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In our first week, we did not have a class for the public sector. However, the professor advised everyone to get familiarized with the required course material and the assignments, of which SILEx was the most graded submission out of all others.

As soon as I went through "Module 1," I got an idea of the course map and expectations. Furthermore, the first key factor I learned before going any deeper into the public sector was the answer to "Where does the money come from?" Yes, the taxpayers! Unlike public sectors, which are operated by the government and aim to provide services in respect to the public's interests, private sectors are profit-driven and owned by private companies or individuals.

I hope to see everyone next week. :)

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This was my first day of class. In this module, we were introduced to different public agencies in the fields of federal, municipal, education, healthcare, and military. Well, I honestly only had a general idea about the public sector, but as I advanced through public procurement and cooperative purchasing, it was clear to me how important cooperative purchasing is to enhance their procurement models. If I were to put this process into one word, I would say teamwork, because here is where very large agencies with similar objectives get their purchasing power together for an efficient and cost-effective purchase. When I said objectives, it can vary based on what they do. For example, if it is a health care center, its one mission could be providing quality products and services. I believe it is to secure better pricing or service by efficiently using taxpayers money.

Later I learned the pros and challenges of cooperative purchasing. Although to me workload, calling agency's resources, and impact on suppliers are noticeable challenges, I think the benefits of this method outweigh the challenges since it is very crucial to practice this form. In addition, out of the four types of cooperative purchasing, I found formal purchasing most intriguing. This is a very formalized approach where large agencies formally agree to purchase together in advance. Nonetheless, each of them plays a crucial role in public procurement in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.

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This was an online Zoom meeting that only lasted like one and a half hours, where the live client for our SILEx project was first introduced and also where I experienced theoretical knowledge on the Border Public Sector Procurement Directive and trade agreements; well, it was not until module 4 when the professor really covered BPS, but I am adding most of my learning in module 3 itself anyways.

Well, our client was HEALTHPRO Canada, and we had to give recommendations to replace the current Contract A/B procurement model with something more flexible and innovative, where opinions of vendors matter, and so on. The main issue was the current model limits flexibility, efficiency, and response, like scenarios where they can renegotiate for a favorable price. Basically it binds the vendor to pre-built terms, which result in the above restrictions.

Thereafter the live session, we were provided with SILEx instructions, and I went through it after sometimes and I also had to enter a group I know, so I partnered with John and Matthew. They were great to work with to the very end. So yeah, that was it for this module mainly and I knew there was going to be a load of research to do on SILEx. Below is my understanding of the content from my reading even though it was taken off by the professor in module 4.

It replaced the traditional system and established BPS, where publicly funded goods and services are acquired through an open, fair, and transparent process; most decisions are based on value-for-money, which really makes it ethical before the public. Moreover, I knew organizations such as Hospitals, schools and colleges are part of BPS; however, when I visited https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/10b25,

I found children's aid societies and other entities that funded above 10 million under BPS, which was new knowledge for me, to be honest.

Then there are trade agreements that facilitate the exchange of goods between Ontario and other countries or states. These occur when it contradicts something. For example, when it exceeds the value of procurement (threshold). Moreover, I learned that this agreement has several advantages, such as strengthening ties with partners, minimizing tariffs, which is significant in 2025, and increasing economic growth by also opening access to other markets, thus having a competitive advantage. Canada now has 15 agreements with over 40 countries, out of which Canadian Free Trade Agreement, World Trade Organization General Agreement on Trade in Services, and Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement are the most relevant of all.

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This week was fascinating because there were quizzes to finish, content from two modules to cover in class, and also there was a great case study on risk management, which I think was a really good example relevant to risk mitigation and policy compliance.

To start off with BPS, I always thought, as a person who has got minimal exposure to the public sector, how are they managing taxpayers money, which is our citizens money, effectively? Like, what is the strong proof of them utilizing this for the betterment of our community in respect to our interests? No sooner did I learn about BPS, a framework established by Ontario to standardize procurement practices, than my skeptical thoughts on this matter were diminished. I also had a plethora of ideas from module 3, which I shared in a previous post.

Then we dive into risk management; well I knew risk was not good in any case and could cause damages. However, when I ran into this "But it was only a $1,000 job!" case study, I was shocked to see how much damage can be caused due to a simply silly overlook of an issue. It might not be fair for Bob, the new hire, that he does not get many contracts from firms because of needing at least one million dollar insurance coverage policy, but it is absurd to give such cautious work to a beginner and cost the institution 25,000 dollars.

