BC Procurement Strategy
Procurement transformation is changing the way government buys goods and services from the marketplace. The Ministry of Citizens' Services is leading the modernization of overall purchasing processes, in partnership with other B.C. ministries.
Procurement is an important tool to deliver government services and maximize value to citizens. In 2018, the Province launched the British Columbia Procurement Strategy, which committed to making it easier for companies to do business with government and creating more opportunities for organizations of all sizes. With about $7 billion spent each year on a variety of goods and services, the Province is working to take full advantage of its buying power to drive economic growth in communities and take advantage of made-in-B.C. innovation.
Based on extensive stakeholder feedback, government established four goals to guide the modernization of B.C.’s procurement system:
Making Progress on Procurement
Since the strategy’s launch, the B.C. government has made progress in transforming its purchasing processes to make it simpler, faster and more affordable for companies to work with government. The BC Procurement Strategy Update 2020 provides an overview of accomplishments for the past year, as well as outlining future initiatives. Major accomplishments to date include:
- Launching programs to make procurement more transparent and easier to navigate, including the Procurement Concierge Program, Sprint With Us and Code With Us.
- Hosting a province-wide engagement process to identify ways to increase Indigenous participation in B.C. government procurement.
- Publishing Social Purchasing Guidelines as a first step in creating social value and supporting the achievement of social policy objectives from government procurement.
Priority Actions and Future Initiatives
The Province will build on this momentum by making further improvements that are informed by research and feedback from suppliers and procurement professionals. Government will continue to add to this framework to maximize value for British Columbians and provide them with the high-quality supports and services they need in the most efficient way possible.
Please contact Procurement Transformation to provide feedback on the strategy or to learn more about procurement modernization.