We are pleased to report that the University of Toronto has won a second award for its innovative new negotiable RFP system, which was developed in partnership with our office. The 2012 Leadership in Public Procurement Award was presented by Summit Magazine, Canada’s largest public procurement publication, in collaboration with the Canadian Public Procurement Counsel (CPPC), and is designed to honour an exceptional project that demonstrates innovation and leadership in public sector procurement. The same project received national first prize honours in the CAUBO Awards earlier this year.
An excerpt from the Press Release is reproduced below:
The Negotiable RFP is a ground-breaking public competitive procurement mechanism for acquisitions over $100, 000 at U of T. This flexible, customer-centric tool marries business design with a new legal methodology in a clear, transparent 8-step process. It is the first of its kind in the country to deliver a negotiation component, resulting in unprecedented savings and value enhancements to the University across all commodities. With over 50% of the organization’s large acquisitions being research related, this means tremendous value for the labs and research groups across three campuses. …
The Procurement Services team knew that it wouldn’t be enough to simply reinvent the existing model. It needed to be rebuilt based on the needs of those who were expected to use it in the first place and it needed to be tied – naturally – into the institution’s culture. From a business need perspective, it was essential to find a way to introduce an RFP program that would:
- Introduce significant flexibility to the RFP process without compromising legal requirements and remaining true to transparency and fairness
- Enhance quality and value to customers by exploring what existing and potential product solutions are available and accessible
- Put customer-centricity first by establishing opportunities for collaboration and development of deeper, trusted and productive relationships amongst Procurement Services, the customer and vendor.
“It’s through creative collaboration with our valued partners, such as DesignWorks and The Procurement Law Office, but especially our customers that these achievements were possible,” says Eddy Jin, Director of Procurement Services “This recent award is another win for our community members and a further example of how their partnership laid the groundwork for innovation that makes a real impact.”
