Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 21, 2021 -

There are deficiencies in the ways that the federal government manages the procurement of complex information technology (IT) solutions, according to a report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts (the Committee) presented today by Kelly Block, Chair of the Committee.

In February 2021, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada released a performance audit whose purpose was to determine whether the federal organizations responsible for procuring three audited complex IT initiatives were on track to support the achievement of business outcomes and to uphold the government’s commitment to fairness, openness, and transparency in procurement. The audited procurements and their lead organizations are:

• Next Generation Human Resources and Pay (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Shared Services Canada)
• Benefits Delivery Modernization (Employment and Social Development Canada)
• Workplace Communication Services (Shared Services Canada)

The audit found that federal organizations made good progress toward adopting the Agile Procurement Model; however, they implemented it without sufficient training for staff or engagement with key stakeholders. The audit also found that collaboration with suppliers and the monitoring of fairness, openness, and transparency in procurement needed improvement.

As part of its report on this audit, the Committee has made eight recommendations to help ensure that the Government of Canada better manages the procurement of complex IT solutions.