I believe that this scenario could have easily been avoided using risk management, which is a systematic approach to identifying, preventing or reducing exposure to any kind of loss, and that means all kinds. To add the curiosity, I learned about risk formulas and options for risk management; however, I found the formula to be very exciting since it gave a precise outcome of what will happen, like a forecasting mechanism. Therefore, I learned how dependent public procurement was on risk management for the betterment of its operations, finance, and so on. It was also informative to see how essential it is for the six elements of corporate risk management to be collaborative to ensure all risks are managed effectively across all levels.

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In this module I got the chance to explore the rules and laws public procurement is surrounded with to be open, fair, and transparent. As soon as I dived into the legal aspects, like the Law of Agency that provides an outlook of roles and responsibilities between principals and agents, including diligence, competitiveness, and trustworthiness. We also went through "The Queen (Ontario) vs. Ron Engineering Construction," which displayed a clear definition of some legal aspects covered here. In addition, after Ron Engineering reviewed and found out there was a 150,000 dollar error, they demanded a withdrawal and would not take on the offer, which was later awarded to the next lowest bidder. However, it was legally stated that there would be a 150k non-refundable deposit amount, about which they took the case to the Supreme Court and was later rejected after restoring the trial decision. The interesting part for me was that when they denied to honor the tender, they legally forfeited its bid deposit, and the court added some principles to the decision, which were really great insights for me because I knew it might be useful when stepping into competitive bidding modules.

This agreement is structured to specify the authority of a procurement professional, and what really caught my attention was the duties to complete in order to avoid being accountable for risk and damages, such as exceeding authority, breaches obviously, being negligent, and indicating their titles when signing a purchase order.

In conclusion, both sides must adhere to legal requirements, and professionals working on behalf of firms could be liable if they overstep their authority or fail to comply with terms and conditions. This module give a solid grasp of some principles.

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Our midterm has officially arrived. Everyone was to complete their midterm case analysis, one individually and one in a group in class, where the professor, Sarah, randomly gave us a number from 1 to 7 and we got into a group of four. This was a challenging week, but also exciting since we have got a chance to showcase our intelligence about this course so far.

The case was "Hamildon’s Wiper Blades", where the city of Hamildon had residents of 500,000 and the corporation was responsible for 41,250 acres of land. So the new integrated procurement system caused operational disruptions due to wiper-blade stock-out. First I identified some key issues: the origin of this issue was the incompetence of the new system that failed to process the order; thus, no information on this matter went to the warehouse, indicating poor integration and coordination; only 10 major departments had online access; others did it manually, making it very difficult for the staffs unless Kumar had adequately staffed the department; and crucial orders being missed. Furthermore, the delay in plowing the snow caused a threat to public safety and exposed procurement inefficiency.

As a solution for this and from my understanding of the public procurement, risk management, and legal aspects, I laid out recommendations after a detailed assessment, where the main elements being cost-effectiveness, employee adaptability, implementation speed, and service reliability. My final recommendation was to upgrade the procurement system gradually, like keeping the manual process for now to deal with less important matters and, after a deep analysis as they go, eliminating processes that are inefficient and embracing interdepartmental processes for better tracking and service reliability.

Therefore, this case analysis awakened my hidden enthusiasm for working in the public sector because I was so dedicated to coming up with the best solution along with an effective implementation strategy that goes gradually, like phase by phase. I really learned to do a thorough analysis and to make an efficient recommendation, not the best but the best for this scenario, on "What to do next?" and how to regain the order accuracy, active monitoring, and regular functionality".

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After spending all the past module learning the foundation to public procurement, we stepped into competitive bidding, which was one of three modules where I learned tools public procurement employees used to acquire required goods and services for the agencies in a timely manner. I would say competitive bidding was the most discussed topic in the entire course that is spread over 3 modules because it covers a vast area, like how agencies acquire goods, types of competitive bidding, non-competitive procurement, tools used, process for proposals, quotes, or tenders.

Well, the first thing I learned about competitive bidding was that it is a formal request form used by agencies to buy goods and services; it is used extensively through public procurement that will allow a fair and transparent competition. Most importantly, it is a way to showcase its integrity, which I believe has a vital role in any bidding, as a matter of fact.

