As we come to the close of our calendar year, I hope that everyone has been keeping well and will get an opportunity this holiday season to reflect on the past 12 months with gratitude and appreciation. As usual for this time of year, I would like to provide a recap of this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) that was held during our OPBA conference this past September.
The decision was made early in the year to hold the 2022 conference virtually, and like the 2021 conference, was a huge success. A big shout out to our Conference Committee, who once again, did an amazing job delivering a virtual conference with great content and speakers from whom we all learned. This year we had 181 people register for the conference with just over 125 members who cast their vote at the AGM.
With our OPBA vision and mission to guide us, 2022 was a year in which the OPBA Board made some very profound and courageous decisions for our future. Here’s what we accomplished:
- The Board worked very hard in bringing our members additional professional development opportunities. In addition to continuing our strategic relationships with NIGP, SCMAO (formerly the SCC – Ontario Institute) and the Circular Innovation Council, we also implemented “OPBA Talks,” a bi-monthly round table discussion session with members and various industry leaders about important topical issues including the province’s Building Ontario Businesses Initiatives (BOBI), Managing Escalating Costs and Utilizing Price Indexes, and a one-on-one with Ford Canada to discuss recent supply chain issues in the motor vehicle market.
- We got a new look! The Board updated the OPBA brand including the logo. We will officially launch it in the spring of 2023.
While maintaining the traditional blue colour, our new logo incorporates green to reflect procurement’s role in a circular economy and commitment to climate change. We kept the stacked “OPBA” acronym and introduced a “swish” line to frame the OPBA brand, demonstrating progressive leadership and our consciousness to always remain open, welcoming, and inclusive to current and new members.
- The most challenging accomplishment in 2022 was the implementation of a new by-law for our organization. Shortly after Roz joined the OPBA, she brought to our attention that Ontario brought in new legislation for Ontario-based non-profits: the Ontario Non-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA). ONCA provides Ontario not-for-profit corporations, including charitable corporations, with a modern legal framework to meet the needs of today’s not-for-profit sector. It sets out how not-for-profit corporations are created, governed, and dissolved. Prior to the AGM, each OPBA member was provided the link to the proposed by-laws for their review and the by-law was subsequently approved at the AGM in September.
- Our Principles Program continues to grow. This year, through the new learning management system with Desire2Learn (D2L), the Board implemented an online exam platform that has proved overwhelmingly successful. In addition to this, we also recruited seven new instructors for our Principles courses and will be looking to onboard them in early 2023.
So, what is next for 2023? The answer is still “LOTS!”
We will begin to bring back in-person gatherings in 2023. We are currently planning for our annual conference in Niagara Falls in October 4 – 6, 2023. We are also planning to hold our annual Reverse Vendor Tradeshow in the year. Although the event is an opportunity to generate additional revenue, more importantly, our Reverse Vendor Tradeshow provides vendors with the opportunity to meet with and learn from procurement professionals from local public agencies, including municipalities and regional governments, as well as from school boards, and public safety and transit entities, and more, all in one location.
- We will also continue with our spring/fall workshops, our OPBA Talks, and professional development sessions with our strategic partners.
- We will be rolling out a change to the current Principles construction course. The Introduction to Procurement has been enhanced and split into two courses: Introduction and Advanced Procurement for Construction. Look for those new courses starting in the spring of 2023.
- We have sourced a new website! Now we just need to implement it. Our best estimate is to have full implementation of the website by end of spring 2023.
- We will continue to generate non-dues revenue opportunities through advertising and sponsorships with the intent that these revenues offset many of our conference and operational expenses.
One further change that the Board implemented this year that our OPBA members will notice as quite different is the timing of our Annual General Meeting. ONCA (as mentioned above) requires organizations to hold their AGM no later than 6 months from their fiscal yearend. Therefore, in 2023 our AGM will be held on June 22 rather than as part of the conference in the fall. As usual, our members will be given significant notice of the meeting and the motions to be voted on. The AGM will be virtual to ensure the widest participation of members.
As I mentioned in my annual address last year, the demands of and on our organization and its members are just too much for Board members and volunteers to take on, and it was finally necessary to hire a full time Executive Director. Someone who could move our goals forward, work for the benefit of our members, and be a front and centre advocate for us all. That is why I am very pleased that one of the biggest accomplishments for our Board was hiring Rozalyn Werner-Arcé as our Executive Director. Roz has now been with the OPBA for just over a year and we could not have made the progress we have to date without her. Roz has been instrumental in steering the Board through both governance and operational challenges and she has brought a new perspective to which we are most appreciative. If you have not met Roz yet, please take 5 minutes to introduce yourself. You will instantly see the light that she brings to our organization.
In closing, I want to mention that it has been my honour to serve as the OPBA’ s President these past years. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity. This organization is very near and dear to my heart, and I have every confidence that we will continue to grow and strengthen our profession in these exciting and pivotal years to come. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, and of course, all the best in 2023. Take care of yourselves and each other.