Public Sector Business: ITAC's Long and Productive Conversation with Government By LYNDA LEONARD
Nearly 300 people showed up for a breakfast session with
Ontario Corporate Chief Information Officer Ron McKerlie and four members of his team
last Wednesday. For many particularly small and medium-sized ICT companies,
this series of roundtables represents a valuable opportunity to hear directly
from Ontario Provincial Government CIOs about what their investment
priorities are. The popularity of these events attests to the importance of
public sector business for our community.
This importance goes beyond the dollar value of the government marketplace
(roughly $7 billion). Government is also an important customer with
unequalled ability to showcase innovative solutions from both Canadian and
multinational ICT companies. Securing the confidence of one’s government is
often a hugely important springboard for global market success. And
succeeding in the complex collaboration that can lead a government client to
unprecedented productivity and service innovation is a Holy Grail whose
benefits can accrue to vendors long after the collaboration. They have the
additional and significant value of providing direct to benefit to all of us
as taxpayers.
But doing business with government isn’t easy. This is why the Public Sector
Business Committee of ITAC was created over a decade ago. PSBC provides a
vital forum that brings ICT vendors, large and small, to the table on a
monthly basis with important counterparts in government. PSBC meetings are
where opportunities for information sharing about government priorities
occur. It’s also where industry issues with government policies and
protocols are aired. And these discussions frequently lead to further
discussions and the “heavy lifting” that is often necessary to reform these
policies. PSBC is emblematic of ITAC’s approach to working with government
on procurement. It is positive, productive and sustained. It achieves
results and is an important foundation for a stronger relationship between
governments – federal, provincial and municipal - and our industry.
Tell us your thoughts on this story
Giving Canada a Knowledge Advantage Through Public Sector Procurement
By Louis Savoie, Chair – ITAC Public Sector Business Committee
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| Louis Savoie |
We believe that the Government should not only establish appropriate policies for our industry, but it should also be a lead adopter of technology solutions and services to help establish a made in Canada knowledge advantage. With the global human capital challenges we see in the near horizon, our success and growth as a country will be significantly hampered if we do not start creating the capacity in our industry.
There are two areas that we believe Canada could help and which require immediate attention:
1. Government Procurement – Processes and policy
- How Government buys and what it buys
- Terms & conditions such as the most favoured nation clause
2. Transforming the way Government delivers service
- Focusing on output, innovation and solutions
From a procurement perspective, the process is simply too cumbersome. It
is focused on meeting the obligations of the Government (including treaty
obligations such as AIT, NAFTA, etc.) and following a clearly defined
process which would take years to change assuming there was a desire and a
champion to drive such change. There are many firms across the country,
especially small and medium businesses, which refuse to do business with
their own Government as a result of the many hoops the Government puts
bidders through. Most public sector bidders will tell you running through
the process and adhering to regulation seems to be more important than
achieving the desired outcomes. As taxpayers, we want our Government to
spend our money wisely, but spending our money and not achieving the
expected outcomes is not money well spent.
A related area that is causing issue with industry is the terms and
conditions our Government imposes on industry. Although we agree Government
should protect the taxpayer, we expect our Government to adopt commercially
acceptable terms and conditions that effectively allow businesses to manage
risk. We do not believe the Government is getting the best of what Canadian
companies have to offer because these terms and conditions have caused many
Canadian businesses to avoid doing business with them. The environment is
simply not conducive for Canadian businesses and as a result we are missing
the opportunity to help create a knowledge advantage.
From a service delivery perspective, we commend the Government for initial
attempts to implement a variety of shared services such as shared travel
modernization, government marketplace, centralized administrative services
and secure channel. These are good examples of the types of services and
solutions that many businesses pursue to achieve better service and
efficiencies to their clients.
Looking at the situation from the outside, we see a lack of commitment to
these transformations across the entire government enterprise. It might stem
from a high degree of risk aversion due to the Federal Accountability Act or
a desire to keep the department out of the newspaper as these types of
large-scale transformations may produce political fallout. The Canadian
taxpayer has no tolerance for failed projects and large projects have a lot
of visibility. To successfully achieve these transformations, one needs to
be willing to take risks and mandate the adoption of these services.
Regardless of the reasons why progress in this area is slow, we hope our
Government will learn from the past, leverage commercial services, and work
with industry to look at how it can innovate the way it is delivering
services.
