May 13, 1996
(Executive Council)

The following is being distributed at the request of the Conference of Atlantic Premiers:

Atlantic Procurement Agreement expanded

Meeting Friday, May 10 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, the Atlantic premiers signed the revitalized Atlantic Procurement Agreement (APA), replacing the 1992 version, setting forth the procurement practices to be followed by the four governments and their agencies.

The revised agreement maintains the existing conditions under which the four governments are to eliminate from their procurement practices discrimination based on the province of origin for goods, services and construction, at threshold levels of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 respectively. However, the agreement has been extended to cover academic institutions, schools and hospitals (the ASH sectors); make it generally consistent with the Agreement on Internal Trade; and to improve the wording and administration of the agreement. More specifically, the changes:

• expand exemptions to include first-time outsourcing or privatization, and to recognize Newfoundland's preference of not more than five per cent;
• extend the electronic exchange of tender notices to the ASH sector procurements as soon as possible;
• clarify and enhance the complaints procedure by including non- involved provinces and the chairperson of the Atlantic Procurement Coordinating Committee; and
• enhance reporting requirements.

"We are pleased that discussions with the academic, school and hospital sectors have resulted in their inclusion in the Atlantic Procurement Agreement and anticipate opportunities for cost savings to them," stated the premiers. "Companies in the region doing business with these sectors will also benefit."

The new agreement also refines obligations of the Atlantic Procurement Coordinating Committee (APCC), the body which is responsible for monitoring compliance with the Atlantic Procurement Agreement.

Contact:

• Kim Thomson, Information Officer
  Conference of Atlantic Premiers
  P.O. Box 2044
  Halifax, NS B3J 2Z1
  Tel: (902) 424-8975; Fax: (902) 424-8976;
  E-mail: kthomson@cmp.ca