Indigenous Procurement Protocol
The City of Saskatoon is committed to meeting the needs of our stakeholders through open, fair, and transparent procurement processes. We provide equal access to all qualified suppliers and maintain public trust through our procurement principles.
The City is committed to working with Indigenous people, communities and businesses throughout Saskatchewan to promote the procurement of goods and services from Indigenous individuals and businesses.
The City's Indigenous Procurement Protocol and Specification provides guidelines and sets out the roles and responsibilities to support Indigenous Procurement. This protocol should be read in conjunction with the City’s Purchasing Policy. Defined terms used in this protocol have the meaning assigned in the Policy.
For the City of Saskatoon, a Diverse Supplier means any business or enterprise that is more than 50% owned, managed and controlled by persons belonging to a group that experiences discrimination or barriers to equal opportunity including women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, new immigrants, LGBTQ2S+ people, visible minorities, and other groups the City identifies as historically under-represented.
Additional Information on doing business with the City of Saskatoon
City of Saskatoon Procurement 101 - In November 2021, the Saskatchewan Indigenous Economic Development Network (SIEDN) and the Saskatchewan Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) hosted Scott Eaton, the City's Director of Supply Chain Management, for Procurement 101: Doing Business With the City of Saskatoon - a webinar discussion about the City's procurement process and how Indigenous suppliers can access those opportunities.
Background: Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Call to Action #92
Background
In 2015, the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its report with 94 recommendations. The TRC engaged Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation. The report released in 2015 made a ‘Call to Action’ to specific audiences.
Truth & Reconciliation Commission: Call to Action #92
Business and Reconciliation
We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources. This would include, but not be limited to, the following:
i. Commit to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development projects.
ii. Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.
iii. Provide education for management and staff on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.
General Principles
The City will procure Goods and Services, and promote and participate in viable Procurement opportunities with Indigenous Suppliers. Divisions should consider the role of Indigenous Suppliers within Saskatchewan when conducting Procurement activities.
It is intended that, where appropriate, the use of Indigenous Participation evaluation criteria will reward vendors for actions that add social value, and encourage vendors to look for new ways to increase their social value to improve their ability to compete for future procurement opportunities that may include Indigenous participation evaluation criteria. The principles are intended to:
- Support positive outcomes through thoughtful planning, consultation and an understanding of cultural and community practices
- Encourage innovation in procurement, recognizing that every procurement is unique
- Invest more time and involve Indigenous communities in planning, where appropriate, to benefit program and service-delivery outcomes
- Be a living document whose real value lies in the ongoing consultation and communication with the Indigenous communities and positive economic outcomes
The principles operate within the established procurement policy and applicable Trade Treaties.