Program is subject to change without notice.
Pre-Forum Seminar | |
08:30 – 16:00 | Procurement Contracting Essentials: From Formation to Risk ManagementLise Patry, Partner – LXM LAWProcurement professionals regularly finalize contracts that create binding legal obligations and long-term operational risk—often without the benefit of formal legal training. This one-day workshop provides a practical, plain-language overview of procurement contracting fundamentals, with a focus on how contracts are formed, structured, amended, and typically managed in a public sector context. Participants will gain a working understanding of the legal principles that underpin procurement contracts, including what is required for a procurement contract to be legally binding, how procurement documents interact with final agreements, and common pitfalls that arise in day-to-day procurement activities. The workshop will examine the typical structure of a procurement contract and key contract provisions—such as indemnities, insurance, limitation of liability, intellectual property ownership —so participants can better understand their purpose and risk implications. Through real world examples and interactive discussion, the session will emphasize how procurement contracts function as risk-allocation and governance tools. This workshop is designed for procurement professionals who want to strengthen their contract literacy, improve risk awareness, and feel more confident navigating procurement contracts throughout the procurement lifecycle. Learning Outcomes: By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
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12:30 – 13:00 | Networking Lunch |
15:00 – 18:00 | CPPC Forum Registration Desk Opens |
Day 1 – CPPC Forum | |
08:00 – 17:00 | Registration Desk Hours |
08:00 – 08:30 | Continental Breakfast |
08:30 – 09:00 | Welcome Remarks & Opening Ceremony |
09:05 – 09:45 | Learning Groups |
09:45 – 10:45 | PLENARY Designing Procurement for Complexity: Lessons from Agile IT Procurement Models Lise Patry, Partner –LXM LAWAs public-sector organizations replace aging IT infrastructure, procurement professionals are increasingly tasked with designing procurements for complex IT and digital solutions. In these procurements, traditional single-stage RFPs are often ill-suited to address evolving requirements and fragmented vendor markets, which may require multiple contractual arrangements. This plenary examines how some procurement authorities have adapted their approaches through agile procurement models such as competitive dialogue, multi-phased RFx processes, vendor pre-engagement, and iterative bid refinement. Drawing on examples from Ontario, the federal government, and the MASH sector, the session explores how these approaches can be used to better align procurement outcomes, risk allocation, and governance in high-stakes IT procurements. |
10:45 – 11:00 | Refreshment Break |
11:05 – 12:05 | Concurrent Sessions |
Session 1 | When it comes to bid-rigging, better safe than sorry: learn how to protect the integrity of your procurement processes Majid Charania, Director of Compliance and Outreach- Competition Bureau Public procurement can be at risk for bid-rigging, especially in a rapidly changing economic and policy environment. Market pressures can push suppliers to engage in risky behaviour to try to make an extra buck. In light of the federal government’s push to deploy taxpayer funds rapidly in areas such as housing and defence, there has never been a better time to learn how to prevent, detect and report bid rigging in your procurement processes. In addition to learning valuable content, participants will engage in an interactive demonstration of the Competition Bureau’s web-based Collusion Risk Assessment Tool that can help minimize the risk of bid-rigging. |
Session 2 | Agile Procurement in a Time of Rapid Change: Playbooks That Survive Audit Anjana Raman, Director, Program Management Michel Tourigny, AVP, Business Head Canada Infosys Public Services Public procurement is under pressure to deliver faster, smarter, and more resilient outcomes—without compromising compliance. This session explores how agile procurement methods can accelerate IT and digital projects while meeting trade agreement and audit requirements. Through real-world examples and interactive exercises, participants will learn how to design multi-stage RFPs, modular contracts, and collaborative vendor engagement strategies that balance speed with transparency and fairness. |
12:05 – 13:05 | Lunch |
13:10 – 14:10 | PLENARY Winning the Next Generation: Leading Through the Silver Tsunami SOVRA Retirements, vacancies, and skills gaps are the #1 constraint across Canadian procurement. This session will discuss stabilizing service levels today while building a workforce for tomorrow. Learn how to attract and retain the next generation, especially Gen Z, by blending purpose, flexibility, and technology. We’ll explore techniques, technology, and coaching that make procurement roles faster to learn, easier to love, and harder to leave. |
14:15 – 15:15 | Concurrent Sessions |
Session 3 | Supplier Engagement in Action: Building Resilient, Sustainable Supply Chains Anick Cormier, Director of Procurement Policy and Outreach, Service New Brunswick Tim Reeve, Sustainable Procurement Advisor, Reeve Consulting Collaborating with suppliers is critical to building resilient supply chains that deliver measurable impact. Hear from Anick Cormier, Director of Procurement Policy and Outreach (Service New Brunswick), and Tim Reeve, Sustainable Procurement Advisor (Reeve Consulting), on how strategic engagement strengthens sustainability and inclusion while reducing compliance risk and driving innovation. Gain insights into readiness tools, structured storytelling frameworks, and prioritization strategies for supplier engagement that support the four pillars of sustainability—Environmental, Social, Indigenous, and Ethical. |
