Feds plan to run open competitions for PPE

OTTAWA • The federal Liberals say the government will go back to using competitive bid processes to get protective equipment needed across the country due to COVID-19.

Procurement Minister Anita Anand says the process usually used to award contracts will only apply in situations where there is enough time to run a competition.

The government is spending billions of dollars to acquire everything from ventilators to masks, though a full accounting is not expected for months.

Many sole-sourced contracts have been signed using national security exemptions to quickly snap up gear in high demand.

Anand said Tuesday there is no firm criteria that will be used to determine whether the government goes directly to one supplier, or opens it up to bids.

This week, the government signed four contracts for cloth masks after publicly soliciting proposals from Canadian companies. There is also a request for proposal closing Tuesday aimed specifically at Indigenous-led businesses to help provide 25 million non-medical masks.

Competitive bids will be used to “supplement our current supply chains” to help the government get personal protective equipment from multiple sources.

“As we have more stability in global supply chains for masks, gowns, gloves and the like, we will be moving to competitive processes,” she said.