Atlantic Public Procurement Power Session

Achieving Excellence: The AEP Award Journey and Its Lasting Impact

What does it take to earn the AEP Award, and why does it matter? In this session, Stephen Terry of Halifax Regional Municipality, a first-time AEP Award recipient organization, and François Émond, a member of the evaluation team, will share their experience with the award process, from preparation to recognition. Participants will gain insight into the challenges encountered, the commitment required, and the organizational benefits achieved along the way. Beyond the award itself, presenters will discuss the lasting improvements, enhanced credibility, and professional recognition that continue to shape their organizations long after receiving the distinction. Whether you are considering applying or simply curious about the program, this session will provide practical advice and inspiration for your own journey toward excellence.

Stephen Terry
Director of Procurement, Halifax Regional Municipality

François Émond
Executive Director, Canadian Public Procurement Council (CPPC)

Understanding CCDC: An introduction for public procurement officials

The Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) develops industry standard contracts and procurement documents used across the construction sector. Learn about the consensus-based process behind CCDC that ensures buy-in from all sectors of the industry and how the lessons learned can apply to all forms of public procurement, not just construction.

Geza Banfai
Counsel, McMillan, LLP and CCDC Committee member

From Open Market to Only Option: Driving Competition and Audit-Proofing Sole-Source Decisions

Public procurement teams face a persistent tension: maximizing open-market competition while managing justifiable non-competitive exceptions under strict governance. This session delivers a practical, two-part roadmap for navigating both ends of the procurement spectrum. First, examine how to structure solicitations that vendors actually want to bid on—from drafting commercially balanced terms and outcome-based specifications to mitigating risk-allocation clauses that suppress market interest. Then, shift directly into the high-risk reality of sole-sourcing: how to rigorously assess market conditions, satisfy trade agreement thresholds, and build an airtight, audit-ready justification file when open competition is genuinely not an option. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to drive robust market response when they can, and defend direct awards when they must.

Rosslyn Young
Lawyer & Public Procurement Director, Edilex

Navigating competition issues in procurement: from pro-competitive approaches to procurement to preventing, detecting and reporting collusion

Canada’s procurement environment is evolving in response to changing economic conditions, shifting supply chains, and growing interest in building resilient domestic capacity. As governments and businesses adapt to new realities, procurement professionals and suppliers are increasingly being called upon to balance value, fairness, competition, and strategic objectives.

Join experts from the Competition Bureau Canada to discuss how competition intersects with public procurement, from the policy decisions about how to approach procurement to mitigating the risk of collusion in specific procurement processes.

What you’ll learn about:

• The role of competition in achieving value, innovation, and resilient supply chains
• The Competition Bureau’s role and mandate
• How to prevent and detect collusion in public procurement
• The Bureau’s reporting mechanisms
• Practical tools and guidance available from the Bureau

Majid Charania
Director of Compliance and Outreach, Competition Bureau Canada