Strengthening procurement

From: Canada Border Services Agency

We are strengthening our practices to make sure that all procurement at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) follows Government of Canada contracting rules, supports our mandate and represents value for Canadians. We have already made changes and more are planned.

We are improving our governance; our processes, procedures and oversight; our training; and our planning, reporting and auditing.

Governance

Develop centres of expertise and review committees to provide effective oversight of CBSA procurement

What we’ve done so far

• Created an Executive Procurement Review Committee to approve contracts
  • This procurement committee approves contracts up to $1 million and provides advice to the Executive Committee, which approves contracts over $1 million
• Centralized procurement activities and authorities under the procurement and contracting directorate
• Established the new position of Vice- President, Recourse, Standards and Program Integrity
  • This branch will monitor activities related to the management functions of the CBSA and build a culture of service and program delivery excellence, including in procurement activities

What we will do next

Quarterly presentations on procurement compliance to the Executive Procurement Review Committee, beginning in November 2024

Processes, procedures and oversight

Strengthen existing processes to provide the building blocks for efficient and fair procurement

What we’ve done so far

• Strengthened procurement processes by updating procedures and tools, such as the creation of a checklist for procurement officers
• Improved contract administration through increased testing of invoice documentation and deliverables before payment to vendors, including the requirement to document on file that contractors and sub contractors have a valid security screening
• Augmented the contractor qualification assessment process by using the new Public Services and Procurement Canada Checklist for Task Authorizations
• Contracts now include clear invoicing instructions that require inclusion of financial coding in every invoice
• Improved compliance monitoring with the establishment of a vendor disclosure inbox that requires employees to report any interactions with a vendor inside and outside an active contract
• Established a procurement compliance process to review contract files for accuracy and completeness
• Created a Conflict of Interest Attestation to minimize risk throughout the procurement process by requiring cost centre managers to sign off at multiple stages of procurement to attest that they do not have a real or perceived conflict of interest

What we will do next

• Increase employee compliance with delegated authorities through quality assurance testing, providing ongoing training, and implementing a process for corrective action and consequences, if warranted
• Reduce risks that the CBSA unintentionally establishes employer-employee relationship with contractors by revising processes and conducting ongoing compliance monitoring
• Create a formal peer review process of the procurement strategy prior to contract award
• Develop new standard operating procedures, training, and processes for cost centre managers to ensure understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the CBSA and Public Service and Procurement Canada
• Quarterly report on disclosure of employee interactions with vendors to be shared with senior management

Training

Make sure everyone involved in procurement is trained and has the knowledge they need

What we’ve done so far

Required all cost centre managers and executives to retake mandatory procurement courses

What we will do next

• Minimize the risk of conflicts of interest in procurement by holding mandatory awareness sessions on values and ethics
• Keep Procurement and Contracting Directorate employees and all managers with financial authority up to date on Treasury Board Secretariat procurement procedures and policies by delivering regular training sessions and workshops
• Support professional development of employees with regular reminders and updates on mandatory and recommended courses

Planning, reporting and auditing

Plan ahead, report on progress and continuously monitor and improve

What we’ve done so far

• Strengthened contract documentation by creating one filing structure to be used for all procurement files
• Improved procurement planning with the creation of a dedicated planning team within the new Procurement Centre of Expertise
• Initiated the annual review of all integrated business plans by the Executive Procurement Review Committee
• Added a “management excellence” commitment to the performance management agreement of all executives

What we will do next

• Improve procurement planning by introducing multi-year procurement plans, aligned to project and financial planning as part of the annual business planning process
• Verify the accuracy of contract data in financial systems on an ongoing basis by conducting reviews and issuing guidance to employees on the correct coding of contracts
• Increase the accuracy of published contract information by enhancing the reporting capabilities of financial systems, including for proactive disclosure
• Address possible instances of fraud through proactive monitoring and reporting
• Regular monitoring of the status of Management Action Plans to ensure progress
• Follow-up internal audit of procurement