CIPMM REGIONAL WORKSHOP SPEAKERS BIOS

Opening Keynote: Procurement Modernization
Vincent Robitaille PMP CFA MBA, Director General, Procurement Modernization Integration Team, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat & Public Services and Procurement Canada

Since 2017, Vincent Robitaille is Director General of the Government of Canada Procurement Modernization Integration Team. He leads a team that coordinate concrete and ambitious initiatives to expedite and streamline simple procurement, focus on results and business acumen in complex procurement and bolster a community of procurement professionals that procures more than $18B of goods and services annually on behalf of Canadians. From 2015 to 2017, he held the position of Executive Director - Central Agencies, Parliamentary Operations and Crown Corporations Directorate at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. In this capacity, he led a team that provided advise to Treasury Board Ministers on Crown Corporations, Shared Services Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency and Central Agencies. From 2010 to 2015, he held executive positions at Public Services and Procurement Canada, notably serving as Director General, Commercial and Alternative Acquisitions Management Sector. He provided leadership for the acquisition of a wide range of goods and services with value exceeding $15B ranging from vaccines to the construction of the new Champlain Bridge in Montreal. He previously held positions at the Public Health Agency of Canada and Global Affairs Canada. Mr. Robitaille is President of the Canadian Institute for Procurement and Materiel Management, a non-profit organization dedicated to advance and promote professionalism and effectiveness in the fields of procurement and materiel management. Mr. Robitaille holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, a Project Management Professional (PMP) designation and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Ottawa.

Session # 1 - The Big Deal about Small Business
Tara Hartley, Regional Director, Pacific Region, Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Tara Hartley is the Regional Director for the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises at Public Services and Procurement Canada in Pacific Region. She has over 25 years of experience in the federal public service.
She and her team help businesses understand how to do business with the Government of Canada. They also work with their procurement colleagues to promote fair, open access to procurement opportunities.

Tara is passionate about her work, and has had the opportunity to work with the UK government and on projects with public procurement professionals from around the world. Tara holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor's degree in German, and is also a professional storyteller.

Session # 2 - Assets Management and SAP - Closing the Gap and Meeting your Reporting Requirements
Blair Hurd, Assets Manager, Materiel and Assets Management Division, Health Canada

Blair Hurd is Assets Manager, Materiel and Assets Management Division, Health Canada and has over 15 years experience in the Materials Management field. Blair started his career at Industry Canada in 1998 in the warehouse at the Communications Research Centre and has gained his experience in the field of procurement and assets management over the years. Blair has worked in various modules in SAP, such as the Materials Management Module, the Plant Maintenance Module and the Assets Accounting Module of SAP and is a strong promoter of the systems capabilities.

Session # 3 - Social Procurement: Maximising your Community Impact from Existing Purchasing
David LePage, Managing Partner of Buy Social Canada

David LePage is the Managing Partner of Buy Social Canada, a partner in the Social Enterprise Institute and Principal with Accelerating Social Impact CCC, Ltd. (ASI). David provides direct support and strategic advice to blended value businesses, social enterprises and social finance developments. He is involved in multiple public policy initiatives and research projects to support the social enterprise ecosystem across Canada. David is also Founding Member and Chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada; Chair of the Board of Directors of the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF).

Session # 4 - Tips and Tricks for Completing your CARS
Derek Bizewski, A/Senior Advisor, Acquired Services and Assets Sector, Office of the Comptroller General, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The Acquired Services Assets Sector (ASAS) Communities Management Office welcomed Derek to the team in late 2016. With over ten years’ experience drafting asset management plans, writing policy, handling seized, abandoned and forfeited property, and managing supply chains at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Derek is a materiel management master. He devotes his time to finding ways to support the materiel management community. Derek is a professional Hockey Dad and coach and spends his spare time at hockey rinks.

Session # 5 - The Supplier is in the Room! Using Commercially Confidential/ Collaborative meetings to Inform your Procurement Process: a Practitioner's Perspective
Steve Johnston, Managing Director, RFP Solutions Inc.

