OTTAWA–Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is committed to disposing of government surplus goods in a responsible manner, while obtaining best value for Canadians.
Today, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, announced that the Government of Canada will consult with charities to identify the best approach for encouraging and enabling donations of federal government surplus goods.
This consultation follows the Auditor General of Canada’s report “Disposing of Government Surplus Goods and Equipment”. In his report, the Auditor General recommended that PSPC review its policies in terms of creating and implementing a new service for federal organizations, in order to better encourage the donation and reuse of goods across the federal public service. A proof-of-concept exercise was held from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019, to determine the feasibility of a program for donating surplus goods within the federal government.
Further to this exercise, the department, with the support of the Canada Revenue Agency, is inviting registered charities interested in receiving donations from the federal government to identify themselves by responding to the Request for Information that is currently posted on the Buyandsell.gc.ca site. The information collected will help PSPC to determine the demand for donations and to evaluate the viability of a program for donating Government of Canada surplus goods. This Request for Information will be posted until August 30, 2019.
“Our government is improving the way we deliver services to Canadians by creating more environmentally and socially sustainable methods to dispose of surplus goods. The first step of consultation will help us understand the needs of organizations and determine the way forward for donating these government surplus goods in the most responsible way, ” said the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility.
PSPC is committed to disposing of government surplus goods in a responsible manner, while optimizing resources for Canadians. From April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019, PSPC conducted a proof-of-concept exercise to explore the feasibility of a program for donating Government of Canada surplus goods.
During the exercise, PSPC donated the following items to registered charities in the National Capital Region:
> 400 first aid kits
> 100 masks for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
> surplus furniture from the department
The exercise’s initial results showed the importance of identifying the charities interested in the goods in question so that the model is beneficial.
SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada
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