ITAC welcomes the opportunity to partner and collaborate with Government to
achieve a made in Canada knowledge advantage.
Attention software providers - Response to RFI on Supplementary General Conditions 9601-4 and 9601-5. Please make sure you send us your input to recent proposed changes to 9601, the regulations for software licensing and maintenance issues. Contact Linda Oliver at Loliver@itac.ca to have your company’s voice heard on this important issue.
Tell us your thoughts on this story
Is Government Procurement Broken?”
By Howard Grant and John Davis, Founding Partners, PPI Consulting Limited
ITAC members have streamlined their internal procurement processes and realized significant improvements in their operations that outstrip the 10-10-50 (a performance metric in use by the Federal Government) goals of the feds. Procurement related technologies are relatively mature. From modules that extend the procurement functionality of internal ERP systems to the broad range of commercially available electronic marketplace services, the technology exists and is widely available. What is holding back the adoption of these solutions by the public sector in general and by the feds in particular?
In defense of the public sector, there are real challenges in adopting private sector methods in public sector scenarios. Government is not a “business” in the tactical sense. Public policy, public opinion and other factors create demands on public procurement not experienced in the private sector. However, when the policy and process requirements supersede the business requirements, the system breaks down. When the primary role of procurement is to “keep the government out of CITT (a quasi-judicial body that reviews procurement complaints)” and procurement decisions are based on zeroing-out potential process risks at the expense of obtaining a reasonable business outcome, the system is fundamentally broken. When process accountability is seen as more relevant than accountability for business outcomes, the way forward takes us further from where we should be going.
Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Provinces such as British Columbia, New Brunswick and Alberta are moving ahead with more outcomes-based procurement approaches, many of which are based on models originally pioneered by the feds way back when. Major municipalities are moving ahead on their own with many of the larger centres developing e-business capabilities such as the recent move to distribute call documents electronically by the City of Toronto. These jurisdictions are making decisions and making their way forward – balancing the need for business outcomes with their more pragmatic policy frameworks.
And as for the Feds…Tell us your thoughts on this story
Member Profile: R3D's Douglas Nowlan
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| Douglas Nowlan |
R3D Consulting is an independent management and information technology consulting firm founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Montreal with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec City Paris and Boston. Douglas Nowlan, Director of the Ottawa Business Unit, recently shared his thoughts on the work ITAC’s Public Sector Business Committee is doing.
What does R3D Consulting Do?
R3D Consulting is a management consulting company focusing on the use of technology within all types of organizations both public and private sector. We practice in three basic areas: the first is on project management, the second is program management and the third is IT management. We’re completely independent, that is, we don’t have any arrangements with large software companies and tend to work more so on the client side. Approximately 60 – 70 per cent of our company works on the business side of an IT initiative. The heart of R3D Consulting started in project management, in IT.
Why did R3D make the decision to join ITAC?
The company started out in Montreal and Quebec City and over the last four years we’ve been expanding. With that expansion you have to integrate into the community. The thing that we’ve learned about opening other offices is that you can’t just take your company model and apply it in a different place; you really have to learn about that environment. What ITAC did was give us a window into the government procurement.
In terms of issues in procurement, is the work the PSBC is making a difference?
When you’re opening a new office, you’ve got to pick your spots in terms of what you propose and ITAC’s PSBC really helps with that. It’s given me an insight into what’s going on under the covers. With procurement, you can sit back and wait for things to appear on MERX and you can read the rumors that happen on the street. With the Public Works and Government Services Canada people attending the PSBC meetings and doing an update on what’s happening in procurement — that’s extremely helpful.
What are some of the other positives?
What I am also seeing as time goes on is that it’s also providing a voice that will be heard. As an individual or an individual company, you can complain to PWGSC, but when you see that others may have the same issue you can see where it helps to have a common voice.
How does the work you are involved in with the PSBC helping your business in particular?
It’s helping us target where we spend our efforts. There are a lot of things that you could propose on and by knowing the inside story it can help you decide ‘you know what, maybe we shouldn’t go after that, that’s not our business.’ It helps you focus a little bit better.