Moreover, when I came across different bidding tools, I learned about all 6 bidding tools that are used according to the scenario. For example, RFP, which I found most interesting, is to solicit bids from vendors for goods or services, allowing organizations to select the best-qualified supplier; and it is mostly used when customer requirements are general and often complex, has an explanation on how they will complete the work, involves evaluation of proposal responses, and so on. Therefore, tools like RFQ, RFI, and RFT are some of the best tools for getting the best prices for larger goods that would ensure the best value for taxpayers money.

Then there was the general competitive bid process for quotes, tenders, and proposals, where the processes are all the same from receiving requisition to RFx closing, after which, for quotes/tenders, the lowest bid is awarded after response review, whereas for proposals, the process ends with debriefing unsuccessful proponents.

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The focus of this module was on developing public sector documents, like specification development for goods and services. This directed me to successfully create requisitions and specifications through which internal employees express their needs for purchase and communicate effectively. This taught me how important teamwork and interrelation at all levels in a procurement organization are to ensure they meet the requirements. Furthermore, I was also exposed to all types of specifications, such as design, performance, brand names, and so on, which are to be applied according to the condition. In addition, this session portrayed the essentiality of accurate specifications so that requirements and desired standards can be met.

The module also emphasized the importance of SOW, also known as Statement of Work, which has differences, however, used interchangeably, that was stated to be containing precise expectations, timelines, and deliverables for the goods and services. Therefore, to accomplish a detailed SOW that meets the desired standards, it is essential for the internal professionals to have a really healthy communication or feedback from consumers' side to reach its maximum capability, I believe. Moreover, when working on requisition, I got to learn the structured approach to filing comprehensive internal purchase requests, including budgets, timelines, and approvals.

To be honest, after this module, I felt like I was one step closer to meeting procurement requirements effectively even in real-time scenarios. Next week is our last module covering this topic; however, I wish we had more modules on this because I feel like this is a vast topic shortened into a small bracket.

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What is a Statement of Work (SOW)? And what are the different types?

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This was the final module on competitive bidding and bid documents, from which I learned a detailed version of evaluation criteria and supplier selection, where I got to know how a bid that got qualified can still get unqualified based on pre-specified criteria. If price is not the only factor to consider in the evaluation process, the proponent's response will require some components that will be examined and rated by a team. Overall, it sets a clear evaluation criterion for qualified and unqualified bidders.

Well, a part of building document phase includes how a successful supplier will be determined. For qualified bidders, competitive document will indicate what a supplier needs to complete a purchase after a bidder meets pre-stated requirements, and by being responsive, the supplier guarantees that they can meet the specifications. However, what caught my interest was the fact that a bidder that would get disqualified eventually can still get qualified with the lowest bid and get thrown off the list if they could not actually satisfy them. For example, if one agrees to complete the project in 2 weeks instead of 1, they are qualifying their bid and can be disqualified. This was new for me because I thought they qualify only those who exactly meet the specifications.

Interestingly, if price cannot be a decision-making factor anymore, agencies evaluate proponents' responses based on components, which later get evaluated by a team. Now, in addition to revealing how it will be evaluated, they also provide necessary information about what they need to submit. Nonetheless, they reflect the minimum and mandatory requirements though, showcasing an open, transparent practice.

The best part of the evaluation for me was the fact that there are certain strict rules to follow while doing the process, such as no conversation between bidders, no researching of the company, each member must read all submissions and complete the scorecard, and so on. Thereafter, meetings are held where members can share their opinions and clarify anything relevant. Afterwards, procurement’s final step is to issue the contract and close the file by ensuring everything is complete for a potential audit, together with providing debriefs to all interested proponents, ensuring the procurement in the public sector remains fair, transparent, and compliant with rules and regulations.

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After being in the realm of competitive bidding for three long weeks, it was time to switch the topic to ethical behaviour in public procurement sector. It showcased the impact on trust, accountability, fairness, and transparency in the procurement process. For example, personal buying and fraudulent activities like bid-rigging are considered forbidden, and then there is accepting gifts, where agencies would state whether they can accept anything or not. Well, I already got to know about this from my high school times, but it was good to recall some of the details.

