Feds say they’ll simplify procurement to get more contracts to small businesses

TORONTO — Ottawa is promising to simplify procurement processes to make it easier for small- and medium-sized businesses to land federal contracts.

Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound is in Toronto today to announce plans to fix the clunky mechanisms that have made it difficult for small businesses to win federal work.

The government says, starting this summer, Public Services and Procurement Canada will be redesigning contracts with small businesses in mind by making sure that requirements are proportional to the work being done.

The department says by the end of the year, it will try to put more of its tenders into plain language for applicants and find other ways to reduce the administrative burden on prospective vendors.