ITAC and Public Works and Government Services Canada Resolve Telecom Licensing Agreement Issue
ITAC has been working directly with PWGSC on behalf of our telecom carriers to resolve the issues carriers face when awarded contracts to supply the Federal Government with services. The Telecom Licensing Agreement (TLA) layers additional liability on carriers which changes the nature of the contract. Carriers could not accept this additional liability and therefore could not supply the services which they had been contracted for.
After a significant effort by PWGSC and through the leadership of the Assistant Deputy Minister Liliane saint Pierre the issues with the TLA have been resolved. For more information please contact Linda Oliver at: Loliver@itac.ca. Please see attached letter confirming the resolution of this issue at: http://www.itac.ca/MediaCentre/ITACNewsRelease/ITAC_PWGSC_Letter.pdf
Attention software providers - Response to RFI on Supplementary
General Conditions 9601-4 and 9601-5. Please make sure you send us your
input to recent proposed changes to 9601, the regulations for software
licensing and maintenance issues. Contact Linda Oliver at Loliver@itac.ca
to have your company’s voice heard on this important issue.
ITAC Member Satisfaction Survey: Coming to Your Inbox Soon
Last year, many members of the ITAC community contributed their views to
a member satisfaction study undertaken for us by Info-Tech Research Group.
The study told us that while we are generally perceived to be doing a good
job for our members as the pre-eminent ICT industry advocate, there are
measures we should take to bolster our position and increase our value to
members. We learn a great deal from what you tell us. The few minutes you
devote to the survey will ensure a stronger, more effective ITAC.
The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry Speaks at ITAC’s Board of Governors Meeting
Minister of Industry Jim Prentice spoke to a group of industry leaders at ITAC’s Board of Governors meeting February 12, in Ottawa. In his address
he outlined the relationship between Canada's prosperity and the ICT industry, the Government’s support of the ICT sector, and the future success of public-private partnerships in ICT. He also spoke about the Federal Government’s Science & Technology Strategy and his mandate, which he says is to foster a growing, competitive, knowledge-based economy. You can view the full-text of Minister Prentice’s speech here
ITAC Endorses Branham’s Outsourcing Directory
ITAC has endorsed the inaugural "Directory of Outsourcing Companies and Capabilities in Canada" a pan-Canadian compendium showcasing leading players in Canada's dynamic outsourcing industry. To view the full release, please go to: http://www.itac.ca/MediaCentre/ITACNewsRelease/ITAC_Branham_Release.pdf
Energy Efficient Data Centres Executive Round Table
This ITAC sponsored roundtable was held on January 24 in Ottawa. It featured a series of presentations and discussions that explored the growing need for the establishment and operation of energy efficient data centres in Canada.
The discussions focused on establishment of best practices for energy efficient computing and data centre operations that limit environmental impact, establishing an ongoing dialogue between the information technology industry and the Canadian government and promotion of the development of effective public policies. A wide-variety of speakers from Natural Resources Canada, Ecos, AMD, HP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were in attendance. For more information on this series contact Barrie Marfleet at: barrie.marfleet@itac.ca or 905-602-8345 x228.
2008 ITAC Human Resources Forum Series
At the January planning session, the 2008 agenda for the ITAC HR forum was
set. This year’s series will feature sessions on: human resources law,
succession planning, women in technology, recruiting, recognition and change
management. The HR Forum is a peer networking group for HR
professionals where meaningful education on the latest trends in Human
Resources is shared. The group meets six to seven times a year with half-day
meetings hosted by ITAC HR Forum members. Presentations are made by guest
speakers who specialize in HR. For more information contact ITAC Events
Manager, Micheline Levesque at: mlevesque@itac.ca
CHITTA Annual BLUES NIGHT @ eHealth 2008
May 06, 2008, 9:00 PM
Caprice Night Club, 967 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC
CHITTA is once again holding its annual Blues Night in conjunction with the eHealth Conference 2008. The Blues Night has become the after-hours networking event of the conference. Admission will be available to all eHealth conference participants by Invitation from sponsors and CHITTA Members exhibiting at the eHealth 2008 Conference. For more information, contact: Elaine Huesing, Executive Director, CHITTA, the Health Division of ITAC at ehuesing@itac.ca.
CIPS Hosts Community Connection IT Events – Free of Charge!
CIPS is hosting a special Microsoft 14-city workshop tour across Canada.
