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It's Not Too Late to Join Us at OPBA 2026

There's still time to register for the OPBA Annual Conference 2026. 

Join public procurement professionals from across Ontario for three days of practical learning, timely discussions, and valuable networking as we explore this year's theme:

Procuring for Tomorrow: Are You Ready for It?

Your conference experience includes:

• More than 20 educational sessions led by industry experts 
• Practical insights and real-world case studies 
• Pre-Conference Workshops and the Caveat Emptor Golf Tournament 
• Networking opportunities with colleagues from across the public sector 
• Tradeshow featuring products, services, and expertise that support public procurement

Make the Most of Your Conference Week

Pre-Conference Opportunities 

• Arrive early on Tuesday, September 22 and choose from:

◦ Pre-Conference Workshop: Contract Management 
◦ Pre-Conference Workshop: AI Contracts in the Real World: Governing Risk, Negotiating Value, and Mega-Vendors
◦ Caveat Emptor Cup Golf Tournament

You can also support this year's conference charity by purchasing the 2026 OPBA Conference Charity T-shirt during registration. Proceeds will benefit Atlohsa Family Healing Services, supporting healing and wellness initiatives in the London community.

View the Conference Program

Register for the Conference

Register for the Caveat Emptor Cup Golf Tournament

Local Co-operative Purchasing – a New Era

By Dave Stewart, The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board and Stephanie Ryynanen, Lakehead District School Board

As public procurement continues to navigate the post Covid world, we are faced with more challenges than ever before. Between an ever-changing political landscape that shapes government policy reactions, to the rise of AI, nothing is stable, but rather fluid. Public procurement specialists are navigating a journey with yesterday’s roadmap that is no longer relevant.

Procurement Through a Project Manager’s Lens

By Katie Walton, Purchasing Agent, City of Barrie

As procurement professionals, we are often responsible for a procurement from start to finish, from identifying the needs of the department and running the solicitation to monitoring performance once the contract is awarded. When multiple procurements and competing stakeholder deadlines are added to the mix, it is easy for deadlines to be missed and work to slip through the cracks.

From Sustainability Claims to Evidence: AI in Municipal Procurement

As supplier submissions become increasingly polished, how can procurement professionals determine whether the evidence behind those claims is current, relevant and reliable?

In this article, Julie Rennick shares insights from her University of Waterloo capstone research and explores how AI and structured evidence review can support municipal procurement teams without replacing professional judgment. She also introduces the Supplier Evidence Review Tool, developed to help buyers set evidence expectations, identify gaps and support more consistent supplier reviews.

Did you know?

London is home to the Banting House National Historic Site, Western University, Fanshawe College, and the London Knights hockey team.

Introducing the OPBA Business Council

OPBA is pleased to introduce the OPBA Business Council, a new thought leadership and engagement initiative bringing together OPBA leadership and strategic industry partners to support Ontario’s public procurement community.

Through trusted dialogue and collaboration, Business Council members will share perspectives on emerging industry trends, innovative solutions and public sector policy impacts, while helping identify opportunities to strengthen relationships between suppliers and public procurement professionals.

We are pleased to welcome our inaugural Business Council members:

bids&tenders

• Colleen Colbeck, Senior Product Manager

• Laura Case, CPPB, NIGP-CPP, Customer Success & Engagement Manager

OECM

• Sonia Gallo, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Transformation

• Ben Hamilton, Vice President, Government Relations & Partnerships

Public Procurement Leadership Essentials | Help Build Shared Understanding

Strong procurement outcomes depend on shared understanding between procurement professionals and the leaders who oversee priorities, risk and major decisions. 

OPBA’s new Public Procurement Leadership Essentials for Elected Officials and Senior Leaders program is a 60–90 minute, self-paced online course designed to give elected officials and senior non-procurement leaders a practical understanding of public procurement governance, roles and key decision points. 

The course can be used as: 

• A Council or leadership onboarding resource 

• A refresher before a major procurement or project 

• A governance and risk-management resource

• A way to build shared understanding between procurement and leadership teams 

Help us spread the word. Consider sharing the course with elected officials, CAOs, city managers, CFOs, treasurers, executive leadership teams and other senior leaders within your organization.

