CSC has a robust contract review mechanism. Every region has a minimum of two contract review boards. For example, the Regional Auxiliary Committee reviews all service contacts under $18,000 while the Contract Review Boards review all contract requests above this amount. The procurement challenge and oversight function at CSC is designed to ensure the sound management of government procurement. The role of the CRB ensures that all departmental actions in respect of the procurement process, including selection of the procurement strategy are carried out in accordance with policy and legal requirements.

First, the CRB assesses corporate risks, which includes ensuring that all procurement activity is compliant with the relevant laws, regulations, trade agreements and policies and fulfilling the government's commitment to fairness, openness and transparency in procurement. Second, regarding contract spending from a financial perspective, the CRB ensures that the requirement is justified and represents good value for money on behalf of all Canadian citizens.

CSC makes use of the PWGSC issued standing offers and supply arrangements. As Budget Managers have the delegated authority to make purchases for goods and services up to the maximum call-up limitation without consulting CMS, this reduces the encumbrance of low dollar value requests. Where established procurement vehicles are not available to meet the need of a particular requirement, the Contracting Officer assigned the file will determine the most appropriate procurement strategy to meet operational needs and obtain best value for the Crown.

CSC Procurement Forecast for Fiscal Year 2011-2012

The level of CSC contracting activity, both in terms of dollar value and transactions, is expected to increase substantively as compared to the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 fiscal years as a result of the implementation of legislative changes such as Bill-C25, the Truth in Sentencing Act.

Table 1 provides a list of major planned procurement activities and was derived from input from internal stakeholders. The plan provides high level information on goods and services procurement activities and this list is for information purposes only, real property construction procurement is not included in this plan. It is important to note that all values are high level estimates. Procurement activities will be posted on the Government Electronic Tendering System (MERX) as required and industry will be fully informed going forward. Unforeseen priorities may affect some procurements planned for the year.

For information on doing business with the Government of Canada, please visit the Buy and Sell Website.

For current CSC issued open competitive solicitations, please refer to the Government Electronic Tendering System (GETS) as provided through MERX.

Information on PWGSC standing offers and supply arrangements can be obtained through the PWGSC website.

All requests for information related to this Procurement Plan are to be addressed to:

National Manager, Contracting and Materiel Services
Stephanie.Lane@csc-scc.gc.ca
Telephone: 613-943-9616