Feds invest in new industrial security system
By PLANT STAFF
Industry Government Manufacturing Feds KPMG manufacturing procurement securityThe government has awarded a $12 million contract to Ottawa's KPMG
GATINEAU, Que. — The federal government says it is trying to improve the delivery of security services to suppliers and departments by replacing the electronic systems used for the Contract Security Program and the Controlled Goods Program with a single self-service electronic interface. To this end, it has awarded a $12 million contract to Ottawa’s KPMG to design and deliver a new industrial security system that meets the government’s needs.
The Contract Security Program and the Controlled Goods Program regulate the application of security safeguards through all phases of the federal government’s contracting process. The majority of services currently delivered by the programs are manual and paper-based.
Public Services and Procurement Canada says this transformation aims to replace the aging systems supporting both the Contract Security Program and the Controlled Goods Program with a reliable, user friendly and highly integrated electronic system that will improve processes, increase efficiency and therefore better meet the expectations of industry, government departments and agencies, and their partners.
The new system will be able to support the steady increase in the volume of security clearance requests observed in recent years, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada. It will be a web portal with self-service functions that will make it easier for individuals and businesses to submit completely paperless requests.
Carla Qualtrough, minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, said in a statement, “By modernizing procurement and the delivery of security services needed for contracts, Public Services and Procurement Canada will be better able to meet the security needs of Government of Canada suppliers. The new system will reduce administrative burden for Canadian businesses wanting to work with the Government of Canada and improve the quality of services provided to them.”
The KPMG contract is for 29 months and includes four six-month option periods.
