HOW IT WORKS
Procurement solutions for the public sector.
At Canoe, our goal is to help you achieve your strategic procurement objectives, whether it’s increased efficiency, value creation, risk mitigation, innovation, or sustainability. We do not dictate, control, or replace your procurement strategy. Rather, we are your partner in procurement, complementing and enhancing your procurement capabilities.
Group Procurement
Group procurement or cooperative procurement is procurement conducted on behalf of one or more organizations. Under the Canoe umbrella, public sector entities across Canada pool their collective buying power to create an economy of scale that any member, large or small, can leverage to gain better value when purchasing goods and services.
Public procurement or purchase is traditionally done through an extensive tendering process. While this process is meant to ensure that every purchase meets regulatory requirements and adheres to procurement best practices, the traditional tendering process can be quite time and resource-intensive.
This is where we come in. At Canoe, we handle the heavy lifting of tendering standing offer contracts on your behalf, empowering you to select and utilize specific contracts for your procurement needs while maintaining value, quality, and compliance.
Our Process
At Canoe, we are always working to ensure continued procurement innovation that meets and exceeds our members’ needs. Our process includes:
BUYING WITH CANOE
Become a Member
Canoe membership is available to all public sector entities and registered not-for-profit organizations across Canada. Contact the client relations manager for your region to begin your membership registration.
If you’re a business looking to work with Canoe, you can learn how to become a supplier here.
Find a Contract
Canoe has over 300 awarded supplier contracts for a wide variety of goods and services in multiple industries. Simply pick the appropriate contract for your procurement needs. You can search contracts through program categories or the supplier directory.
Contact the Supplier
Once you found the contract you want to utilize, you can contact the supplier of your choice to obtain a quote and finalize your purchase. You can request quotes from multiple suppliers, and you are under no obligation to use any one supplier. You can also work with our client relations managers who can help match your needs with the appropriate solutions.
COMPLIANCE
At Canoe, we go the extra mile to ensure that our contracts and procedures are compliant with all trade regulations and obligations including the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA), Ontario-Quebec Trade and Cooperation Agreement (OQTCA), and the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
Trade agreements (along with government directives and policies) generally require public sector purchasers to conduct open, competitive procurement processes. This requirement arises if the estimated value of the goods or services to be purchased exceeds certain value thresholds.
Once the relevant value threshold is exceeded, the purchaser must purchase from a contractor who is successful in a competitive process (e.g. a request for proposals, request for quotation) that is open to the entire marketplace. That competitive process must meet the requirements of applicable trade treaties, which usually involves posting notices, disclosing relevant information, running a fair evaluation process, etc.
As the national leader in group purchasing in Canada, we aim to consistently elevate the public procurement practice and bring value to our members.
We achieve these goals by:
- working with internal and external procurement experts to actively review and improve our policies, practices, and process documents to ensure they meet and exceed public procurement best practices.
- facilitating open, competitive procurement processes – we do not engage in invitation-only or non-competitive contract awards.
- being transparent about who our members are – all our partner municipal associations provide a list of relevant members so that the marketplace is aware of who may purchase through awarded contracts.
- ensuring our processes account for distributor networks – networks of regional distributors can collectively bid on opportunities, with member organizations entering into contracts with the applicable distributor for their region.
We are committed to ensuring that all our contracts and programs provide your organization with the best value available. Contact your local client relations manager if you have any questions or need additional support at any step of the process – we’re here to help!
GETTING STARTED
Canoe Insurance is currently available to all municipalities in New Brunswick in both English and French. Our dedicated team is ready to help match your organization’s needs with the right insurance solutions.
MAKE A CLAIM
Navigate your claims filing and resolution process through our claims preparation services.
BECOME A MEMBER
Contact the client relations managers for your region to get started.
SUPPLIER DIRECTORY
View the full list of all Canoe-approved suppliers with contract details and documentation for each supplier.
PROGRAMS
Leverage Canoe programs to efficiently source the products and services you need.
STAY INFORMED
Sign up for the Trader newsletter to keep in touch with important updates from our stakeholders and partners.
