Principles of Effective Public Procurement

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.

• Explain the Law of Agency and the duties of the three parties involved in an agency relationship\nDescribe the six essential elements to create a binding, valid contract\nGive a detailed description of when Contracts A and B are formed and their importance to Procurement Law\nDescribe the duty of full disclosure and the duty of fairness and good faith\nOutline the key provisions of several significant cases, major Acts and Trade Agreements affecting public procurement

This course examines the various issues with managing risk when procuring goods and services in the public sector. Candidates are given an overview of common risk issues, including those of ownership and copyright, the right to privacy, competitive bidding irregularities, occupational health and safety, environmental responsibilities and accountability in terms of personal and corporate liability.

• Define risk management\nDescribe eight major risk management issues of importance for public procurement professionals\nOutline three basic risk management techniques: avoiding, managing and transferring risk\nExplain the types of insurance and bonds a public agency will require or may request from a vendor\nDescribe the six components to corporate risk management\nBetter understand all of the roles involved in managing risk in your organization

4. Competitive Bidding (core) This session gives a detailed examination of the tendering and 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. Candidates will be given an overview of the various components comprising tenders and request for proposal documents and the differences of each.

Learning Objectives:

• Define competitive bidding and its basic elements\nDescribe the many procurement document formats and their use\nExplain a variety of bidder candidacy restrictions\nOutline the aspects associated with the development of a bid document\nExplain the purpose of pre-bid meetings; along with when to use them effectively and pitfalls to watch for\nOutline the alternatives to competitive bidding

This course builds on the foundations of the Competitive Bidding course and focuses more on complex competitive bid solicitations, including both RFTs and RFPs. Candidates will discuss evaluated bid submissions, how to develop evaluation criteria, work with evaluators and evaluation groups, explore different costing calculations, as well as the two-envelope approach for the receipt of both proposals and tenders.

Prerequisite:

Students must complete Competitive Bidding before registering for this course

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the phases associated with the RFP process\nDescribe the considerations involved in the evaluation, award and debrief of a bidding competition\nExplain the purpose and benefits of an evaluation team\nOutline the preferred approach to conducting a vendor debrief and practice for increased confidence\nDescribe the differences between protests and disputes and some considerations for handling each effectively

This course gives an overview of the cooperative procurement process in the public sector, describing the types, benefits, structure, legal considerations and challenges cooperative procurement 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.

• Define cooperative procurement\nDescribe a variety of methods and group procurement models associated with cooperative procurement\nOutline the benefits and challenges associated with cooperative procurement, along with ways to measure savings\nExplain several rules, statutes and treaties related to cooperative procurement\nDescribe the characteristics and traits of a successful cooperative\nOutline the business components of a cooperative group

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.:

• Explain how “improvement” projects carried out in the province of Ontario are subject to the Construction Act\nDescribe the type of contract method most commonly used for a construction project; including control, risk and cost considerations\nDescribe the types of pricing structures that can be used for a construction project\nOutline many of the important factors to consider when engaging a contractor

The Advanced Procurement for Construction course is for procurement professionals in the public sector who are called upon for their expertise in developing and administering large, sometimes complex procurements for construction.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain many of the pre-construction activities and activities that need to be addressed during a construction project: i.e., studies, assessments and surveys\nExplore a variety of sustainability considerations; including LEED\nIdentify the phases of a construction project\nDescribe the types of contract methods that can be used for a construction project; including control, risk and cost considerations\nExplain the roles and responsibilities the Prime Consultant and the Construction Manager and their relationships to the Owner

The Principles Certificate Exam Prep is an optional course is designed to get you ready for the final exam. The topics covered in the course are what will be on the exam.

By the end of this course, learners will:

• be informed of the exam format\nbe informed of the requirements to pass the exam\nhave an awareness of the required areas of study

Please note, the prep course does not count toward the exam eligibility requirements.