Steve Johnston is the Managing Director of RFP Solutions Inc., specializing in providing procurement and fairness support to all levels of the public sector in Canada. Steve is a Fairness Specialist for Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Fairness Monitoring Program. Prior to joining RFP solutions in 2010, Steve enjoyed a career in the Federal Public Service for more than 35 years. Steve has over 30 years of experience in public sector procurement. In the last 5 years alone, he has provided Fairness Monitor and Advisory services to over 50 high profile public procurement projects, including a variety of infrastructure, capital equipment, complex services and solutions’ acquisitions, across a variety of sectors; collectively valued at over $12 Billion. Steve is the former Corporate Secretary for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (now Indigenous and Northern Affairs). As a member of the department’s Senior Executive Committee, he was responsible for providing executive support and planning to the Minister’s and Deputy Minister’s offices, as well as for the corporate management of the department’s Access to Information and Privacy and Indian and Inuit Art Centre programs. Steve established the department’s Centre for Integrity, Values and Conflict Resolution and served as Senior Integrity Officer. In this role, Steve was the Departmental liaison to the Procurement Ombudsman on fairness, and was also responsible for conducting investigations and reviews into procurement and fairness issues. Prior to his appointment as Corporate Secretary, Steve served as INAC’s Director of Administrative Services for nine years where he was responsible for a wide range of support services, including the management of the department’s $250 million plus annual procurement program and management of departmental assets and property. During this time, Steve was a very active member of the federal procurement and real property communities, serving on various interdepartmental fora. He was a member of CIPMM’s Board of Directors for many years and served both as President for three (3) terms and as past president. He was also a founding member of the Real Property Institute of Canada. In 2012, Steve received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to the Federal Public Service.

Session # 6 - Innovation in Materiel Management and Disposal
Julie Balantes, Manager, GCSurplus Sales Centre - Pacific Region, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Julie Balantes is acting manager at GCSurplus and has 25-years of experience managing programs from a variety of federal government departments that provide direct service to the public. Julie has spent the last 8-years working in the area of the disposals of government assets and seized, abandoned & forfeited goods. Julie is a part of the associated faculty with the Canada School of Public Service and delivers the curriculum for the Procurement, Materiel Management, and Real Property. She is also a facilitator with the Joint Learning Program and delivers workshops in the areas of Labour-Management Consultation and Mental Health in the Workplace.

Session # 7 - Federal Contracting Fraud Tip Line
David Naus, A/Director, Anti-Fraud, Detection and Prevention, Integrity and Forensic Accounting Management Group, Public Services and Procurement Canada.

David currently is responsible for enhancing Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) efforts to detect and prevent fraud within departmental activities, including administering the Federal Contracting Fraud Tipline. In 2014, David joined PSPC within the DepartmentalOversight Branch, working on the development, implementation and administration of the Government of Canada’s Integrity Regime. Prior to joining PSPC, David held various positions within Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) in areas related to student financial assistance, labour market development, federal/provincial/territorial relations, strategic policy and employment programs. In addition to his 14 years with ESDC, David also spent considerable time within the Comptrollership Branch at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Session # 8 - Build in Canada Innovation Program
Chris Scharapenko, Manager – Innovation Management, Build in Canada Innovation Program, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Chris Scharapenko is a Manager for the Build in Canada Innovation Program which is situated within the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises and Strategic Engagement. The program supports Canadian companies with innovative, pre-commercial goods and services in getting their innovations from the laboratory to the marketplace through a competitive procurement process. In this role, Mr. Scharapenko manages the team within the program that facilities matching innovations with Federal Government departments, along with managing the testing of the innovations after a contract is awarded. His role involves engaging extensively with the programs strategic partners and stakeholders in both the public and private stakeholders. Previously, Chris worked at Industry Canada as a Policy Analyst with the Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications Sector, where he did research and provided policy advice in the areas of Information and Communications Technologies. Prior to that he worked in the Science and Innovation Sector, providing advice in the areas of science, technology and innovation. Mr. Scharapenko holds a Masters in International Economics and Finance from Ryerson University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Carleton University.