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OPBA 2026 Annual General Meeting

📅 Thursday, June 25, 2026

🕐 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET

💻 Virtual Event

Registration closes Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Eligible for 1.00 contact hour | OPBA Members Only | Free Registration

All OPBA Individual members and Individuals within a group membership in good standing are encouraged to attend to vote in the Board of Directors election, participate in association business, and hear updates on OPBA initiatives and priorities for the coming year.

Special 30-Minute Feature

AI in Procurement: Contracts, Vendors & Risk in a Changing Landscape

Presented by Info-Tech Research Group

Get a preview of an upcoming OPBA Annual Conference pre-conference workshop exploring how AI is reshaping contracts, vendor relationships, and risk in public procurement.

👉 Register for the AGM

NCPP Tracking Project Coming to Canada

The National Cooperative Procurement Partners (NCPP) is launching its Tracking Project in Canada, an initiative designed to better understand the true costs associated with conducting public procurement bids and tenders in Canadian organizations.

The project will collect data from participating procurement teams to help identify the time and resources involved throughout the procurement process — from procurement staff and subject matter experts to legal review and contract award activities.

NCPP is encouraging as many public sector entities as possible to participate. Participating organizations will receive a report outlining their own bid costs compared to national averages, while contributing to broader benchmarking insights for the Canadian procurement community.

Additional information, FAQs, and the submission form are available on the dedicated Canada project webpage.

👉 Learn more about the NCPP Canada Tracking Project

Judy Wilson Emerging Leader Award | Nominations Closing Soon

Nomination Deadline | Friday May 22, 2026

The Ontario Public Buyers Association (OPBA), in partnership with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes), is proud to present the Judy Wilson Emerging Leader Award, now in its third year.

This award recognizes emerging leaders who are making a meaningful impact in public procurement through leadership, innovation, and service to their organizations and communities.

If you know an emerging leader deserving of recognition, we encourage you to submit a nomination before the deadline.

👉 Click here to learn more and submit a nomination

Leadership Day 2026 Recap

On April 28, OPBA hosted Leadership Day 2026 in Mississauga, bringing together a group of senior public procurement leaders for a focused, in-person learning experience.

The session, Performance Management & Difficult Conversations, was facilitated by Nicole North (Whiteboard Learning) and explored practical approaches to navigating some of the most common leadership challenges — from providing feedback to managing team dynamics.

While intentionally designed as a small-group session, the format supported meaningful discussion, peer learning, and real-world application. Participants shared positive feedback on both the relevance of the content and Nicole’s engaging, practical delivery.

Thank you to Best Buy Business, the exclusive sponsor partner for the event, for their support.

We’re exploring future Leadership Day sessions and additional leadership-focused opportunities. If you’re interested in attending, visit the Leadership Day page to join the notification list.

Community Beyond Procurement: Working Together Works

Recognition: Umesh Kalia

Public procurement is often associated with policies, contracts, negotiations, and governance. While those responsibilities are an important part of my professional life, community service has always been equally important to me on a personal level.

Community Beyond Procurement

Public procurement professionals bring a wide range of talents, interests, and passions to their work and beyond it.

OPBA is introducing a short Member Spotlight feature called “Community Beyond Procurement.” This quick feature highlights what our members are involved in outside of their professional roles.

Do you volunteer in your community? Run marathons? Play music? Coach youth sports? Garden, paint, or pursue another passion?

We invite members to share a short spotlight about what they enjoy outside of procurement, up to 100 words. Your story may be featured in an upcoming issue of Caveat Emptor.

👉 Interested in being featured?

Send your spotlight submission to: Wendy Gan, wendy@opba.ca.

Let’s celebrate the people behind the profession.

NIGP Foundations Courses | OPBA Pilot Program

Earlier this month, OPBA launched its pilot delivery of the NIGP Foundations courses to help address access barriers some members have experienced and to expand participation in core professional development opportunities.

The first two courses, Foundations of Strategy and Policy and Foundations of Planning and Analysis, have now been completed. Thank you to all participants who took part in the pilot program.