Session 4 | Agent IA (This session will be in French. More details to come) |
15:15 – 15:30 | Refreshment Break |
15:35 – 16:35 | Concurrent Sessions |
Session 5 | Indigenous Procurement (More details to come) |
Session 6 | CPPO/CPPB Certification Trivia Showdown: Are You Exam‑Ready? Considering CPPO or CPPB certification? Feeling ready to test—or just curious about the questions you’ll face? Join us for an overview of the Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) and Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) certifications from the UPPCC, including eligibility, exam format, and what to expect on exam day. Then put your knowledge to the test with a live, trivia‑style quiz featuring sample questions across key procurement domains and competencies. |
16:35 – 17:15 | Learning Groups |
Day 2 – CPPC Forum | |
08:00 – 17:00 | Registration Desk Hours |
08:00 – 08:30 | Continental Breakfast |
08:30 – 09:45 | KEYNOTE SPEAKER Anything Is Possible – Embrace Where You Live  James Mullinger Keynote Speaker, Author, Comedian A hugely inspiring, uplifting and hilarious motivational keynote speech from the award-winning British writer, speaker, comedian about celebrating where you live and how adjusting your perceptions will drastically improve the way we all live, work and play. James’ hilarious and profound insights into dealing with people and how you view the world will improve your life professionally as well as personally. James will teach your delegates how to apply his unique outlook to increase productivity, bring about balance, improve self-care and, above all, provide powerful resilience in the workplace, the home and in the world at large! |
09:45 – 10:00 | Refreshment Break |
10:05 – 11:05 | Concurrent Sessions |
Session 6 | Defence Construction Canada (More details to come) |
Session 7 | Bureau de la Concurrence (This session will be in French. More details to come) |
11:10 – 12:10 | Concurrent Sessions |
Session 8 | Building a Cohesive Team Travis Janzen, Manager, Procurement Services – WSIB This session will be interactive and highlight the importance of communication, building tighter bonds, and having fun with your teams. We will discuss and show how to build a highly motivated, well-connected teams through a variety of strategies. We will dive into some of the psychology and statistics surrounding team building. All of this to be linked back to how this has affected how we work together at WSIB and how some of our successes are easy to replicate at other organizations and can help build a well-connected team, improve staff morale, and improve the quality of work. |
Session 9 | AI Agent (More details to come) |
12:10 – 13:25 | Buffet Lunch & Award Ceremony |
13:30 – 14:30 | PLENARY Outcomes Procurement as a Force for Good: Using Procurement to Reduce Demand on Government Services Barb Rallison, Shaun Loney and Aatif Baskanderi – Northpine Foundation What if procurement bought outcomes such as reductions in caseloads, people on income assistance, ER visits, nights in jail and police dispatches to decrease demand on government services? We’ll share how Mount Royal University, The Northpine Foundation and Calgary nonprofits engaged the Alberta government using procurement to reduce the number of people on Income Support at a price below the cost of status quo. This practical session shows how to unlock new resources to address stubborn social/health/public safety trends at no risk to the public service by working with philanthropy who uses their risk capital. |
14:30 – 14:45 | Refreshment Break |
14:50 – 15:50 | Concurrent Sessions |
Session 10 | AEP Award (More details to come) |
Session 11 | Atlantic Economic Council (More details to come) |
15:55 – 16:45 | Sectorial Open Discussions – Procurement Professionals Only An interactive session where participants connect and share common challenges within their sectors, municipal, provincial, federal, health, education, and crown corporations. |
18:30 – 21:30 | Social Event (included in registration) Dinner and Entertainment at Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market |
Day 3 – CPPC Forum | |
08:00 – 12:00 | Registration Desk Hours |
08:00 – 08:30 | Breakfast |
08:35 – 09:35 | PLENARY Gallant Commission Francois Emond, Executive Director, CPPC (More details to come) |
9:40 – 10:40 | PLENARY Collaborating Sector – Being a Collective Force for Good Nicole Fowler, Director, Strategic Procurement Services, Queen’s University Sandra Nelson, Executive Director, University Procurement, University of Toronto With our ever-changing landscape in public procurement, there is comfort in knowing you have peers to help you ‘weather the storm’. In Ontario, the university sector is a strong collaborative procurement group who have been diligent in working together to ensure our institutions are well positioned to handle changes and challenges in public procurement. This collaborative approach ensures our procurement resources are used as a collective force for good. |
10:45 – 10:55 | Refreshment Break |
11:00 – 12:00 | CLOSING PLENARY Lessons from the Trenches Procurement professionals with a story to tell Discover the untold stories behind some of the most unusual procurement projects, real-life cases that took unexpected turns, and acquisitions with mind-boggling logistics. This session is your exclusive chance to hear firsthand accounts from our members about their unique experiences, learn valuable lessons from projects that didn’t go as planned and gain insights into the complexities and challenges faced in the field. This is a rare opportunity to delve into the fascinating realities of procurement and logistics. Be inspired, informed, and ready to tackle your own challenges with newfound knowledge! |
12:05 – 12:15 | Closing Remarks |