• Paul Lalonde, Partner, Heenan Blaikie SRL/LLP

• Robert Worthington, Robert C. Worthington and Associates Ltd.

• David M. Attwater, Barrister and Solicitor, Counsellor Law Offices

• Christianne Laizner, Senior Counsel, Justice Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada

This distinguished group of experts in procurement law engages in a lively discussion concerning developments at the CITT in the recent past. This has been a well-attended and much-talked-about round table in past years at the Materiel Management National Workshop. The panel’s debate is always controversial and spirited. A not-to-be-missed presentation!

• Roger Pharand, Manager, Personnel Certification Division, Public Works and Government Services Canada

Now that you have heard about the Professional Development and Certification Program (PDCP), this hands-on workshop will explain the process for your enrolment in the Certification Program (Step 1) and how to request an equivalency against a course identified on the Record of Learning.

As part of Step 2, the Application for Certification Designation, you will gain insight on how to complete one competency from your Candidate Achievement Record in preparation for your application for certification.

• Jim Richardson, Director General, Director General Procurement Services, National Defence Canada

The presentation will describe how ADM Materiel has established a special focus organization – the Community Management Office – to strengthen the capacity to deliver materiel acquisition and support. Jim Richardson will present initiatives planned and underway to recruit and retain engineering and procurement professionals. This work is critical in strengthening the ability to deliver defence equipment programs and to manage the emerging demographic issues as more people retire.

• Donald Plouffe, Senior Competition Law Officer, Criminal Matters Branch Division A, Competition Bureau, Industry Canada

• Stephen Fitzpatrick, Competition Law Officer, Criminal Matters Branch Division A, Competition Bureau, Industry Canada

This presentation on bid-rigging will give a brief overview of the Competition Bureau as an organization and the Competition Act and will focus particularly on the bid-rigging provision under the Act. The presentation will explain the criminal offence of bid-rigging and applicable penalties as well as the investigation and enforcement of the provision by the Competition Bureau. The presentation is designed to assist the audience in detecting and preventing bid-rigging as well as providing them with information on how to react if they suspect bid-rigging has occurred on any of their procurement projects.

• Berny Latreille, Director, Environmental Affairs, Environment Canada

• Marc Beaudoin, Director, Green Procurement, Public Works and Government Services Canada

The scope of spending on goods and services provides a real opportunity for the federal government to use its purchasing power to support environmental sustainability and to position itself as a leader. This presentation will provide an overview of why green procurement is important, what's new on the environmental agenda, how processes are changing to integrate green criteria into procurement instruments and what the goods and services are that are being ''greened''.

• Micheline Brunette, Senior Analyst, Professional Development and Certification Program Management Office, Assets and Acquired Services Directorate, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

• Colleen Post, Principal Analyst, Professional Development and Certification Program Management Office, Assets and Acquired Services Directorate, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

If you have missed the cross Canada information sessions that took place during the spring of 2006 on the subject of the Professional Development and Certification Program for the Procurement, Materiel Management and Real Property Community, now is the time to find out the latest updates provided by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Program Management Office representatives.

Take this opportunity to also find out about the New Required Training requirements as a result of the Policy on Learning, Training and Development, that became effective in January 2006 and how this impacts your training at the Functional Community level.

• Catherine Ella, Senior Director, Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division, Government Operations Sector, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

This session will provide an update on Treasury Board Secretariat activities with respect to the Federal Accountability Action Plan regarding procurement. The Federal Accountability Act received Royal Assent in December 2006. The presentation will address legislative, regulatory and policy initiatives concerning procurement that are currently underway.

• Dr. Peter Brander, Assistant Director, Director General’s Office, Health Canada

• Farryl Loney, Senior Policy Analyst, Information, Privacy and Security Policy, Chief Information Officer Branch, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

This presentation will outline preparations within the Government of Canada and will cover Pandemic Planning initiatives including: Business Continuity Planning; Pandemic Planning Annexes, including the identification of and plans to maintain mission critical functions; Human Resource / Occupational Health and Safety Issues; and, Communications.

• Joshua Frank, Account Vice President, US Department of Defense and Homeland Security Public Sector

Joshua Frank, Account Vice President, Public Sector Payment Solutions, MasterCard Worldwide speaks about tools and solutions that add value to a card program.

• LCol John Conrad, National Defence

This presentation will discuss the supply challenges of a theatre like Afghanistan and Kandahar in specific terms of geography, topography and culture. It will present some lessons learned in terms of tactical and operational level supply and contracting issues in a fourth generation warfare theatre like Kandahar. Finally, LCol John Conrad will touch on some of the frictions and enhancements that staff and units have brought to the Canadian Forces Campaign, specifically between CEFCOM and CANOSCOM and Task Force Afghanistan.

• Marc Whittingham, Vice-President, Strategy and Organizational Development, Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC)

Learn how the Canadian Commercial Corporation, Canada's international contracting and procurement agency, is actively supporting departments with international contribution agreements with its expertise in international contracting. CCC is strengthening its relationship with the Department of National Defence and PWGSC to more effectively contribute to the maintenance of an integrated North Amercian defence industrial base and to provide greater assistance to Canadian exporters.

• John Rivenell, President, Sage Data Solutions Inc.

