Item - 2021.GL26.6

City Council considered Items EX27.2 and GL26.6 together.

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council receive the report (October 5, 2021) from the Chief Procurement Officer for information.

This report responds to a request from City Council for the City Manager to report to City Council with a review of the possibility of Toronto adopting the Open Contracting Global Principles or any other similar principles.

Purchasing and Materials Management Division staff reviewed open contracting principles set out by different organizations such as the Open Contracting Partnership and Open North against the City's current procurement process, which is governed by Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing. Staff have determined that the City's procurement policies and procedures are generally in alignment with open contracting principles. For example:

- Suppliers interested in marketing their products or services outside of an active procurement process must register with the Toronto Lobbyist Registrar;

- Suppliers who are involved in developing the technical specifications and other evaluation criteria for a particular solicitation are prohibited from bidding on it;

- All suppliers have equal access and opportunity to submit compliant bids for competitive solicitations;

- Evaluations are conducted in a structured manner based on criteria outlined in the solicitation;

- Post-award, unsuccessful suppliers have the opportunity to request a debriefing to obtain feedback on why their submission was not selected.
 

Through regular continuous improvement, Purchasing and Materials Management Division staff will continue to monitor and identify opportunities to ensure the City's procurement process remains open, fair and transparent and to effectively generate the best value for money.