The Office of the Procurement Ombud (OPO) hosted its second Procurement Solutions Forum on February 17, focused on the creation of a government-wide Vendor Performance Management (VPM) system, one of the Ombud's 5 foundational changes to address long-standing systemic issues in federal procurement.
The session brought together senior members of the federal procurement community, underscoring the importance of cross-departmental collaboration to drive systemic improvements.
Panelists, including Joanne Graham, Chief Procurement Officer for the City of Ottawa, and a representative from Metrolinx, shared lessons learned from implementing Vendor Performance Management (VPM) frameworks in their respective jurisdictions. They emphasized how a Vendor Performance Management (VPM) system can improve accountability, reduce contracting risks and deliver better value for taxpayers. Their insights highlighted the need for strong contract management with clear deliverables. Some key success factors for a successful VPM program included consistent application, strong documentation, accurate data and training as key elements to a successful VPM system.
Federal participants highlighted the risks of continuing without a consistent, government-wide VPM system, noting that the absence of reliable performance data limits the ability to penalize poor performers, reward strong performers, and inform future contracting decisions.
By gathering insights from other Canadian jurisdictions that have already successfully implemented a VPM system , OPO is driving for a federal implementation to help address several longstanding systemic issues that remain unaddressed. A government-wide federal VPM framework will strengthen accountability, improve procurement outcomes, and ensure best value for Canadians.
OPO will continue to advance solutions to modernize federal procurement, with additional forums planned to explore the remaining foundational changes identified in its study.
