Airdrie, February 28, 2009 – The Canadian Public Procurement Council and the City of Airdrie are pleased to inform you that the Procurement Ombudsman, Mr. Shahid Minto, and the Deputy Procurement Ombudsman, Ms. Orianna Trometti, are planning a visit to Airdrie, Alberta. Mr. Minto will be providing a presentation and will then open the floor for questions and discussions. This is an opportunity for you, your staff, your Suppliers and members of the Canadian Public Procurement Council to learn more about the Procurement Ombudsman’s mandate, values and vision.
Please visit the Canadian Public Procurement Council’s website for more information, including how to register to participate in this upcoming event: http://www.cppc-ccmp.ca
Commentary:
When I first received this notification, I wanted to revisit the details behind Mr. Minto’s appointment as the new procurement “watchdog” that in conjunction with the introduction of the Code of Conduct for Procurement was presented by Ministers (Michael) Fortier and (Vic) Toews as “two new milestones in the implementation of the Federal Accountability Act.” (Note: While Minister Towes is still President of the Treasury Board, Minister Fortier has since moved on from his role as Minister for Public Works and Government Services, to become Minister of International Trade as well as being the Minister responsible for the Greater Montreal Region.)
An excerpt from the September 19, 2007 press release introducing the new Procurement Ombudsman Designate stressed that “Mr. Minto’s work will enhance procurement practices across government by ensuring the highest standards of ethical conduct are followed.” The release went on to say that this appointment “will increase confidence in the accountability and transparency of federal procurement activities,” as it will “reinforce the commitment by Canada’s New Government to ensuring a fair, open and transparent procurement system.”
While this is a laudable goal that is always worthy of pursuit to the highest degree possible, according to The 2007 Transparency International Corruptions Perceptions Index (CPI), Canada Ranked in the Top 10 in terms of transparency and fairness tying Norway at number 9 with a CPI score of 8.7. This would lead one to ask, do we even have a transparency problem in Canada?
To provide some context relative to this rating, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for first with scores of 9.4, while our neighbor to the south (the United States for the geographically challenged), was ranked number 20 with a CPI score of 7.2, which was just marginally better than Belgium at the 21st position with a 7.1 score, and Chile which was number 22 with a score of 7.0. For those who are interested, here is the link to the complete 2007 CPI ranking; http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/2007-transparency-international-corruption-perceptions.html, as well as to the Berlin-based Transparency International web site: http://www.transparency.org/
It is also worth noting that Canada’s 2007 number 9 position with a CPI score of 8.7 was an improvement over our 2005 number 14 rank with a score of 8.4. This is certainly an indication that we are collectively moving in the right direction toward our year 2000 zenith number 5 position, with a score of 9.2.
Once again, it is truly a worthwhile endeavor to rigorously and steadfastly pursue transparency and fairness in all facets of public service including procurement. And the fact that in his efforts to “strengthen the confidence of Canadians in public procurement,” Mr. Minto is “seeking input from stakeholders on potential areas for improvement in federal government procurement,” as part of the Government’s “annual strategic planning exercise,” is a promising sign of better days ahead for everyone.
That said this overt attempt to build the collaborative bridges that are necessary to effect real and sustainable change for the better belies a more important movement that is occurring within the public sector bureaucracy itself. A movement, the significance of which is likely to have eluded the majority of those who may not have closely followed the Government’s procurement reformation efforts over the years, in which Jaime Pitfield has re-emerged as a driving force. And for what it is worth, Jaime Pitfield is someone who I believe can get the job done, and get it done right!
As a way of explaining my confidence in Mr. Pitfield, here is a little bit of background information.
I first met Jaime Pitfield in 2005, which as some will recall was a tumultuous period in the capital city as it seemed that everyone was at odds from all sides of the Way Forward issue. (Note: For those who are new to the scene, a great deal has already been said about the Way Forward procurement initiative which was first introduced in 2001. It is an undertaking that needless to say is best left to the recesses of a fading memory.)
Pitfield was a pleasant departure into thoughtful tranquility from the frenzy of discontent that became the hallmark of the aforementioned initiative. That is why his sudden departure within a matter of a few months of assuming the program’s reigns was so puzzling.
While I can only speak for myself, both of my meetings with Pitfield, and the subsequent e-mail exchanges during his short tenure were productive, and as such I felt that his involvement at the time was a promising sign.
After all, and unlike my encounters with countless senior bureaucracy executives and politicians, many of whom contacted me to discuss the program, I did not come away from my meetings with Pitfield feeling like he had viewed me as being nothing more than a disposable, self-serving information source which was just another means of forwarding his own agenda. He actually cared about the program, the stakeholders and the Government as a whole.
Over the years that have passed since those early meetings a good percentage, in fact the majority, of the Way Forward players have moved on, or moved out. This is the first time to my knowledge that someone has actually returned.
So while I would encourage all of my readers, many of whom work within the public sector, to take advantage of the opportunity to connect with Mr. Minto in Airdrie, I want to remind you that in the case of Canada effective procurement practice is not a question of integrity. We have a solid foundation in this area, and according to our CPI score are continuing to build a fair and transparent program. It is instead a question of vision, commitment and insight. These are three of the most critical attributes that are necessary for success. And they just happen to also be the main characteristics of a Pitfield led initiative.
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Posted on March 2, 2009
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