We were given an introduction to public procurement in class. We started by reviewing Chapter 1 and the PowerPoint slides from Module 1, which provided us an overview of public purchasing, particularly as it relates to private sector purchasing. I was particularly struck by the "7 Rs" of public procurement—basically ensuring that you're receiving the right products from the right supplier at the right moment. I was unaware of the amount of both legal and administrative work that goes into public procurement.

We also discussed the need for open and equitable, and honest public procurement, which makes sense considering that money from taxpayers are involved. compared to private sector purchasing, it is far more regulated, and the media and the public put a lot of strain on it to be handled correctly. In addition to that, we introduced ourselves to one another through a fun icebreaker exercise. Given that it was our first time sitting as a class, it helped ease some of the anxiety. Getting to know several of my classmates was enjoyable, and I think we'll get along well in our futures.

Given my absence from class, I found the BPS Directive to be an extremely important component of public procurement. It is basically a set of guidelines that Ontario's public sector organizations have to stick to in order to make sure that their procurement processes are fair, honest, and open. Everything must be performed correctly and unbiased because public funds are being spent. Additionally, the professor reminded us to Prepare for the upcoming FOL Quiz by studying Modules 1–3.

Continue working on the reflections for our module, which is this one!

Although being unable to attend class, I found the material provided to be quite helpful and understood the primary concepts. I was excited to get back on track for the following week!

The group exercise, "But It Was Only a $1000 Job!" followed. Everyone brought a laptop, and we were required to respond to four questions and have group discussions. It was laid back; there was no submission, purely conversation and energy.

The Law of Agency, that is simply the fancy word for "the purchaser (agent) can act upon behalf of the company (principal)," was something we discussed. But what if you commit a mistake as an agent? Yes, you might be sued directly. 🫠 The six primary elements of contract law—intention, offer, acceptance, consideration, legality, and legal capacity—were then discussed. That bar anecdote about "Mr. Luck-D Rama" was hilarious, lol. For example, you cannot win the lotto and then promise somebody $5,000 while your're high. The task for the students was to find actual instances of RFP/RFT as Contract A and RFO as Contract B on the Bids and Tenders website in London. Additionally, I prepared for next week's Executive Summary group activity and started to catch up on the Hamildon's Wiper Blades case for the individual analytical project, which is due this week 😬.

In class, the professor allowed us to work on the Group Executive Summary, which is a little draft of a business report. It must include the current problem, two or three alternatives, the criteria used to make the selection, our final suggestion, and our plan of action. The experience was almost like having a consultation with your buddies in real life 😅.Attendance was important since the professor also stopped by to see how each group was doing and to offer a few tips and comments. It was a zero for that section if you failed to show up. Not a joke.

Additionally, I realized that the midterm report is worth 20% (divided into 10% individual and 10% group), so this is certainly not the week to take things easy!

We have a little break next week as it's reading week 🙌. We return with Module 7: Competition Bidding after that. To continue following course, you must study Chapter 4, the procurement article, and the accompanying slides.

It additionally made me realize how important these records are to preventing disputes or misunderstandings during a project. This is undoubtedly something that should be kept in mind whenever preparing the SILEx report. All in all, a useful module that complements our present-day research.

I was surprised to learn how comprehensive the process for choosing suppliers and evaluation criteria are. Selecting the most rapid or least expensive choice isn't the only consideration; professional aptitude, project requirements, and previous work are also important considerations. I am now having an improved awareness of how crucial these choices are for the project's success thanks to this module.

A thorough grasp of how difficult moral choices may be, especially when dealing with positions involving sensitive obligations or access to money, was provided by the chapter readings and ethical situations 💼. Videos on corruption and conflicts of interest also made everything easier to understand.All things considered, this week served as a helpful reminder that morals are an essential component of effectively overseeing projects and are not merely an extra. All of these will undoubtedly be put into consideration when creating the SILEx report.

Our team did a respectable job presenting at the rehearsal, and we sent in the report and presentation slides on time (✅). However, we later discovered that we had somewhat strayed from the main subject 😅. Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile learning opportunity, and we received insightful feedback from the professor  that will help us improve before the final presentation. Overall, things started to come together, and while the pressure is starting to build, it's satisfying to watch things come together 💪. The live customer presentation for the top teams sounds tough, and I'm excited (and a little worried 😬) for April 1st!