Kinetic GPO

03/21/2023

In honor of March being Procurement Month, we would like to spotlight Gerald (Jerry) Ford, CSCMP, CPSM, CMC, SCMP. Jerry is the Director of Supplier Development for Kinetic GPO

Jerry has worked in public procurement since 1981. During this time, he has been the Director of Purchasing for City of Cambridge, Ontario, and a buyer for the University of Waterloo.

Furthermore, Jerry is an Honorary Life Member of Supply Chain Canada. In fact, he was awarded the 2016 Volunteer of the Year Award by Supply Chain Management Association – Ontario. Additionally, Jerry has developed numerous purchasing related courses for Conestoga College. He has also recently written articles that have appeared in Supply Professional magazine.
Jerry is passionate about mentoring others. His ability to share what he has learned, has undoubtedly positively shaped the careers of countless procurement professionals across Canada.

He enjoys working with group purchasing as it allows supply chain professionals to free up their time to work on more strategic initiatives.

On behalf of the entire Kinetic GPO team, please join us in applauding the outstanding contributions Jerry Ford has made to the public sector procurement community over his career.

03/17/2023

Happy St. Patrick's Day from your friends at Kinetic GPO!

Check out our latest contract offerings at: www.KineticGPO.ca
We can help your entity maximize its resources.

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03/14/2023

In honor of March being Procurement Month, we would like to spotlight Carl Macdonald. Carl is the Director of Contracting and Compliance for Kinetic GPO. Anyone who has ever interacted with Carl knows just how much of a positive influence he is for procurement

In addition to his work with Kinetic GPO, Carl has served two separate two-year terms on the Supply Chain Canada, Saskatchewan Institute. Furthermore, Carl frequently advises other MASH sector entities on compliance, trade agreements, and contracting requirements. This includes continuing to work with one of Kinetic GPO’s top partners, Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association.

Previously, Carl has worked in purchasing for entities such as SaskGaming and SaskEnergy, amongst others.

On behalf of the Kinetic GPO team, please join us in applauding Carl's outstanding contributions to the public sector procurement community.

We also wanted to share Carl’s views on the power of Group Purchasing:

“Group purchasing is a huge competitive advantage for any organization. When a member chooses to procure something through one of our programs, it isn’t because they do not have the expertise to run a formal competition themselves. They choose our programs because they recognize that running the competition requires resources, time and money which could be better focused on major procurements key to their core business.”

03/13/2023

Infrastructure and facility maintenance projects are front and center for municipalities and local government entities. Tammy Rimes, wrote an excellent article for Government Procurement Magazine. This article focuses on the rising importance of infrastructure and maintenance planning.

Included is this quote from Chris Penny, CEO of Kinetic GPO, “Communities recognize that investing in infrastructure is one of the most powerful ways to transform society for the future. As needs increase, Canadian public sector entities are looking to group purchasing organizations to quickly address their infrastructure needs.”

Check out the entire article, at:

03/06/2023

March is procurement month! We at Kinetic GPO applaud you for all you do for the greater good.

Throughout the month, we will celebrate our contracting team and highlight industry processes that make us proud to be part of the procurement industry.

03/01/2023

New Contract Announcement! Cintas has been awarded a sole Kinetic GPO contract, RFSO 22-07, for Rental of Uniforms, Mats, Mops, Towels, and Other Related Products & Services. Contract has already been tendered on your behalf. Cintas is a single source provider for all of your workday needs including awarded solutions such as:

• Uniforms & Apparel
• Facility Services
• First Aid & Safety
• Rental Uniforms
• Flame Resistant Clothing
• Mat Services
• Sanitizing & Disinfecting Solutions
• Healthcare Apparel
• Washroom & Hygiene Solutions
• And More!

Contract is fully compliant with the International and Regional Trade Agreements, including the CETA, CFTA, Ontario Broader Public Sector ("BPS") Procurement Directive, Atlantic Trade Procurement Partnership (ATPP), and the NWPTA.

Discover the Cintas solutions available to your agency through Kinetic GPO here: https://www.kineticgpo.ca/kinetic-gpo-uniform-rentals-cintas.html

02/27/2023

Kinetic GPO would like to welcome Stéphanie Dion to our team! She will be serving as the National Director of Engagement. Stéphanie has over 18 years of public procurement experience, most recently as the Director of the Procurement Centre of Excellence for the Government of Manitoba. Previously she has also worked for entities such as Manitoba Hydro, City of Red Deer, and the Government of Yukon.

Stéphanie serves as the Chair of the National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP) Content Management Committee. She was the 2021 NIGP Buyer of the Year awardee. Furthermore, she is a co-founder of the RFPDreamTeam.

Stéphanie is a strong advocate for public procurement. She is an international public procurement trainer and speaker. Stéphanie has also been featured in numerous supply chain publications.

Stéphanie, and her family, live just south of Winnipeg in Lorette, Manitoba. She is bi-lingual, being born and raised in Québec, fluent in both English and French.

02/20/2023

Warm greetings on the occasion of Family Day to you. The Kinetic GPO offices will be closed on Monday, February 20th. We look forward to being able to connect with everyone starting on Tuesday, February 21st. Enjoy the day.

02/15/2023

📣 NEW CONTRACT ANNOUNCEMENT

Through Kinetic GPO, the competitively solicited group purchasing contract for Automotive and Fleet: Parts, Accessories, Related Products, and Services has been awarded to Kent Automotive.

Explore the new contract: https://www.kineticgpo.ca/kinetic-gpo-automotive-and-fleet-parts-kent-automotive.html

02/14/2023

What a great day to say we appreciate you! Thanks to all of our members, suppliers, and supply chain professionals. You are awesome!