The bar code has become a part of our lives - at the supermarket, and in the supply chains that provide us with the essentials (and luxuries) that we need to live. The increased use of the bar code has naturally led to increased use of handheld computers for collecting information, and for directing workers in their day to day tasks.

One of the few weaknesses of the bar code is that it must be visible to the reader. For situations where this is not practical or not easy to achieve, the bar code can be replaced by a new and different kind of tag, the Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag. Recently, a lot has been written in the press about this new technology.

“90% of the information available in the press is misleading but the 10% that is true is going to affect us all”.

This presentation will introduce the audience to the world of Auto ID (automatic identification). Beginning with the origins of the bar code we will explain some of its mysteries. From there, we will introduce RFID, and explain away some of the myths.

We will banish some of the monsters under the bed – questions around privacy and big brother.

We will share our vision of the future, as affected by these technologies.

• Michael Jameson, Project Manager, Project Implementation Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

• Vincent Robitaille, BBA CFA, Manager, Materiel and Contracting Services, Physical Resources Bureau, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

Supply Chain Management and Contracting are challenging under ideal circumstances. Supplying and maintaining over 150 embassies, high consulates and consulates (including Kabul, Amman and Beijing) can hardly be considered ideal circumstances. The objective of this presentation is to describe the lessons learned by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in developing an efficient supply chain and managing construction projects abroad.

• Catherine Ella, Senior Director, Investment, Project Management and Procurement Policy Division, Government Operations Sector, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

This session will provide an update on Treasury Board Secretariat activities with respect to the Federal Accountability Action Plan regarding procurement. The Federal Accountability Act received Royal Assent in December 2006. The presentation will address legislative, regulatory and policy initiatives concerning procurement that are currently underway.

• Gilles Gauthier, Director, Investment Trade Policy, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

• Susan Sheehan, Deputy Director, Investment Trade Policy, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

This presentation will review Canada's government procurement in trade agreements and how coverage is decided. This will include an examination of Canada's current international trade agreements (NAFTA Chapter 10, the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement and the new procurement chapter in the Canada-Chile FTA) and how they work together. The presentation will outline the benefits of these agreements for both domestic purchasers seeking the best products and domestic suppliers seeking access to foreign markets. Finally, the presentation will conclude with a survey of current negotiations.

• Glynnis French, Assistant Secretary, Corporate and Administrative Services Initiative, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

The Treasury Board Secretariat Corporate Administrative Services Initiative (CASI) is examining the feasibility of moving toward a shared services model for corporate administrative services for the Government of Canada. Most federal departments and agencies currently provide their own human resources, financial and materiel management services. Several reviews have shown that the current model is too fragmented, impeding operational efficiency and government-wide strategic decision-making. By standardizing practices, streamlining administrative systems, and service delivery, a shared services organization would offer more efficient and effective services at a lower cost. The Treasury Board Secretariat has been working with five mid-sized departments since Fall 2006 to further develop alternative ways of doing government business. Glynnis, will speak about the shared services initiative, its challenges and explain the importance of this extensive coordination of key functional areas to improve the government’s operational performance.

• Christine Cowan, Manager, Trade Agreements Strategy and CITT Coordination, Public Works and Government Services Canada

This session will describe the various aspects of the Federal Accountability Act (FedAA) and its impact on the materiel management and contracting field. Among other things, the FedAA makes changes to the Public Service Employment Act, the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act and the Financial Administration Act (FAA) and creates the position of Procurement Ombudsman to review, report and make recommendations on procurement practices in government, and to hear complaints from suppliers.

• Ian Christie, Manager, Government of Canada Marketplace

The Government of Canada Marketplace (GoCM) is an on-line tool that provides Government of Canada employees simplified access to an electronic catalogue of pre-approved goods and services available through Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements. Ian Christie will provide participants with a presentation on the GoCM.

• Sharon Chamberlain, Director General, Corporate and Shared Services, National Defence Canada

Successful, sustainable service delivery improvement from a customer’s vantage point requires strategies to address a complex set of factors that are at play. Sharon Chamberlain will demonstrate how the practical application of a holistic service delivery model can help service delivery organizations identify the appropriate levers of change for continuous service delivery improvement and improved performance management.

• Barbara Lukaszewicz, Senior Director of the Blended Learning Centre of Expertise with the Canada School of Public Service

• Allen Frost, Director, Economic Development Programs Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

All government procurement must now incorporate environmental considerations. Our newly launched online Green Procurement Course in Campusdirect (www.campusdirect.gc.ca) gives you the training to get started. Come to this session on Wednesday, May 9, at 1:00 pm in the Colonel By Room for an overview of the topics covered and a demonstration of some of the key features of this interactive online course!

Want help on dealing with CLCA’s and PSAB? We are currently in the process of developing an interactive online course, Aboriginal Considerations in Procurement, designed for procurement and materiel management officers who are responsible for ensuring that the supply of government goods and services is carried out in accordance with Government of Canada Contracting Regulations (GCRs), Treasury Board Contracting Policy, as well as Canadian laws and international obligations. This course is also useful to any government employee involved in the creation, tendering and supervision of contracts that directly or indirectly affect Aboriginal populations or businesses. This course will give the participant a strong understanding of the issues, policies and laws governing procurement in Aboriginal territories and with Aboriginal businesses. Come to this session on Wednesday, May 9, at 1:00 pm in the Colonel By Room for an overview of the topics covered and a demonstration of some of the key features of this interactive online course!.