The Town of Carleton Place is proposing changes to its procurement policy that would modernize purchasing practices, strengthen oversight and align municipal procedures with Ontario’s Buy Ontario legislation.
Treasurer Trisa McConkey presented the proposed revisions to committee of the whole on June 23 as part of the town’s regular review of its procurement practices.
“This update, again, it’s just best practice to review your procurement practices every so often,” McConkey told committee members. “We’ve had staffing changes, so we needed to update for that. And then also the government passed the Buy Ontario Act, which is applicable to all municipalities in Ontario.”
The revised policy expands definitions, clarifies the roles of council, department heads, the CAO and treasurer, and introduces stronger requirements for vendor performance, contract management and procurement documentation. It also incorporates Buy Ontario compliance measures and a checklist for higher-value procurements.
Among the most significant changes is an increase in the threshold requiring an open competitive procurement process. The threshold would rise from $100,000 to $139,000, aligning the town’s policy with provincial trade treaty requirements and the Buy Ontario Act.
Coun. Dena Comley supported many of the changes but raised concerns about several provisions. She suggested the policy include a deadline for procurement protests.
“I’d be concerned that it [procurement protest] could hold up an infrastructure project if it came back months after it was already awarded,” Comley said.
McConkey agreed a two-week protest deadline should be added.
Comley also questioned why non-competitive procurements would no longer return to council for approval.
McConkey said non-competitive procurements above $139,000 would be permitted only under limited circumstances, such as when no compliant bids are received or no vendors respond to a procurement call, and noted those purchases would already have been approved through the budget process.
Comley’s final concern involved delegated authority reporting requirements. Under the draft policy, reporting to council would generally be required for procurements of $139,000 or more, compared with the current $20,000 threshold.
“Those reports, the delegated authority reports, I like reading them. I enjoy going through it all, because you find that we did really well on a contract, then we come out with some money on top, so that’s exciting,” said Deputy Mayor Andrew Tennant. “But moreover, it helps a councillor understand the day-to-day business, and I think that’s really it’s nothing to do with oversight. It’s just about being familiar with what’s going on day-to-day, and I think that’s important. So, I think the suggestion of $50,000 is probably a pretty good placeholder.”
Committee members appeared supportive of the revisions. Staff will incorporate the suggested changes before the updated policy goes to council for approval.
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