The vision of the Government Purchasing Agency is of an informed public sector and supplier community participating in a transparent and equal opportunity procurement environment.

Mandate
The Agency’s mandate is derived directly from the Government Purchasing Agency Act. It is responsible for the acquisition of all goods and services required by departments of the public service. This authority may be delegated in full or in part to departments where it is deemed by the Chief Operating Officer to be efficient to do so.

The Agency may also acquire the goods and services required by government-funded bodies when it is efficient to do so. This action requires direction from the Lieutenant-Governor in Council.

The Agency has a reporting function with respect to exceptions to the Public Tender Act, awards to other than the preferred bidder and information respecting the tender invitation and tender award. The Chief Operating Officer has the authority to provide an opinion with respect to the sufficiency of the grounds for exceptions to the Public Tender Act.

The Agency has an auditing and training function. Both departments and government funded bodies are audited to ensure compliance with the Public Tender Act. Training is available to all members of the public service to ensure awareness purchasing policies and procedures. A portion of this training is provided in partnership with the Centre for Learning and Development. The Agency, in conjunction with other departments, is also tasked with the supplier development initiative for the province.