Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME)

The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, known as OSME, is a federal office that supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in doing business with the Government of Canada. It was created within Public Works and Government Services Canada, now Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), to help keep the federal procurement system open to small, medium-sized and regionally based businesses.

OSME is a support and advocacy office. It gives suppliers information, counselling and training, and it works to reduce competition barriers and simplify the contracting process. It is not a certification, a registration system or a bid requirement. Its public description frames it as a resource for companies that want to sell to government.

How OSME was established within PWGSC

OSME was established in August 2006 within Public Works and Government Services Canada. The department was created to support a federal procurement system that is open to small, medium-sized and regionally based businesses, as set out in the Public Accounts of Canada entry for OSME.

Its mandate includes encouraging and assisting SMEs to participate in the federal procurement process. A parliamentary publication describes the office as created to promote SME participation and to help SMEs identify opportunities and find their way through the federal procurement system.

Services OSME provides to suppliers

OSME's work centres on practical help for businesses that want federal contracts. The services include:

• Information on how government buys goods and services.
• Counselling for businesses that are new to federal procurement.
• Training on procurement processes and requirements.
• Help identifying bidding opportunities and navigating the contracting system.

OSME also has a policy role. It identifies barriers that affect SMEs, advises on procurement policies and practices, and raises SME concerns with government buyers and policy makers. Its stated aims include reducing competition barriers and simplifying the government contracting process.

Regional offices and Indigenous business outreach

OSME operates through regional offices. The Department of National Defence tells companies that OSME is a network of six regional offices supporting SME participation in Government of Canada procurement, and it directs businesses to OSME for help. See DND's information for companies.

PSPC's OSME also works directly with Indigenous businesses and partner Indigenous organizations. It provides information, support and practical guidance on taking part in federal procurement, as described in PSPC briefing material on outreach to Indigenous businesses.

What OSME means for a supplier bidding on federal contracts

For a supplier, OSME is a free point of contact, not a step in the bidding process. The published descriptions do not make contact with OSME mandatory for submitting a bid or performing a contract, and OSME does not appear as a contract clause or an evaluation criterion.

Small and mid-sized bid teams can use OSME to learn how federal procurement works, find out where opportunities are posted, and understand compliance requirements before they bid. Companies that face a barrier in a specific procurement can also raise it, since OSME carries SME concerns to buyers and policy makers. Suppliers in a region can start with the nearest of the six regional offices.