Canada’s Procurement Ombud is calling for bold, foundational reforms to address long-standing inefficiencies in the federal procurement system, which he says continue to undermine fairness, transparency and accountability.
In a new Knowledge Deepening and Sharing report, the Ombud outlines five key solutions aimed at overhauling what he describes as a system plagued by decades of recurring issues—including complex processes, fragmented rules, and unclear accountability.
“For far too long, federal procurement has been plagued by the same recurring issues—overly complex processes, unclear accountability, and fragmented rules,” said Procurement Ombud Alexander Jeglic. “Band-aid fixes are no longer enough. Now is the time for bold, foundational reforms that will strengthen the system, deliver better results for Canadians, and build trust in how public funds are spent.”
The report recommends the following five foundational changes:
– Appointing a federal Chief Procurement Officer to ensure centralized oversight;
– Creating a government-wide vendor performance management system to enhance supplier accountability;
– Simplifying procurement by implementing one universal set of federal procurement rules;
– Leveraging artificial intelligence to modernize procurement tools and systems; and
– Establishing a procurement data collection framework to increase transparency.
The recommendations were developed in consultation with procurement experts and stakeholders across the federal system.
The Office of the Procurement Ombud (OPO), established to promote fairness, openness and transparency in federal procurement, launched the Knowledge Deepening and Sharing initiative in 2018 to explore root causes of procurement challenges and prevent future issues before they emerge.
The office has published 13 reports to date, including this latest call for reform. Its 2023–24 annual report, titled Time for Action, also emphasized the urgent need for systemic change, noting that while minor fixes have been made over the years, core problems remain.
Recent audits have echoed the Ombud’s findings, reinforcing the impact of these issues on the effectiveness of federal procurement and the importance of moving beyond incremental improvements.
