CATA advocates changes to public procurement

The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) will release a blueprint later this summer for public sector procurement that will contain best practices for how to use procurement to stimulate growth of the national economy. The document is aimed at Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) which was considering changes to procurement policy that CATA asserts would have "eliminated Canadian content and shut out Canadian companies". PWGSC minister Michael Fortier recently announced a freeze to the pending changes. Industry has accused the department of abandoning a public consultation process and paying $20 million for a consultant's report that has not been made public. The CATA blueprint will focus how to use PWGSC's $18.5 billion budget for goods and services to stimulate industrial development and exports. FMI: www.cata.ca....