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ICCC team with Kevin Fox of Ontario (2nd from right) and Nicolas Falcone of City of Toronto (5th from right)

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Makkar, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) said that the focus of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) committee has been to offer programs that are relevant to the members of the Chamber. He emphasized that a large number of the Chamber’s members are small business owners or professionals who have their own practice; therefore, a program with such a theme would be of great benefit.

Jagdish Bajaj, Vice President, Programs and Events, in his welcome remarks, also pointed out that the unprecedented participation of members and guests in the program clearly showed that the Chamber was on the right track in bringing relevant programming to its members and stakeholders.

In his presentation, Kevin Fox of the province of Ontario provided an understanding of the competitive procurement of goods and services conducted by the Ontario government. Fox gave insights about how suppliers can successful bid for procurement contracts through a brief review of the procurement process.

He also informed them about how to gain access to procurement opportunities through the province’s portal – ontario.ca/tenders, and how to respond to a Request for Bids and how to market to the Ontario government. The Ontario government buys a wide range of goods and services from businesses of all sizes and types. When making purchasing decisions, the Ontario government must ensure that it manages public funds efficiently and effectively. The goal is to achieve the best value for the public money that is spent.

Fox is a Senior Procurement Consultant in the Program and Policy Support Branch of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, Supply Chain Ontario made a presentation on ‘How to Do Business with the Ontario Government’. Fox has had extensive procurement experience with provincial, federal and municipal government organizations throughout his former corporate career.

Nicolas Falcone followed Fox. Falcone is the Coordinator, Corporate Purchasing Policy & Quality Assurance with the Purchasing & Materials Management Division of the City of Toronto. In his presentation, Falcone explained the procurement process by the City of Toronto. His presentation touched upon the following agenda: the purchasing activities of the City of Toronto; the role of purchasing and materials management division; online call document system, and procurement contacts within the City of Toronto.

Falcone is a Certified Supply Chain Management Professional (CSCMP) and a Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM). During his Supply Chain Management career in both the public and private sectors he has gained extensive Public Purchasing experience from working in various capacities for the municipal government and in the education sector. He also has considerable private sector procurement experience gained from working in the safety products/distribution/services industry. 

From l to r: Falcone, Brahmbhatt, Fox, Makkar, Dhanjal	Makkar with the guests speakers