Signed,
Geddy, City of Lakeside Park
Dear Geddy,
BOBI is the Building Ontario Business Initiative, not an individual. The goal is to better support local economies while leveling the playing field to increase the likelihood of success for Ontario businesses. Some of the anticipated local impact of BOBI approaches are as followed:
- Stimulate Economic Growth.
- Supports Skills Development and Training.
- Supports Innovation.
- Increases Local Capacity and Export Potential.
- Supports Growth of the Value Chain in Ontario.
- Supports Sustainability in an Ontario-based industry.
I see that you are writing from a municipality, the willows in the breeze in the City of Lakeside Park are lovely; you are likely wondering does this apply to all agencies?
As of January 1, 2024, the BPS Procurement Directive is applicable to:
Hospitals, School boards, Colleges, Universities, Children’s Aid Societies, Shared Service Organizations, Group Purchasing Organizations. Also, publicly funded organizations that received public funds of 10 million dollars or more in the previous fiscal year of the Government of Ontario.
In September of 2023, it was applicable to:
Ministries, Provincial agencies, Ontario Power Generation, Independent Electricity System Operators.
You may be curious about how this aligns with present Trade Agreements in place. BOBI is applicable to items that are below domestic trade agreement thresholds.
For items above the Trade Agreement thresholds, there are some strategies to consider where feasible for awarding Ontario businesses, such as applying a weighted domestic criterion into the scoring mechanism.
For more information, we suggest visiting Doing business with the Government of Ontario | ontario.ca
ERB