While many businesses might want to supply their products to the Government of Saskatchewan, before they can start they need to get the vital connections and information to actually accomplish that goal.
The Corporate Procurement Committee of Saskatchewan recently hosted a Supplier Open House in Yorkton to make those connections.
Participants from the Ministry of Central Services, the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, SaskEnergy, SGI, SaskTel and SaskGaming were at the event, as well as many local businesses looking for an opportunity to talk to those ministries. It is one of four events hosted in the province annually.
Scott Summach with the Ministry of the Economy says that the point of the committee is to ensure that local suppliers are on the map of the different agencies. While it has to be an open bidding process, it's still important to be aware of the local suppliers and discuss the needs and products of crowns and local businesses. Summach says it's important to get businesses and crown corporations face to face, so that they can meet, in an atmosphere that is not as intimidating as something like a cold call.
While each department has different numbers, Summach notes that a corporation like SaskPower is on target to hit a billion dollars in procurement annually, with the majority of that money going to Saskatchewan businesses. That money represents opportunities large and small for businesses in the province, whether it's major equipment or something such as embroidery for corporate shirts.
One of the important parts of the event is teaching businesses how to work with the province's crowns, Summach notes. Getting registered with the website where the tenders are posted, for example, in order to put their hat in the ring for the different opportunities that working with crowns represent.
"You're opening a door of a window of opportunity. I would dare say that if there's 20 here today, probably half have never supplied to any of them, so they're learning how to do business with them. So they're learning how to get registered as a product, to get the tenders that are out there... You've either got a big opportunity or a smaller, localized opportunity," Summach concludes.