View Course Details & Pricing

This course was developed by the Public Procurement Learning Lab with support from our project partner, OECM.

Questions? Contact members@opba.ca.

Public Agencies: Secure Your Free Exhibitor Space

Still confirming which staff members will attend? No problem. You can provide attendee details later. Register now to secure your agency’s spot.

Participating agencies will also be entered into a draw for a free 2027 OPBA Annual Conference registration.

Questions? Email Wendy Gan.

👉 Register as a Public Agency Exhibitor

OPBA Mentoring Program: From Conversation to Confidence

Whether you're looking to share your experience or learn from someone who has been there, the OPBA Mentoring Program creates meaningful connections that strengthen our public procurement community.

Experienced procurement professionals can guide and support fellow members, while mentees gain practical advice, fresh perspectives, and valuable professional connections that extend beyond their own organizations.

From Conversation to Confidence

Mentee

"I implemented the contract negotiation tool my mentor shared, and it transformed my documentation and process. More importantly, I gained confidence in my day-to-day work."

Michelle (Mentor)

"The OPBA Mentorship Program allows experienced professionals to give back in meaningful ways. Watching a mentee apply shared tools and grow in confidence is incredibly rewarding."

Whether you're ready to give back as a Mentor or grow as a Mentee, now is a great time to get involved.

👉 Learn more about becoming a Mentor or Mentee on the OPBA website.

Questions? Contact members@opba.ca

Introducing Procurement Jeopardy, a new monthly feature where every answer is competitively sourced!

Procurement Jeopardy is a fun and engaging way to build procurement knowledge. Participants can test their understanding of purchasing policies, best practices, risk management, and procurement principles through short jeopardy style questions and answers delivered on a regular basis. The program is designed to promote awareness, encourage learning, and help members make informed purchasing decisions in an interactive and enjoyable format.

This month’s category is Procurement Dictionary and here’s your clue for this issue:

Don’t forget to check next month’s issue for the correct answer!

PPLL Courses

Structured learning to build procurement knowledge and skills

As the cornerstone of OPBA's educational offerings, PPLL provides a more comprehensive and meaningful learning experience through a blend of self-paced online modules and a virtual classroom session via Zoom in the final week.

Enhance Your Skills with our Advanced Construction Course

September 2 + 3, 2026

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET

Under the umbrella of our Public Procurement Specialties (PPS) courses, Advanced Procurement for Construction is an intermediate course that builds upon the skills learned in Introduction to Procurement for Construction. This course will take you through a variety of sustainability considerations, pre-construction activities, types of contract methods for construction, and much more!

Debut CPPO Exam Preparation: 2-Day Course Coming Soon!

September 17 + 18, 2026

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET

The Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) Prep Course provides experienced public procurement professionals with a structured and focused approach to preparing for the CPPO examination. Developed by OPBA as a recognized UPPCC training partner, the course is aligned directly with the CPPO Body of Knowledge and Competencies (BoK-C) and covers all six (6) domains represented on the examination. The course goes beyond a general review of procurement practices by helping learners assess their existing knowledge, identify areas requiring additional study, and apply their experience to the advanced concepts and competencies assessed through the CPPO exam. Led by CPPO/CPPB Certificant Melissa Mordue, this course is designed to elevate participant’s preparation for the exam.

New Delivery Method for RFPs – A Step by Step Guide for Public Procurement Professionals

October 1-31, 2026

Mandatory Live Learning Session: Wednesday, October 28 at 6:00pm - 9:00pm ET

OPBA’s Public Procurement Learning Lab (PPLL) has transformed our education, now delivered via Brightspace, to be more interactive, builds confidence for learners with opportunities to check your knowledge as you progress, and offers flexibility with a self-paced structure. In addition to the Principles Program courses, we now have our Public Procurement Specialty (PPS) course, RFPs – A Step by Step Guide for Public Procurement Professionals, delivered through Brightspace. This four (4) week course takes learners through the in’s and out’s of creating a successful Request for Proposal, examining the elements of the RFP process, policies and procedures, RFP templates and methodologies and more.

View the full OPBA learning calendar, delivered by PPLL 

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.

www.opba.ca | Media Kit | Archive
 
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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