Federal Procurement Ombud Alexander Jeglic released his Annual Report for 2024-25, which was tabled in Parliament by the Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, the Honourable Joël Lightbound on October 7, 2025.
The theme of this year's report, Time for Solutions, highlights the Office of the Procurement Ombud's activities from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, while emphasizing the urgent need for foundational change in federal procurement to address longstanding procurement challenges to make the system more user-friendly and produce better outcomes for taxpayers.
- The establishment of a federal Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) to ensure effective oversight
- The creation of a government-wide vendor performance management (VPM) system to enhance supplier accountability
- The development of one universally applicable set of federal procurement rules to simplify the overly complex federal procurement landscape
- The use of artificial intelligence (AI) advancements to modernize federal procurement tools and systems
- The establishment of a framework for procurement data collection to increase the transparency of federal procurements
While significant changes are necessary, progress has been made in some key areas, highlighting the vital role the Office of the Procurement Ombud has played in federal procurement.
Through its rigorous Follow-up Reviews, the Office has documented numerous instances where federal departments have implemented the Ombud's recommendations to address concerns such as "unfair, overly restrictive, or biased" evaluation criteria, demonstrating the clear benefits of sustained oversight. As a result of these changes, the Office has observed a tangible shift in stakeholder feedback on procurement issues. There remains a long way to go, and significant changes are required, but some progress is being made.
