Procurement

Upcoming changes to doing business with the City

We are pleased to announce a new initiative to streamline our purchase order, invoicing and accounts payable processes. The City of Ottawa is partnering with SAP Ariba to electronically exchange purchase order and invoices with our suppliers - improving invoice processing timelines and the supplier experience

What is SAP Ariba?

SAP Ariba is a cloud-based business-to-business marketplace that connects global organizations with their trading partners and provides a broad-based platform for all key business collaboration needs.

SAP Ariba will allow the City of Ottawa to improve the supplier experience with the following features:

• Supplier Collaboration via the Ariba Network
• Electronic Purchase Orders and Invoice Conversion

Visit SAP Ariba’s website to learn more.

How will this impact my organization?

Purchase orders and invoices will soon be transmitted using the Ariba Network. The City of Ottawa will be contacting suppliers to formally invite them to transact on the Ariba Network.  Please continue with all current procurement/accounts payable practices until you are contacted by our supplier enablement team. 

Is there a fee?

 Suppliers can transact on the network using a free Standard account. The Standard account will allow suppliers to complete all necessary transactions. Alternatively, to take advantage of the full-functionality of the Ariba Network, suppliers may choose to upgrade to an Enterprise account. To learn more, please visit SAP Ariba Subscriptions and Pricing.

What are the benefits to suppliers?

• Electronically connects suppliers to the City of Ottawa through the Ariba Network.
• Improves the reconciliation payment process.
• Reduces processing time and errors
• Access to other opportunities within the Ariba Discovery Network. This is a global network that allows you to search opportunities from SAP Ariba’s other customer organizations.

Which browsers are compatible with Ariba? 

• Microsoft Edge 32-bit
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 32-bit
• Chrome 54+ 64-bit
• Mozilla Firefox 49+ 64-bit
• Safari 9+ 64-bit
• Mozilla Firefox 17+
• Safari 5
• Mobile Safari on iPad (iOS 6 or above)

These do change from time to time. Please visit http://supplier.ariba.com for an updated list. Scroll to the support browsers link at the bottom of the page that will display the supported browsers in real time.

Supporting documents

Please click here to visit the Supplier Information Portal in SAP Ariba for additional support

Who do I contact for assistance? 

• For assistance using your SAP Ariba account, please contact the Supplier Support team 

The Business Technology Plan [ PDF - 667 KB ] replaces the previous Five Year Technology Roadmap.  This plan incorporates the initiatives of all City departments with regard to the use of information technology, together with the ongoing infrastructure renewal and maintenance vital to maintain City services.

The Plan helps achieve the City’s objectives as described in the City Strategic Plan through leveraging information technology capabilities to meet the needs of residents, businesses and visitors of Ottawa by:

• Keeping the technology base current;
• Implementing technology solutions that support ServiceOttawa  and other transformational initiatives; and
• Maintain, upgrade/replace critical business applications.

The plan is a living document developed in partnership with all City departments which will continue to evolve and respond to the changing needs of the City of Ottawa.  Progress against the plan is reviewed and a new plan produced annually to reflect changing business priorities, emerging technologies and fiscal constraints.

In January 2015, Supply Services launched VPM, a standardized process to evaluate, track and provide feedback on the performance of vendors. Performance evaluations are conducted through an online software-as-a-service system provided by MERX.

There are four objectives of the VPM program:

• Improve communication between vendors and the City
• Provide feedback with the goal of performance excellence
• Create and track standard Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Support the Contract Administration process used to address non-performance

For more information on VPM, please refer to the City of Ottawa’s VPM Guide

• Industry Tips and Tricks – Including How to Find MERX Account Info for VPM Contracts

The Government of Ontario enacted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in 2005, which sets out a clear goal and timeframe to make Ontario accessible by 2025.

The City of Ottawa is committed to providing equal treatment to people with disabilities for all City services, programs, goods and facilities in a way that respects their dignity as identified in the City's Accessibility Policy.

 Accessibility Training:

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) Accessibility Standard for Customer Service (ASCS) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) requires all contractors and their employees who provide goods, services or facilities on behalf of the City to receive training  on these standards and on the Human Rights Code as they pertain to persons with disabilities.

The Online Accessibility Training for External Contractors / Consultants includes the Province’s ACSC and IASR training. It is easily available to City contractors for free.

Training Records:

Contractors must keep records of all training, including dates when training was provided, the number of employees who received training and individual training records for their business. Contractors are required to make this information available to the City and/or the Province upon request.

Accessible procurement:

Under the General Requirement of the IASR, the City is required to incorporate accessibility criteria, features and designs when procuring or acquiring goods, services, self-service kiosks or facilities, including written materials, web content and the delivery of programs, except where it is not practicable to do so. Contract specifications and evaluation include these criteria, features and designs where applicable. 

More information on these subjects can be found in our AODA Fact Sheet and more information can be found on both the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service and Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation via the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility.

If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact your Contracting Authority.

There are currently No physical openings tendered

If you require a copy of previous results, please contact the Supply Services by phone at 613-580-2424 x25186 or via email at bidresults@ottawa.ca

French and/or alternative accessible formats available upon request. Please contact the Purchasing Officer/Buyer listed.

Unofficial Adjusted Results (VPM Scored) The unofficial adjusted results for Construction projects will be posted to the individual solicitations at MERX.COM 

The CFTA requires public sector organizations such as the City of Ottawa to post a Notice of Participation if participating in buying groups.

The City of Ottawa participates/intends to participate in the buying groups identified in the link below.  For further information and access to these procurements, please visit the following websites:

• www.merx.ca
• www.oca.ca
• Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) Notice of Participation - Buying Groups

Superseded Terms and Conditions