The Community Connection events, "Building out your Skills and
Networking," are three-hour, pre-launch workshops being offered to help
IT professionals network with peers and focus on the changing landscapes
of technology, industry, community and career. The first Community
Connection event starts on February 26, 2008 in Toronto with the last
event taking place on April 16, 2008 in Quebec City. In addition, in
celebration of CIPS's 50th Anniversary, CIPS is launching a special $99
Membership Campaign directed to first-time members at the Community
Connection event to be held in Toronto on February 26, 2008. The
objective of the CIPS Membership Campaign is to recruit new members to
CIPS and to give CIPS the opportunity to engage new members. To find out
when the Community Connection event is taking place in your city, visit:
http://www.cips.ca/news/national/news.asp?aID=2510.
Do you represent one of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies?
Enter the 20th annual PROFIT 100 and Join the growth stars
Every year the PROFIT 100 turns successful entrepreneurs into the heroes of Canadian business. The PROFIT 100, now in its 20th year, is the definitive ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies. Its alumni include some of the biggest names in Canadian business, such as Research in Motion, Sleeman Breweries and WestJet Airlines.
PROFIT 100 companies are covered in the June 2008 issue of PROFIT
Magazine. PROFIT 100 leaders also receive an invitation to the PROFIT 100 CEO Summit, Canada’s most exclusive and rewarding conference for business achievers. For more information or to enter online, visit http://www.profit100.com
Sheridan College: Bachelor of Information Sciences (BAISc)-Information Systems
Security Program Seeks ITAC Member Companies For Student Placement
Sheridan College has introduced a new co-op program in the area of
Information Security. Students are available every year as of the first week of May for up to eight months and are coming out of the third year of their four year degree. For more information please contact: Steven Khan, Advisor, Cooperative Education, at: (905) 845 - 9430 ext. 2063 or steven.khan1@sheridanc.on.ca. More program information available at: http://www1.sheridaninstitute.ca/programs/0809/pbais/
Digital Planet 2008: Sponsorship Opportunities
Every two years, the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) publishes a new edition of its flagship report, Digital Planet: The Global Information Economy. Since its inception in 1998, the Digital Planet report has become the authoritative source on global ICT spending. The 2008 update brings current the 2006 edition with comprehensive data covering over 70 countries in seven world regions, more than 10 vertical market segments, and forecast data through 2011. WITSA is offering four levels of sponsorships - $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000. As a sponsor, your company will receive widespread visibility and recognition from a broad, influential, and global audience. For more information on the report, you may view the Digital Planet 2006 Executive Summary at: http://www.witsa.org/digitalplanet/2006/DP2006_ExecSummary.pdf.
Digital Ontario
March 5 – 6, 2008
Guelph, ON
The goal of this meeting is to bring together academicians and practitioners to explore our collective capacity to contribute to Ontario’s digital future and realize the benefits of broadband. Featured panelists include ITAC Ontario Chair, Craig Sisson as well as
many other senior industry leaders. The themes of this symposium emerged from discussions among academicians, researchers, policy makers, service providers and representatives of civil society organizations. These discussions included several forums such as the December 2006 meeting “Toward a Broadband Research Agenda for Ontario: Urban, Rural and Remote Contexts” at the University of Toronto. The province will provide an overview of this work and seek input on future directions for enabling a digital Ontario. To register, please go to: http://events.uoguelph.ca/ei/getdemo.ei?id=22&s=_1T00UZUR3
TORC RURAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 2008:
"Leading the Rural Renaissance"
March 18-19-20, 2008
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Ottawa, ON
For two and a half days this spring, TORC will gather together rural and urban stakeholders from across Ontario to share in key learnings and practical strategies aimed at empowering rural communities in this "changing climate and climate of change". For more information, please go to:
http://www.torc.on.ca/index.shtml.
IT360 Conference and Expo
April 7 – 9, 2008
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON
“Cultivating Innovation in Technology” takes off at the interactive IT360 experience. IT360 is the only industry event that fully integrates key industry participants from diverse sectors. Save hundreds of hours, researching and testing the complex applications you need to deploy on a limited budget. IT360 is a “teaching conference” where you will learn about current applications and solutions, innovations, tools & technologies, what works and what does not and what is most relevant to your organization. For more information, please see event site: http://www.it360.ca
Click here to see ITAC's full event calendar
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