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OPBA Spotlight
About Greater Sudbury

The City of Greater Sudbury is centrally located in Northeastern Ontario at the convergence of three major highways. It is situated on the Canadian Shield in the Great Lakes Basin and is composed of a rich mix of urban, suburban, rural and wilderness environments. Greater Sudbury is 3,186 square kilometres in area, making it the geographically largest municipality in Ontario and second largest in Canada. Greater Sudbury is considered a city of lakes, containing 330 lakes and the world's largest lake contained within a city, Lake Wanapitei. It has over 3,600 lane kilometres of roads, which is approximately the same distance as Greater Sudbury to Mexico as the crow flies.

Navigating Political Pressure in Public Procurement: Upholding Integrity and Principles – Victoria Mirlocca, Manager, Procurement Services - City of Mississauga

OPBA Procurement Specialists Meetings and People Leaders Meetings

We have rebranded the "Buyers Meeting" to "Procurement Specialists Meeting" and the "Managers Meeting" to "People Leaders Meeting." These changes better reflect the broader scope and role of public procurement professionals, with "People Leaders" providing clearer recognition of managers who have direct reports.

Upcoming Procurement Specialists Meeting (formerly Buyers Meeting): 
Monday, January 27, 2025, 1 PM – 3 PM

Join us quarterly for a unique and inclusive gathering of procurement peers! Our Procurement Specialists Meetings offer a welcoming space for professionals in a Procurement capacity within their organization, regardless of title. These facilitated sessions use a structured yet flexible format that ensure everyone’s voice is heard and that current topics of interest are shared and discussed. Come prepared to ask questions, listen, and connect with peers in this virtual networking session. 

FEATURE SPOTLIGHT

Share Your Knowledge – Become a Mentor with the OPBA Mentorship Program!

Last month, we announced the OPBA Mentorship Program—a great opportunity for both seasoned professionals and newer members of the public procurement field to connect, share insights, and develop professionally. This program is designed to foster networking, provide valuable guidance, and support growth for mentors and mentees alike.

The Membership Committee, formed in early 2024, spent months developing a mentorship model to best meet the needs of OPBA members. This program offers mentees guidance at all career stages and seeks experienced mentors to share their knowledge across various topics. We believe this program will support your career development and exceed your expectations.

OPBA Call for Volunteers

As a professional association, we rely on member volunteers to develop programs and services that are relevant to and serve the needs of OPBA members. Whether you are a seasoned procurement professional or newer to the profession, OPBA welcomes the contributions of all our volunteers. To ensure broad participation, all committees meet virtually.

We are currently seeking volunteers for the following committees:

The AI Revolution: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Municipal Procurement

SPONSORED CONTENT

Be sure to visit OPBA’s Calendar of Events for details about these and other upcoming events.

Due Diligence in Construction Procurement: Lessons from R v. Greater Sudbury
December 4, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM ET 
Virtual Learning

DESCRIPTION
Join us for an informative virtual webinar on Tuesday, December 4, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET, exploring the Supreme Court of Canada decision in R v. Greater Sudbury, which garnered significant attention by holding project owners liable as “employers” under Ontario's occupational health and safety legislation, even when a contractor is hired to perform the work. The court has since clarified how owners can defend against this liability by demonstrating "due diligence."

In this session, the speakers will delve into strategies for project owners to establish due diligence right from the procurement stage when retaining a construction contractor.

Presenters: 
Faren Bogach – Founder and Lawyer, Construct Legal
Paul Conrod – Lawyer, Construct Legal
Catherine Payne – County of Simcoe

Register here

Principles - Cooperative Procurement (Virtual)
Dec 3 & 4, 2024
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET
Virtual Learning

DESCRIPTION
This course gives an overview of the cooperative purchasing process in the public sector, describing the types, benefits, structure, legal considerations and challenges cooperative purchasing groups face. Attendees will be shown and discuss examples of constitutions, strategic plans, business plan reports, commodity listings and standard terms and conditions for public tenders issued by cooperative groups.

Register here

Principles - Introduction to Construction (Virtual)
Dec 10 - 11, 2024
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Virtual Learning

DESCRIPTION

The Introduction to Construction is an elective of the Principles Certificate program. The course content has been updated to ensure that learners receive current information related to construction procurement in today’s environment. This course provides a step-by-step description of the process to retain a general contractor for construction using the design/bid/build contract model and stipulated price contract.

Register here

NIGP-CPP Module B Prep Course
November 26, 2024
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET
Virtual Instructor-Led
Instructor: Ms. Lynda Allair, NIGP-CPP, CPPO

This course reviews the same competencies that are evaluated in the NIGP-CPP certification exam by providing activities and discussions to help you apply what you have learned to real-world scenarios. However, this course alone cannot fully prepare you for each competency and situation that is covered in the comprehensive exam, as the exam takes into account the entirety of your education and practical experience. Individuals should enroll in this prep course at least six months prior to their scheduled test date to provide sufficient time for independent review and study. Please note that participation in this course does not guarantee success on the NIGP-CPP certification exam.

Register here

Visit the NIPG website to see more courses.

New Members

OPBA warmly welcomes the following new members:

•    Troy Guinchard, student, Loyalist College
•    Khalil Aiden Immanuel, student, Durham College
•    Sarvesh Karur Umapathy, student, Fanshawe College
•    Ana Melrinho, student, Durham College
•    Sarah Boyd, Peterborough County
•    Danny Greenfield, City of Vaughan
•    Peter Paul Zammit, City of Vaughan
•    Jihane El Fahssi, Legislative Assembly of Ontario
•    Sharon Craig, CMHA Peel Dufferin

Retirees:

•    Steve Mollon, City of London (November 30)

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Join OPBA Today!

OPBA

As a thought leader in public procurement, OPBA offers a wealth of information, education, and resources designed to help you improve your skills and abilities and advance your public procurement career through professional development and peer networking.

Unique to the public sector, public procurement professionals aren’t in competition with each other; consequently, OPBA members welcome the opportunity to support their colleagues to excel in their profession.

When you join OPBA, you are:

• Investing in your Career
  • Increase your knowledge and enhance your value to your employer by learning from subject matter experts.

• Growing Your Professional Network
  • Gain access to a broad network of public procurement professionals who are willing to share resources and support each other.

• Supporting Your Profession
  • A strong professional association results in a stronger advocacy voice for the profession.

• and more!
  • Our Member Perks Program adds value to your membership and can save you money.

For more information contact us at members@opba.ca or 905-682-2644 ext. 255.

Join OPBA Today!

OPBA

Advertising and Sponsored Content in the Caveat Emptor enews:

The OPBA is diversifying its revenue sources so that we are not solely reliant on revenue generated through membership fees. Our goals are to strengthen the financial health of the association and continue to deliver valued member services while maintaining a reasonable cost of membership. We appreciate the support of our partner vendors and suppliers, many of whom have advertising and sponsored content in this enews. Articles provided by advertisers are solely for the purpose of raising awareness. OPBA does not endorse, promote, or advocate any products and services..

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The Ontario Public Buyers Association (OPBA) is a not-for-profit professional association representing public procurement professionals throughout Ontario. We promote the ethical and effective expenditure of public funds and encourage excellence in public purchasing through our continuing professional development opportunities, the encouragement of certification programs and through networking among our members.

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