So, from what I learned, personal buying takes place when someone utilizes the business contract for their personal gain, such as owning a car or jewelry for some of the allocated money, which should have been strictly used for business purposes. Furthermore, then there was the concept of conflict that emphasizes the influence such personal unfair practices have on official decision-making. To tackle this issue, there were a few questions mentioned in this module that individuals involved should ask themselves, such as, "Is it right to do?" or "What would others think about my actions?" And I think it is a great method to eliminate such temptations and continue the procurement process fairly and transparently as always.

In addition to that, there was also an example that explained how a school's allocated funds of 50,000 dollars were spent for personal gain, showing how easily individuals can behave unethically for their own greed. Finally, to eliminate these possibilities of unethical actions, the module highlighted some effective ways, such as establishing a code of conduct, having disciplinary actions against those who act unethically, and management leading by example. Therefore, I believe this way the procurement can be safeguarded from such acts, thus, running it for the betterment of the public.

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The professor allocated this week for groups to work on their projects, giving everyone enough time for a great start on the report. As I recall, the professor did say that this is a hard report and would be challenging in one of the modules, and guess what? It was indeed puzzling for us to get a start. First I proposed to my teammates that we should first look into the assignment, and then we could start dividing the assignment into smaller chunks, making it easier for everyone. This finally gave us a start in understanding HEALTHPRO Canada's situation and its problematic procurement model—Contract A/B. Although we were not present in class, we had a good beginning with the report.

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This week was our presentation week. We presented our SILEx report before everyone in the class. Working with my teammates was a wonderful experience for me, and we did our best in presenting whatever we presented, and I am relieved that it is over. However, I feel like I am one step closer to being good at presentations.

Nonetheless, our research was on HEALTHPRO Canada; they were experiencing issues with their current procurement model, which was contract A/B that binds vendors to pre-existing terms and policies, making them powerless for renegotiations for better pricing and contribution of innovative ideas that could be beneficial to both parties, with flexibility, decision-making, and innovation. Furthermore, one of the intriguing parts for me was to explore alternative models like Negotiated Request for Proposal and Request for Standing Offer because these models enable suppliers to post-bid negotiation, contribute ideas, and accelerate the whole procurement cycle.

Working on this project proved the value of teamwork and critical thinking, along with the importance of an openness to innovations and improvements that would make the supply chain management more efficient. Classes are coming to an end, and I have learned a valuable lesson.

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Here we stepped into the final piece of the public procurement competitive process that includes contract and supplier relationship management. It showcases that the process does not end after a negotiation, but it only puts a start to supplier relationship management. In addition, we also went through the Harwich College case study that I found as a perfect demonstration of poor communication between both ends and the complexity when managing contracts, which made me think of the process as rocket science.

Contract and supplier management gave me great insights on how essential a clear contract, evaluation of suppliers, and having a transparent process are because in the case when Joan evaluated a supplier via competitive bidding and selected one after a clear consideration for pricing, experience, and interview performance, he still missed one vital part that could affect their entire trip, which is budget; it was high.

However, even though he has options to collect additional funds from the school or to cancel the trip, which I think would not be the best course of action, he could renegotiate the pricing of hotel rooms because now he would have to go through the selection process again, which is time-consuming, but if he negotiates the room price and brings the price down by at least half, I would say they should proceed with that supplier since they met all other requirements and all.

Therefore, this module is a clear depiction of having precise evaluation criteria to maintain accountability, fairness, and a healthy supplier relationship management..

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To be frank, I was relieved that the all the major assignments for this course were over and was actually stress-free throughout the class as we went through the catch-up process, which lasted for one hour. First of all, I would like to thank the professor, Sarah Denomy, for carrying us to the end of the module with the course and content; I appreciate how she gave out in-class activities every week so that students could get a firsthand experience out of all the work and lessons we grasped.

Initially, we started off the class with the professor providing us a code to Mentimeter, where we went through all the important modules, like modules 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, and so on. Apparently, she began with the very base of public procurement, which was, where does the money come from? Taxpayers. We looked into who public agencies are, BPS Directive, in which agencies that receive 10 million are to follow BPS, went through competitive bidding, and unethical behavior. Overall, it was a nostalgic moment to review contents we already learned, and it might also be because it was our last class.

When I look back at my journey in this course, I am proud of how far I have come, and all thanks to the professor for the dedication, support, and passion she has shown for students' understanding.

With great respect and gratitude,

Milan Siby