This course will explore some of the policy considerations, legislated and trade treaty requirements, and case law regarding preferential treatment for local suppliers.
Many public and private organizations face increasing calls from their local communities to support local suppliers when purchasing goods or services, for a variety of reasons. This pressure has only increased in 2020 with the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on many small to medium sized businesses. However, public bodies need to balance this desire to support local with their legal obligations to ensure a fair and open competitive bidding process. This course will examine some of the issues around giving local suppliers preferential treatment in procurement processes, and also practical tips on how this may be done while still respecting legal obligations under applicable legislation, trade agreements, and the common law.
Nick Robichaud has been a practicing lawyer for the past 15 years, most of which has been spent as in-house counsel. Working in-house has allowed Nick to work in many areas of the law, and his main areas of practice currently include municipal law, privacy and access, procurement, contracts, and board governance. Nick has taught courses on most of these topics over the course of his career at a variety of in-person conferences, and is excited to now have the opportunity to reach a wider audience through on-line instruction!