One course remains:

Foundations of Sourcing and Contracting

May 27–29 | 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET

Last chance to register. Registration closes end of day May 21.

This course provides foundational tools to support sourcing decisions and effective contracting practices in public procurement.

Designed primarily for early-career public procurement professionals (generally those new to the profession up to five years of experience), the Foundations courses support professional development and career growth through practical, applied learning.

Participants who complete individual courses earn a certificate that can be applied toward the NIGP-CPP designation. Those who complete all three courses may earn the Public Procurement Associate Designation.

Note: Registration fees are offered at a special rate as part of this OPBA pilot program.

👉 Visit the OPBA website to review learning objectives, pricing, and registration details

Questions? Contact members@opba.ca

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.

Principles - Competitive Bidding (Virtual - PPLL)

Course Date: June 1-30, 2026

Mandatory Live Zoom Session: Thursday, June 25 at 6:00pm - 9:00pm ET

Registration Deadline is Monday, May 25, 2026

This course gives a detailed examination of the tendering & request for proposal processes. It includes concepts, issues and the resolution of issues relating to preparing and issuing the procurement documents as well as the ultimate receiving, opening and checking of bids. Participants will be given an overview of the various components comprising tenders and request for proposals documents and the differences of each.

Principles - Procurement and the Law (Virtual - PPLL)

Course Dates: June 1 - 30, 2026

Mandatory Live Zoom Session: Monday, June 29 at 12:00pm - 3:00pm ET

Registration Deadline is Monday, May 25, 2026

In this course the mysteries of the law and the relationship of the procurement agent to it are unraveled in a concise and easy to understand format. Candidates are given an overview of the issues and responsibilities related to entering into a legal contract as well as determining what comprises a contract. Other topics discussed are the Law of Agency, Contract Law, Laws of Competitive Bidding, comments on various Acts, bonding and alternatives to bonding.

Pro-D Webinars

Practical learning for public procurement professionals

Coffee with Counsel: Ontario Bill 194 in Practice: What Public Sector Buyers Must Do Now on Cybersecurity, Privacy and AI

Tuesday, June 09, 2026

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET (90 minutes - Virtual Event)

Registration closes June 08, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Bill 194 is reshaping expectations around cybersecurity, privacy, and AI in Ontario’s public sector—bringing new considerations for procurement professionals.

Join Lise Patry (LXM Law LLP) for a practical discussion on what this means for your day-to-day procurement work. This session will highlight key impacts of the legislation and outline actionable steps to strengthen due diligence, contract terms, and vendor risk management.

OPBA Ignite: Navigating the OECM Indigenous Marketplace

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET (Virtual Event)

Registration closes on June 22, 2026 at 12 PM ET

OECM’s Indigenous Marketplace reflects our commitment to social procurement and economic reconciliation, in alignment with TRC Call to Action 92. Through this initiative, 40+ qualified Indigenous suppliers have been vetted to help municipalities advance their Indigenous engagement journey in a practical and compliant way.

Peer connection and discussion for public procurement professionals

Procurement Specialists Meeting

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET | Virtual Event

Registration closes: May 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Free OPBA member exclusive opportunity

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.

People Leaders Meeting

Friday, June 19, 2026 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET | Virtual Event

Registration closes: June 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Free OPBA member exclusive opportunity

Join us for a unique and inclusive gathering of procurement peers where the spirit of collaboration takes center stage! Our People Leader’s Meetings are a welcoming space for management/leadership-level procurement professionals who lead others within their organization, regardless of their title.

Our goal is to cultivate a culture of open dialogue, curiosity, and inclusivity among peers in a safe environment. People Leaders are welcome to share their perspectives and engage in a free-flowing exchange of ideas, problem solving and sharing. This is an opportunity to learn from one another, broaden perspectives, and strengthen the bond within our network of procurement professionals.

👉 View the full OPBA learning calendar, delivered by PPLL 

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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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