Kinetic GPO is always here for you, when you need us. Check us out at: www.KineticGPO.ca

Happy Valentine's Day!

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01/24/2023

Public sector entities rely on the expertise and hard work of their contractors to successfully deliver on their mandates. Therefore, the relationships between the public sector and vendors are vital to the smooth operation of any government organization.

But how can government employees ensure these positive vendor relationships while still maintaining control of the deliverables provided by contracts and the associated costs? What common mistakes erode vendor relationships and how can they be avoided? How can government do better in this current world of supply chain issues and labour shortages?

To learn more about how to properly manage vendor relationships, we invite you to checkout the attached article written by Liz Busch, with The Procurement School. https://theprocurementschool.com/guide-to-modern-vendor-relationships/

Since saving money is one of the tenets of Kinetic GPO, you can save 5% on any of the courses offered through The Procurement School. Simply use Kinetic5 when registering your team for a training session.

Simplify. Comply. Save.

Public sector entities rely on the expertise and hard work of their contractors to successfully deliver on their mandates.

01/10/2023

Kinetic GPO is a collaborative purchasing organization
established for Broader Public Sector, MUSH, and non-profit entities across Canada, with the specific purpose of reducing procurement costs by leveraging group purchasing. Kinetic GPO provides a robust portfolio of cooperative contracts that were publicly awarded using a competitive solicitation process.

Participation requires no fees or minimums.

Procurement process complies with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreements (CETA), the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Procurement Directive, and regional trade agreements.

Contracts are competitively solicited and awarded based on BEST VALUE. We utilize the best practices and procedures to ensure competitive, easy-to-use contracts across a broad range of categories. Our contracts save public procurement officials time and money while providing maximum value.

RFx opportunities are posted on Biddingo, Bonfire, Merx, SEAO,
SaskTenders and Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC).

Registration is free! Become a member today: https://www.kineticgpo.ca/kinetic-gpo-benefits-of-membership.html

01/09/2023

Negotiation competencies are a must in procurement. Whether in the private or public sector, you are always negotiating.
By creating value – making the pie bigger, instead of claiming value – fighting over the same size of pie, the negotiating parties can realize mutual gains. Relationships can be enhanced rather than having one of the parties feel they are in a take-it-or-leave-it situation.

To learn more about doing deals and challenges in negotiations check out this great article by Larry Berglund with The Procurement School: https://theprocurementschool.com/doing-deals-challenges-in-negotiations/

Since saving money is one of the tenets of Kinetic GPO, you can save 5% on any of the courses offered through The Procurement School. Simply use Kinetic5 when registering your team for a training session.

Simplify. Comply. Save.

Trade agreement obligations for government procurement projects are not easy to understand, which makes it difficult to determine compliancy.

01/04/2023

When you need to procure roofing and building envelope
solutions quickly and economically, without sacrificing quality,
performance, or transparency, look to Kinetic GPO. The Kinetic
contract for Roofing Supplies and Services, Waterproofing
and Related Products and Services ( 19-03) is held by
Weatherproofing Technologies Canada (WTC) the affiliated
construction services company of industry leader Tremco
Roofing and Building Maintenance.

To learn more about the Kinetic GPO Tremco Roofing Supplies & Services contract, please visit: https://www.kineticgpo.ca/kinetic-gpo-roofing-supplies-tremco-weatherproofing-technologies.html

01/03/2023

Last Call: One week remaining to register for the SCMAO and OPBA hybrid event - Your Questions Answered about Indigenous Procurement.

The Government of Canada has implemented a mandatory requirement for federal departments and agencies to ensure a minimum of 5% of the total value of contracts to be held by Indigenous businesses. In addition, as forward-thinking organizations focus on sustainability and ESG, those that recognize the opportunity to strengthen relationships with the Indigenous communities and build prosperity for all Canadians are the true trailblazers in building the pathway to a sustainable future.

Kinetic GPO is proud to sponsor this session which focuses on how we can navigate and comply with all the requirements while creating opportunities that welcome Indigenous businesses to participate.

Topic: Your Questions Answered about Indigenous Procurement
Fireside Chat speakers:
Sandra Lisi, Interim Chief Procurement Officer - Purchasing Client Services, City of Toronto
Chris McLeod, CEO, NVision Insight Group Inc.
Date & Time: January 11, 2023 | 5 pm to 6.30 pm EST
Location: In-person - Living Arts Center, Mississauga | Online - Zoom
CPD: 2 CPD Points

Register here -> https://scmao.ca/mpower/event/landing?id=1309

12/28/2022

Happy New Year from all of us at Kinetic GPO! We’re excited to see what kind of work we’ll achieve together in 2023!

12/15/2022

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a happy, safe, and healthy holiday season.

12/13/2022

Several aspects of energy agreements can easily trip up even the most seasoned procurement professionals. Unless you are aware of some key terms and slight verbiage adjustments that can drastically affect the price you pay on your bill, you could walk away thinking you secured a good deal – when the agreement tilts in the supplier's favor.

The same focus applies when negotiating an energy supply agreement, such as electricity or natural gas. Everything seems to come down to price. After all the talk and all the negotiation, ultimately, the decision comes down to one question: "What am I paying?"

Keep reading to uncover the five energy agreement aspects to pay attention to when negotiating energy contract terms.https://www.kineticgpo.ca/uploads/1/0/1/1/101147334/tradition_energy_blog_document_-_everything_you_should_know_when_negotiating_energy_supply_agreements.pdf

Simplify. Comply. Save.