About OPBA    Membership    IndustryNews    Conferences & Events    Contact Us

From all of us at OPBA, we wish you a joyful holiday season filled with relaxation, celebration, and time with loved ones.

Please note: Our office will be closed from December 24, 2025, to January 1, 2026.

 
Warm holiday wishes,

The OPBA Board of Directors and Staff

🎉 Caveat Emptor Trivia Contest Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our annual Caveat Emptor Trivia Contest! We had a great response, and it was wonderful to see members diving back into past issues and putting their knowledge to the test.

We’re excited to announce that the winner of the $50 gift card is:

✨ Victoria D’Astice from the Regional Municipality of Halton ✨

Congratulations, Victoria! And thank you to all who joined in. We look forward to bringing this fun tradition back in next year’s edition of Caveat Emptor.

Intact Public Entities: When AI Goes to Court: Real-World Risks and Takeaways

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more common in public sector work, but recent legal cases show why human oversight is essential. This brief case study highlights two real-world examples where AI influenced decision-making—one appropriately, one improperly—and the lessons they offer for public agencies using AI tools.

Read the full case study

Intact Public Entities: Risk Management Considerations for AI Implementation 

Across the public sector, procurement and municipal teams are increasingly exploring Artificial Intelligence to improve service delivery, streamline workflows, and support better decision-making. But with AI adoption comes a need for thoughtful risk assessment and clear governance. The article below outlines key considerations for municipalities—from data privacy and transparency to vendor selection and regulatory compliance—helping public procurement professionals understand both the opportunities and the responsibilities that come with AI integration. 

Read the full article

FEATURE SPOTLIGHT

OECM Launches 3rd Generation EUC Agreement

OECM, Ontario’s trusted partner in collaborative strategic sourcing, proudly announces the launch of its third-generation End-User Computing (EUC) Products and Related Services Agreement. Since its initial introduction in 2012, the EUC Agreement has been instrumental in supporting Ontario’s Education, Municipal, and Broader Public Sector (BPS) customers.

Discover the benefits of the new EUC Agreement today at bit.ly/4hE6M9T

Contact Us
For more information, please contact OECM's dedicated Customer Support team via email at customersupport@oecm.ca.

Follow us on LinkedIn to stay updated on the latest OECM news and agreements.

Call for Speakers – OPBA 68th Annual Conference and Tradeshow
September 23–25, 2026 | London, ON

OPBA is now accepting proposals for speakers for our 68th Annual Conference and Tradeshow. This year’s theme, “Procuring for Tomorrow: Are You Ready for It?”, highlights future-focused readiness, AI-driven innovation, and the agility needed in an evolving public procurement landscape.

We invite public procurement professionals, suppliers, consultants, and sector stakeholders to share insights, best practices, and forward-thinking ideas that support professional growth and advance the field. Whether your session is geared to emerging professionals or experienced practitioners, your expertise can help inspire and equip the 230+ attendees expected to join us.
Submit your proposal today!

Download the Call for Speakers document for full details.

📢 Spotlight: City of Vaughan Wins 2025 Procurement Award

We’re pleased to share that the City of Vaughan’s Procurement Services team has once again been recognized for excellence — earning the 2025 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Procurement Institute. 

This marks the eighth year in a row that the City has received this distinguished honour, recognizing their dedication to integrity, innovation, transparency, and delivering maximum value to taxpayers. 
Dive into the full story to learn more about the award criteria, the team’s achievements, and why this recognition matters for public procurement.

Coming Soon: OPBA Public Procurement Benchmarking Survey

OPBA is launching the Public Procurement Benchmarking Survey, a new initiative to gather sector-wide data that will help strengthen procurement practices across our community. This survey will collect comparative information on staffing models, responsibilities, approval thresholds, RFx processes, technology use, and performance metrics.

Why this matters:

Members regularly ask for comparative data to support policy development, process improvements, and staffing decisions. By participating, you’ll help create a credible, centralized benchmarking resource that reflects real practice across municipalities, broader public sector agencies, education, healthcare, transit, public safety, and more.

What you’ll get:

Results will be published in the OPBA Public Procurement Benchmarking Report—free for OPBA members. The report will provide actionable insights you can use to:

•    Support staffing and resourcing discussions
•    Strengthen procurement policies and procedures
•    Benchmark performance metrics and timelines
•    Inform modernization and strategic planning

Your participation is essential.

When the survey opens, we encourage all member agencies to contribute. The broader the participation, the stronger and more meaningful the insights will be.

More details will follow—thank you for helping build a shared benchmarking resource that benefits our entire sector.

OPBA at Canoe Procurement’s “Room to Grow” Supplier Event

Todd Pugh, Victoria Mirlocca, Christine Heggart, and Tyler Hannemann (Canoe Procurement)

Victoria Mirlocca, Chair of the Ontario Public Buyers Association, and Rozalyn Werner-Arcé, OPBA’s Executive Director, were pleased to attend Canoe Procurement’s Room to Grow supplier event—an educational and networking forum for suppliers holding Sourcewell contracts.

 Victoria participated in a panel discussion on the impact of tariffs and the Buy Canadian policy, alongside Todd Pugh, Executive Director of CivicInfo BC, and Christine Heggart, former Director of Planning and Emergency Services for Clearwater County, Alberta. 

This event provided an excellent opportunity to educate suppliers on the challenges faced by the public sector in navigating tariffs, while hearing firsthand about the challenges suppliers encounter. These conversations help OPBA explore how we can serve as a bridge between suppliers and public procurement professionals, fostering stronger collaboration and mutual understanding.

It’s hard to believe another year is coming to a close. We’re so grateful for your dedication and contributions to the OPBA community. We are stronger together, and as OPBA grows, that rings truer every year

New Members

OPBA warmly welcomes the following new members: 

OPBA warmly welcomes the following new associates: 

Susithra Venkatesh
Mounir Sleiman
Dev Ramchandani, Conestoga College

Beat the Rush—Register for January & February Courses Today

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.

Principles – PPLL Introduction to Public Procurement
Course Dates: January 1 - January 31, 2026
Mandatory Live Zoom Session: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | 5:30pm - 8:00pm ET
Registration Deadline: December 19, 2025
 
PPS – Zoom Advanced Procurement for Construction
Course Dates: January 27 - 28, 2026
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET
Registration closes Tuesday, January 20, 2026
 
Principles – PPLL Procurement and the Law
Course Dates: February 1 – 28, 2026
Mandatory Live Zoom Session: Thursday, February 26 | 5:30pm - 9:00pm ET
Registration Deadline: January 23, 2026
 
PPS – Zoom RFPs - A Step by Step Guide for Public Procurement Professionals
Course Dates: February 10 + 11, 2026
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET
Registration closes Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Job Opportunities

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.

brought to you by MediaEdge Digital | http://www.mediaedge.ca

MediaEdge Communications, 251 Consumers Road Suite 1020, Toronto, Ontario M2J 4R3, Canada

Click here to unsubscribe.